Rick and Morty: Is Space Beth Headed for a Villainous Team-Up With Rick Prime?

Rick and Morty Season 3 first introduced the storyline of Beth Smith cloning herself to live a dual life – one as a mother and wife and Earth, and another as a badass space fighter. However, in the last few seasons of the show, “Space Beth” has come back into the picture and managed to grow closer to the family she once wanted to get away from. Well, after the Rick and Morty Season 6 Episode “Bethic Twinstinct” there’s an increasing hint that Space Beth could end up being a major adversary in the show – and possibly a crucial ally to Rick Prime. 

WARNING: SPOILERS FOLLOW! 

Could Space Beth Become A Villain? 

As stated, Space Beth’s entire arc in Rick and Morty has been all about Beth Smith’s choice to pursue a life outside the domestic bubble she was trapped in with Jerry and her family. Even as Space Beth has reconnected with the Smith Family, she’s made it clear that she is a very different sort of Beth, who has no regrets about her life choices.

Moving past the wild self-love concept behind “Bethic Twinstinct” (i.e., Beth and Space Beth having an affair), this episode also has some pretty important character development sections for Beth, in which she and Space Beth discuss and eventually argue where the line of difference in their views is drawn. Ultimately, the Beths reach a tenuous (if not more twisted) equilibrium with each other and the Smith Family, before Space Beth heads back out into the cosmos. 

Why Space Beth And Rick Prime Could Team-Up

Space Beth’s increased presence in Rick and Morty comes at the not-so-coincidental moment of Rick Prime’s debut in the series. As the Season 6 premiere confirmed, Rick Prime is a Rick that similarly chose a life of independence and adventure over caring about his family. While Rick Prime is definitely a more nefarious character, his basic nature and world view is pretty similar to the person Space Beth has become. If these two characters eventually meet, Space Beth seems like the one person that Rick Prime could actually respect – a version of his daughter he actually likes. 

“Bethic Twinstinct” provided a potential character motivation for Space Beth to finally take on the Smith Family: not for evil reasons, but in the name of “liberating” her other self from a trapped existence. It’s that fear (of being stuck in a soul-sucking cycle of living) that fuels all of Rick and Morty’s main antagonists: whether it’s Evil Morty or Rick Prime. With Space Beth clearly falling into that category as well, the conflict between her and the Smith Family seems all but inevitable. 

Rick and Morty Season 6 is airing on Sunday nights on Adult Swim.