Rick and Morty is a show that deals with many concepts and parodies of other films, particularly in the sci-fi genre. The most consistent running jokes surround other versions of the main characters seen across alternate dimensions.
While there are some amazing Ricks out in the Citadel of Ricks and beyond, the show has also thrown out some unusual and intriguing versions of Morty. The Citadel is also populated by a huge number of different versions of Morty, and we have been treated to a lot of them through the first five seasons.
7 Hammerhead Morty
The hammerhead version of Morty is shown among the many Mortys captured by the Evil version of Rick (but really Evil Morty). While other Mortys in this scene mostly appear normal, Hammerhead Morty is literally a hammer.
But, he is quick to point out that he doesn’t just have to be a hammer when C-137 Morty is proclaimed as the one true Morty. He is later seen fighting alongside the other Mortys, and is then used as a shield by Rick and shot a number of times. Whether this was the last we’ll see of Hammerhead Morty, he was a mighty example that anything goes in Rick and Morty.
6 Big Morty
There are a lot of things about the Tales from the Citadel episode that could be addressed in conversations about the best alternate versions of Rick and Morty. While not the most significant character in that episode, Big Morty is a gangster version of Morty that uses the word bubbala a lot and runs a criminal underworld.
While it’s hard to imagine C-137 Morty running anything, this pornstache-wearing Morty is another breed and barely seems like a Morty at all. It’s worth noting that the show has produced far more “un-Morty Mortys” than “un-Rickish Ricks” which may say something about the potential for growth in every Morty.
5 Schoolboy Mortys
Of all the film references throughout Rick and Morty, this segment from Tales from the Citadel was one of the very best. The foursome of Slick Morty, Lizard Morty, Glasses Morty, and Fat Morty is played in the vein of Stand By Me and produces an amazing short story as they learn about themselves and try to find their place in the Citadel.
There is an innate joy to this story, which takes four versions of Morty not that special or interesting, and does something with them that becomes one of the more memorable moments of a fantastic show.
4 Rick Morty
Or Morty Rick, if you prefer. This was only a brief shot of a character who appeared to have the face of a Morty, but the body of a Rick. This places so highly only because it managed to create such controversy and so many opinions from fans throwing around wild theories because of the implication that Morty and Rick could be the same person.
There haven’t been many hints that this is real, so far, but whether this character was simply a science experiment gone wrong, an amalgamation of the two in a parallel universe where that happens, or really is an older Morty beginning to look awfully like his grandfather, it was a fascinating background inclusion.
3 Lawyer Morty
The joke that Mortys aren’t intelligent enough to do much around the Citadel is played off a lot through the show. But one of the better moments utilizing this joke is when Morty C-137 and his Summer are brought before the council of Ricks. When Morty asks how this trial is fair since their lawyer is a Morty, one of the Ricks tells him “it’s not fair, you have no rights, and he’s not a lawyer, we just keep him here because he’s fun".
While Lawyer Morty may not be an actual lawyer, or have much going on at all, he certainly can dance and probably has a pretty nice pog collection.
2 Cop Morty
Another example from Tales from the Citadel, Cop Morty is a cynical, dirty cop that makes deals with drug lords and doesn’t mind abusing his own kind to get somewhere. Alongside his new partner, a good-guy Rick, Cop Morty shows the underbelly of the Citadel and the lengths that a Morty can be pushed to in this world.
This segment produced an unexpected Morty that fans didn’t see coming, and he was an excellent addition to the roster of Mortys. Despite not being taken seriously by some for being a Morty cop, this Morty didn’t let anyone push him around and instead dug himself deeper into the seedy criminal world surrounding him. This all eventually led to his demise, killed by his own partner after murdering Big Morty.
1 Evil Morty
The most unexpected of all Mortys is one that, instead of acting like a sidekick to Rick, would find a way to lead the citadel and then destroy it, escaping the central finite curve of universes where Rick is the smartest man in the universe. Whether anything about Evil Morty is really all that evil, the genocidal nature of his plan being a good indicator in one direction, he may have left the show forever at the end of season five.
But that doesn’t stop his story and this version of Morty being the most intriguing developed one in the history of the show. If more Mortys were like him, would Rick and Morty even really be a team?
Rick and Morty season 6 episodes premiere on Adult Swim every Sunday.