An early episode of Rick & Morty may help explain a season 5 plot hole regarding Morty’s origins. The award-winning Cartoon Network series follows genius scientist Rick Sanchez and his awkward and often nervous grandson, Morty Smith on high-concept sci-fi adventures. As Rick & Morty has progressed it has slowly turned away from the standalone episodic formula of earlier seasons to focus more on overarching narratives that explain character backstories and general lore. Rick & Morty season 5 revealed more than ever about Rick’s own backstory, the Citadel of Ricks, and Rick’s connection to Morty.
Rick & Morty first delves into the relationship between the two characters in season 1, episode 10 “Close Rick-Counters of the Rick Kind”. The episode sees Rick C-137 and Morty taken in for questioning at the Citadel of Ricks following several Rick murders across the universe. Morty notices that every Rick has a Morty, later stating that this makes their relationship special because it stretches over the infinite universes. Rick explains that their relationship exists for a more practical reason, saying that his “genius waves get canceled out by the Morty waves” meaning Rick’s numerous enemies could track his unique brainwaves down and kill him if not for Morty acting as camouflage. This is backed up in Rick & Morty’s season 5 finale, “Rickmurai Rick”, where it’s established that Ricks have been mass-producing Morty’s for this very purpose for years—which begs the question, why didn’t the Citadel of Ricks claim the show’s primary Morty for use in the time that Rick C-137 was absent.
First appearing in Rick & Morty season 2, Rick’s photo of Morty seems to answer this question. Like many things in the show’s past, the photo has become an item of speculation within the fan community. The nostalgia of the photo seemingly goes against the nature of Rick Sanchez, who is typically cynical and often unfeeling. The photo of baby Morty may not be there for sentimentality, however, but rather as a proof of purchase. With Mortys in such high demand, Rick C-137 may well have found it necessary to claim Rick & Morty’s main Morty early on, as a way to stop Morty from entering the Citadel of Ricks and being shipped to another Rick entirely. Why Rick chose this specific Morty remains unknown, but it could be for a few reasons.
In Rick & Morty’s season 5 finale, Evil Morty explains the creation of Mortys, mentioning that Ricks could “scour infinity for naturally occurring Morty’s but why bother”. This implies that naturally occurring Morty’s exist and that they are rare. Rick may well have chosen this Morty due to him being a natural creation rather than something whipped up by the Citadel of Ricks, which considering his hatred of himself and the Citadel, makes sense. The Citadel of Ricks has been seen to use love potions similar to the one in “Rick Potion 9” and other methods to unite Jerrys and Beth across the cosmos, but their interference more than likely doesn’t end there. Acquiring a naturally born Morty may offer different benefits than one purposely created, including better Morty brainwaves for camouflage, so Rick would want to lay claim to one early on to guarantee he had one for future adventures.
While the naturally occurring Morty may be the reason Rick C-137 chose that specific Morty it is also possible that Rick chose him for unknown emotional reasons. Though heavily suppressed, Rick & Morty has demonstrated on numerous occasions that Rick has feelings. His emotions towards Morty often fluctuate due to Rick’s obsessive personality distracting him from the feelings of others and of his own values. However, during “Close Rick-Counters of the Rick Kind”, the Evil Rick shows C-137 some clips from his own life, including a snap of Morty as a baby. Upon seeing the clip of Morty, Rick begins to tear up, which indicates a deeper connection. Rick & Morty season 6 is due to release in 2022 meaning answers about their deeper connection could be answered soon.
