Rick and Morty is already one of the strangest shows on TV through its plot and content alone, but it also stands out due to how much it both lampoons and honors the sci-fi genre. But what else can you expect from two characters blatantly parodying the iconic duo of Doc Brown and Marty McFly? That being said, in a show containing blatant references to classics like Jurassic Park, Alien, and Akira to lesser-known movies like Zardos and The Lawnmower Man, how often does it make references to Back To The Future?
Time travel is a purposefully iffy subject for Rick and Morty, hence the use of portal guns rather than a time machine. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t references, nods, and even plot points taken directly from the adventures of Doc and Marty.
Their Names
Starting things off with the more obvious reference between the two, anyone deeply invested in the show will be familiar with the origins of Justin Roiland’s animated phenomenon. It all began with a lewd, crude little short film called Doc and Mharti. Needless to say, the show has definitely come a long way from this scribbly ripoff of Back To The Future.
Of course, there was no way this version of the show would ever make it to air. Robert Zemeckis definitely wouldn’t stand for the obvious and vulgar representation of his characters, but a seed was planted that would spawn the show as fans know it today. Plus, there’s no denying the similarities between both duos in terms of vocation.
Rick Invented The Device That Allows Them To Travel
A bit of a stretch, but Rick definitely shares more than a few similarities with Doc Brown. Are they any of the good and wholesome qualities? Absolutely not. But one thing they do have in common apart from the standard-issue mad scientist hair and aptitude for creating a legion of different gadgets and gizmos, is they also invent the device and power source that allows them to travel through space and time.
Granted, Rick has said on several occasions that he doesn’t like dealing with time travel stuff, but there’s no denying that there are some parallels between the portal gun and the DeLorean. Just as Rick developed the gun and the fluid that powers it, so did Doc develop the Flux Capacitor before him.
There’s A Back To The Future II Movie Poster On Snake World
For those looking for reasons why the duo avoids time travel as well as a more blatant and unashamed reference to Back to the Future, they need only look to the episode, “Rattlestar Ricklactica.” The episode is a whole new world of complicated, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t take time to include a reference to the ’80s classic.
While a trio of serpentine scholars work diligently to crack the formula to create time travel, slightly resembling a few familiar nerds from The Big Bang Theory, there is a poster resembling a snake version of 1989’s Back to the Future next to what looks like a poster of snake Michael Jackson posing for the Bad album cover. It’s an odd pairing, to say the least, but it’s probably one of the more blatant easter eggs referencing the franchise.
A Morty Wears Marty’s Puffed Vest
Here’s something to think about, if there are dozens and dozens of Ricks and Morties from different universes, planets, and planes of existence. Does that mean that the same principle applies to Doc and Marty? The better question might be, what if Doc Brown and Marty McFly are actually alternate versions of Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith? Need proof? Take a look at one of the background Morties from “The Ricklantis Mixup.”
In the scene at the Creepy Morty, dozens of Morties can be seen mixing and mingling around in a seedy strip club. One of these shady sidekicks at the bar can be seen wearing an orange puffed vest. Now, why does that look so familiar? Obviously a reference to Marty’s vest from the original film, maybe he’s got a DeLorean parked outside?
There’s A Flux Capacitor In Rick’s Lab
Maybe there’s a more explainable reason Rick doesn’t meddle with the timeline. Even if you take the immortal and omniscient time cops out of the equation. Maybe he doesn’t mess with time travel because he’s done it before and learned from the consequences. Here’s the kicker, he didn’t use his portal gun but another famous form of sci-fi power.
Located behind a panel of machinery in the episode, “Morty’s Mindblowers,” there is a huge Flux Capacitor that seems to have been repurposed to power up whatever other projects Rick has going on apart from the memory technology. How a time-traveling power source makes that work is anyone’s guess. But the evidence is as plain as day.
