‘Rick and Morty’ Theory: Is Bruce Chutback Jerry’s Son?

The coolest guy around who lacks slacks may have surprise connection to the Smith family. Fans of Rick and Morty have been paying extra close attention to Bruce Chutback, and it’s hard not to see the similarities between this Season 5 character and Jerry Smith. But what is the connection (if any) between the coolest new kid in school, and the lamest member of the Smith family? Read on…

The character voiced by Darren Criss first appeared in Season 5’s “Amortycan Grickfitti.” While Rick (Justin Roiland), Beth (Sarah Chalke), and Jerry (Chris Parnell) took off on a Hellraiser adventure, Morty and Summer (Spencer Grammer) were supposed to stay at home. Instead, they went on a spaceship joyride all in the hopes of impressing the new kid at school: Bruce Chutback. As his rockin’ theme song explains, Bruce Chutback hasn’t done anything embarrassing yet. We all know no credit is the best credit in the world of high school popularity.

It’s the design of this secondary character that’s been catching the eyes of fans. Frankly, Bruce Chutback looks almost identical to Jerry. He has brown hair, wears a green shirt, and has the same nose as Jerry. Really the only difference between the designs of these two characters is that Bruce looks a bit slimmer and has longer hair.

The first theory about Bruce’s eerily similar design is less of a theory and more of confirmation. In the closing bumper for “Promortyus”, Summer is hanging out with her friend Tricia (Cassie Steele). The super sexualized teen spends most of the closing credits watching Jerry bee-keep. After complimenting Jerry a few times, Tricia bluntly tells Summer, “I want to fuck your dad,” to which Summer shoots back “Oh really?”

Later, toward the end of “Amortycan Grickfitti” Tricia can be seen hanging all over Bruce. That implies that Tricia definitely has a type. It’s likely her attraction to Jerry that draws her to Bruce. But there’s another theory this design similarity has inspired: it may be possible that Bruce Chutback is actually Jerry’s son.

This could happen in a few different ways. As one Reddit user pointed out, Bruce could have come from a dimension that includes a different version of the Smith family. After all, he is new in town. Also from “Rixty Minutes” we know that Jerry marrying Beth as a young adult isn’t an event that’s set in stone. Bruce could be the confusing half-brother from a different reality.

It’s also possible that Bruce is straight up this Jerry’s illegitimate child. The idea that Jerry would cheat on Beth has been a joke in the past, but nothing is impossible. After all, Jerry got with the Warrior Priestess Kiara pretty soon after his separation. And who could forget the parasite-imposed Sleepy Gary? This version of Jerry could have cheated during one of his many rough patches with his wife.

Then there’s the craziest theory: Is Bruce Chutback the son of Jerry and Tricia? We know that Rick and Morty hates playing with time travel, but we’ve seen Rick speed up human clones on several occasions. It’s possible that, in some dimension, Jerry and Tricia did have sex, Tricia gave birth to baby Chutback, for some reason that child was aged up, and he ended up attending Harry Herpson High School. That would give the attention Tricia gives him in “Amortycan Grickfitti” a fun (?) Back to the Future incest vibe.

Or he could just be a guy. That’s probably most likely. But like Dan Harmon gleefully sings in Bruce Chutback’s theme song, he has unlimited potential.

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