‘Rick and Morty’ Creators Explain the Origins of Mr. Nimbus

There’s a lot to unpack when it comes to Rick and Morty Season 5’s nemesis, Mr. Nimbus. A horny sea god who controls the ocean and the police? And who looks vaguely like a Marvel character? That’s intense. But the most shocking detail about Mr. Nimbus isn’t found in “Mort Dinner Rick Andre” at all. According to the episode’s creators, this very silly character has actually been in the works for years.

“Mr. Nimbus has been talked about here and there for a while,” series co-creator Dan Harmon said in a behind-the-scenes video about the episode.

“He was in another episode that died,” Jeff Loveness, the writer of Season 5’s premiere, said. “But we all loved Nimbus so much we were just waiting for a chance to use him.”

Mr. Nimbus is one of the handful of characters in the Rick and Morty universe who truly seems to understand Rick. Like Birdperson and Tony before him, Mr. Nimbus starts from a very silly place. But as the episode progresses he drills into Rick’s deep loneliness and chastises him for being weak. That deeper connection to Rick was very much intentional.

“Nimbus kind of is the antithesis of Rick. Maybe he’s the purest form of Rick,” Loveness said. “Nimbus actually is happy with himself because he knows he’s the king of the ocean and he controls the police.”

The same behind-the-scenes clip also broke down how the episode’s B-plot mirrored how Morty is becoming more like his grandfather. At the beginning of the episode Rick needs to age up some wine so he uses a pocket dimension to a universe where time moves faster. When Morty goes to retrieve the wine he brings back one of its inhabitants, the sweet Hoovy (Jim Gaffigan). Thus begins a long-winded epic that involves Morty becoming a mythical demon foe to an entire race of aliens.

“You know, Morty can be on the higher ground a lot because he’s this young, innocent kid,” showrunner Scott Marder explained. “And Rick is like, ‘You watch. You’ll make enemies in your life no matter how well-intentioned you are.'”

You can watch the entire behind-the-scenes breakout on Adult Swim’s site or on YouTube. And while you’re there check out Rick and Morty’s trip into literal space. It’s not every day that a show makes good on its atmosphere-shattering promise.

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