7 ‘Rick and Morty’ Cliffhangers We Need Answers To

Ever since we first met him in Season 1’s “Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind,” fans have been obsessed with figuring out who the eyepatch-wearing Morty is and what happened to him. But Season 4 has sparked a whole new crop of fan theories. What if the Morty we’ve been following this season actually becomes Evil Morty?

Rick has always bullied and harassed his grandson, but Rick has been especially hostile to Morty in Season 4. Hell, he even punched the kid in the eye at the end of “Battlerick Ricklactica.” We’ve also seen Morty stand up for himself a bit more or at least roll over for his grandfather less. In “Edge of Tomorty: Rick Die and Rickpeat,” Morty spent an entire episode refusing to bring Rick back to life. If this is the type of abuse that ultimately leads to a Morty manipulating a Rick, murdering other Ricks throughout the galaxy, torturing countless other Mortys as part of his complicated plan, and working his way up to become dictator of the Citadel of Ricks, it would make sense. Rick is a big enough asshole to create this level of monster.

This theory assumes that Season 4’s Morty isn’t Morty C-137, aka the Mortyest Morty. But even if Season 4 isn’t literally showing the rise of Evil Morty, it’s certainly showing what it takes to break one.

While we’re on the topic of Morty slowly turning into as big of a jerk as his grandfather, let’s chat about Morty’s seeming lack of remorse. In “Edge of Tomorty: Rick Die and Rickpeat,” Morty didn’t just leave his grandfather for dead. He also killed multiple cops and his own bully in a rampage filled with Meeseeks and devices that turn people into cubes with legs.

Death crystal influence or not, that’s a far cry from the kid who once risked his life for a fart. Morty’s intensity in that episode even feels removed from the compassion he showed the dead snake astronaut in Season 4, Episode 5 “Rattlestar Ricklactica.” Is Morty actually OK with all the people he murdered? Or is all of that emotional trauma going to kick us in the groin sometime in Season 5? Either way we’re nervous.

The final episodes of Season 3 were Beth’s time to shine. After realizing that her Froopyland fantasies were far more sinister than she remembered, Beth (voiced by Sarah Chalke) had a full on existential meltdown about whether she was fit to be a mother or meant for something greater. At the end of “The ABC’s of Beth,” Rick left his only daughter with a choice. She could either continue to live her current life with her family or she could explore her full potential, leaving Summer, Morty, and Jerry in the hands of an identical Beth clone.

At the end of “The Rickchurian Mortydate” it was implied that Beth chose to stay with her family, but it’s still unclear if that’s exactly what happened. And Season 4 hasn’t cemented anything so far. Between preventing her daughter from soulmate hopping to yelling at Rick for crushing Morty’s screenplay dreams, Season 4’s Beth has seemed pretty on brand. But there has been a bit of depth, desperation, depression, and drinking missing from this show’s resident wine mom. Maybe this isn’t the original Beth. Maybe it is her but she’s now more at peace with herself. Or maybe Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland are intentionally keeping Beth at arm’s length so that we’ll keep asking these questions.

After a lot of whining and a rebound girl who loved to hunt, Jerry (voiced by Chris Parnell) is finally officially back in the Smith family. But despite all the marriage counseling and Beth’s heartfelt speech about the Smiths being a joint package — Jerry included — it’s still unclear what Jerry’s place is. This season Beth, Morty, and Summer seemed even more frustrated by their father than usual. That implies that returning to Rick and Morty‘s Season 1 typical nuclear family normal may be even more depressing than pursuing a divorce.

We are in desperate need of a Mr. Poopybutthole standalone episode or at the very least a cheat sheet. Since Beth shot him in “Total Rickall,” he’s recovered from physical therapy, married, had a kid, and become a professor…? When did all of this happen? And while we’re at it, what’s the backstory on Mr. Poopybutthole’s engagement to Morty in “Morty’s Mind Blowers”? Forget Rick. This little guy may be the most interesting person in the multiverse.

Overall the first half of Rick and Morty Season 4 has been more about fun than tragedy. But that doesn’t mean things were all heist parodies and slut dragons. While Jerry was developing an app he shouldn’t and Summer (voiced by Spencer Grammer) was bouncing between soulmates, Rick almost found a new best friend in “The Old Man and the Seat.” Tony (voiced by Jeffery Wright) the poop bandit was exactly the right combination of smart, confident, weird, and fearless that Rick looks for in a close friend. But before they could get to know each other better, Tony died. The episode ended with Rick sulking on his special toilet, being taunted by the trap he placed for Tony.

Because we know there an an infinite amount of timelines, there are an infinite amount Tonys in the multiverse. Will Rick ever look for another version of the man who was almost his buddy? Or is that too desperate and vulnerable for the genius?

You know how a spider in your house becomes scarier the second it disappears? Tammy and Phoenixperson are the spiders of Rick and Morty. The last time we saw Tammy and the newly rebuilt Phoenixperson was in the post credits scene for Season 3’s “The Rickshank Rickdemption.” That was 15 entire episodes ago. And neither Tammy nor the Galactic Federation seem like the type to give up easily.

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