Epic Games' Fortnite continues expanding every season, both in terms of narrative and crossover content. Chapter 3 Season 4, titled "Paradise," sees the island invaded by an entity named The Herald who appears hellbent on covering everything in a chrome substance. Among those in the season's battle pass are The Paradigm, played by Brie Larson, and Gwen Stacy from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. However, also appearing in conjunction with Fortnite's annual Halloween celebration are two Rick and Morty characters: Summer Smith and Mr. Meeseeks.
Fortnitemares 2022 is headed by Ash Williams from the Evil Dead franchise, but new Rick and Morty representatives also flesh out this popular series beyond Rick Sanchez and Mecha Morty, added in Chapter 2 Season 7. Plenty of franchises with large casts have seen multiple additions over the years, including Disney-owned Marvel and Star Wars series as well as Capcom's Street Fighter roster. More of the Smith family should follow Summer, but few would likely make as big an impact as its perennial upward-failing matriarch Jerry.
How Jerry Smith Fits the Family Dynamic in Rick and Morty
In spite of its high-concept sci-fi stories, abundance of pop culture references, and nihilistic themes, Rick and Morty can pretty easily be boiled down into basic sitcom tropes. When the animated show began airing on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block in 2013, it centered a core family of four: Morty, an intellectually slow yet optimistic teen; Summer, a somewhat ditzy and boy-obsessed older sister; Beth, a surgeon driven to alcoholism because her ambitions were stifled by an unexpected pregnancy; and Jerry, the simple everyman whose family treats him like a doormat.
A lot of the show's appeal came from the introduction of Beth's father Rick into this dynamic, being a Back to the Future pastiche whose extreme genius and mastery of dimension-hopping leaves him uncaring about the impact of his actions. This attitude and the sci-fi adventures they create change everyone in the Smith family over time, bringing out their best and worst angels. Meanwhile, Rick's outer-face is slowly ground away as he begins bonding with each family member - though he's often still an insufferable prick.
Each character has gone on multiple adventures and arcs leading to the currently ongoing Season 6, and this has been reflected in Fortnite. One of Rick's alternate looks is a Toxic skin based on his negative traits from the Season 3 episode "Rest and Ricklaxation," for example, and the new Queen Summer skin comes from the Season 4 episode "Promortyus." Jerry is often treated like a hapless loser, but he has been known to stand up for himself. That jump from a nervous, neurotic man to a handy killer would be reflected perfectly on the battlefields of Fortnite.
What Jerry Could Bring to Fortnite
The pattern established by Morty and Summer's Fortnite skins suggest that a future Jerry Smith would be based on an alternate version of Jerry rather than his typical "suburban dad" attire. There are plenty of creative options out there, such as the wooden puppet Jerry from Season 5 episode "Mortyplicity." However, the obvious choice for a battle-ready Jerry would be the variant from Earth C-137 who becomes a survivalist hunter when the planet is overcome by Cronenberg monsters. He recently made another appearance in the Season 6 premiere, "Solaricks."
A suburban Jerry would make the greatest contrast in terms of comedic Fortnite moments though, as the nervous husband dances to a newly introduced Lizzo emote after sniping Goku, Master Chief, or any number of pre-existing crossover characters. Plenty of references to Jerry's undersung talents or failed life endeavors could also appear in his items, for instance some kind of beekeeper gear to call out the affection of Summer's friend Tricia Lange.
Jerry is not the only Rick and Morty character who seems likely to get a Fortnite skin. Beth and spacefaring warrior Beth are also clear candidates, though the introduction of Mr. Meeseeks also implies side-characters could get time to shine. There are undoubtedly fans out there who would pay for skins based on characters like Birdperson, or other one-off villains of the week. However, Jerry seems like a great place to start, if only to get him the recognition he deserves.
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