Rick and Morty Season 9 episode 1 came out swinging, and I have to go on the record and say this might have had the best fighting scenes of any Rick and Morty episode ever.
SPOILER ALERT
The episode starts with Morty catching Rick texting someone, and Rick is trying to act like it is nothing. Of course, it turns out Rick has been talking to Evil Morty. Not only that, but Evil Morty has basically been forcing Rick to help him by threatening his family.
That alone is crazy because Rick does not usually get pushed around like that. Rick is usually the person doing the pushing. But Evil Morty is different. He has the power, the intelligence, and the leverage to make Rick actually show up. From there, the episode goes into this huge mission involving the Collective, this multiverse eating threat heading toward the Central Finite Curve. And for me, that is when the episode really started feeling like classic Rick and Morty, but turned all the way up.
The Fight With The Collective Was Insane
The Collective fight was probably my favorite part of the episode.
This thing was not just another monster or random alien. It was a celestial level problem that could absorb technology and learn from it. So Rick and Evil Morty could not just take the normal blaster approach and call it a day. They had to actually think around it. That is what made the fight feel so good. Rick was moving. Evil Morty was moving. Morty was stuck in the middle of something way bigger than himself. It felt like one of those moments where you remember how crazy the show can get when it wants to play with the full multiverse stuff.
I know Rick and Morty has had big fights before. Rick fighting Birdperson was intense, but Birdperson had the advantage with all that upgraded tech. Evil Morty taking out his own Rick was a major lore moment, but it did not feel like this. This fight felt full throttle. It felt like the kind of thing you would think Rick and Morty would be doing all the time, but the show saves this level of madness for when it really matters.
Rick And Evil Morty Have A Rhythm
The other big thing in this episode is Rick and Evil Morty’s chemistry. I do not mean they are friends. Evil Morty is still threatening Rick. He is still dangerous. He is still using the family as leverage. But they do have a rhythm. They talk like they have done this before because they have. They work together in a way that Good Morty can see right away, and you can tell it bothers him.
That is what made the diner scene so interesting. Morty is not just mad that Rick lied to him. He is watching Evil Morty sit there like he belongs in Rick’s world. Evil Morty understands the science, the danger, and the bigger picture. He does not need Rick to explain everything to him. And that is the part that hurts Morty.
These Two Mortys Are Connected (Theory And Not Confirmed)
This is where my mind went after watching the episode. When I bring up Evil Rick, I do not mean he is part of this episode. He is not. I mean the idea of connection. Rick and his enemy were connected through pain, obsession, and what happened with Diane. One version of Rick became tied to another because something was taken from him.
Now it feels like these two Mortys might be connected in that same kind of way. Good Morty and Evil Morty hate each other, but it does not feel random. It feels personal. Evil Morty is everything Good Morty is afraid he is not. He is smart, powerful, calm, cold, and able to stand next to Rick without looking small. That is why the connection matters. Evil Morty is not just another villain. He is almost like a warning. He is showing Good Morty what a Morty can become when he stops needing Rick, or at least acts like he does.
Is This Morty’s Diane Moment?
The biggest thing for me is that this does not just feel like jealousy. It feels like Evil Morty is taking Good Morty’s Rick.
That made me think about Rick and Diane. Rick losing Diane helped create the Rick we know now. That loss broke something in him. So what happens if Morty feels like he is losing Rick? Not literally in the same way, but emotionally. Good Morty sees Evil Morty working with Rick. He sees Rick listen to him. He sees Rick need him. And then Morty asks Rick if he wishes he was smarter.
That line is huge. Morty knows Evil Morty is smarter. He knows Rick sees it too. And deep down, he is scared Rick might prefer that version of him.
That is why I think Good Morty becoming his own version of Evil Morty is not crazy. Maybe not the same exact Evil Morty, but a darker Morty. A Morty who gets pushed by fear, jealousy, and the idea that Rick might leave him behind.
If Rick losing Diane created Rick, then Evil Morty taking Rick from Good Morty could be the thing that creates something new in Morty. And that is a scary thought. They even tease that in a past episode about getting to big of a head could lead to bigger things down the line.
Why Don’t Ricks Mess With Time?
The time prison part also stood out to me. Rick does not really mess with time, and this episode brings that idea back in a way that feels important. Evil Morty uses time tech, then the time cops show up and take him away.
Now, the episode does not confirm that Rick has been in time prison before. So I am not saying that as a fact. But the scene makes you wonder.
Right before Evil Morty gets taken away, Rick says, “Sorry Morty, you made it weird,” and then gives him the finger as Evil Morty goes off to time prison. To me, that felt personal. Rick is not literally saying “now it is your turn,” is he? But that is how the moment reads. It feels like Rick knows exactly what kind of punishment Evil Morty is about to experience.
Maybe a Rick somewhere got locked up for messing with time. Maybe our Rick knows more about time prison than he lets on. Maybe that is why Ricks do not mess with time. Who knows, but Evil Morty going to time prison does not feel like the end. It feels like a setup.
Final Thoughts
Rick and Morty Season 9 episode 1 was a strong start.
The fight scenes were amazing. The Collective felt like a real multiverse level threat. Evil Morty being back made the episode feel important. But the thing that really stayed with me was what this means for Good Morty. Evil Morty is not just a villain here. He is the smarter Morty. The confident Morty. The Morty who can stand beside Rick and make Good Morty feel replaceable.
That is why this episode feels bigger than just Evil Morty returning. It feels like the beginning of something for Good Morty too. Maybe Evil Morty is gone for now. Maybe time prison holds him for a while. But the damage might already be done. Good Morty has seen what another version of himself can become.
Now the question is what he does with that.
