Although Rick and Morty has plenty of memorable one-off characters, one introduction from 12 years ago felt like it should have been more consequential until a bombshell twist in season 8. As fans prepare for Rick and Morty’s season 9 return, there’s no better time to revisit the show’s early years and see just how much things have changed. Although Rick and Morty’s season 1 episodes feature the same anarchic sense of humor that the Adult Swim hit still boasts today, the series was both darker and more irreverent early on.
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The most tragic characters in Rick and Morty prove that the show started to take itself a little more seriously after season 2, something that was both a positive and a negative for the series overall. This tonal shift meant that figures like Rick and Beth got more substantial character development, but it also drew attention to some inconsistencies from the show’s earlier seasons. For example, the absence of Morty’s son from various seasons of Rick and Morty seems strange when the show now takes Morty’s life milestones comparatively seriously.
Morty Jr Was Introduced In Season 1’s Raising Gazorpazorp On March 10, 2014
In season 1, episode 7, “Raising Gazorpazorp,” Morty has sex with a robot Rick purchased at an alien pawn shop, only to be horrified when this results in a hybrid child dubbed “Morty Jr.” A Gazorpian from the planet Gazorpazorp, Morty Jr. quickly transforms into an aggressive alien monster. Morty’s attempts to shield him from the world, and the world from him, end in disaster when Morty Jr. escapes containment and rampages through Morty’s hometown.
Since Gazorpians grow a lot faster than humans, Morty Jr. progresses from an infant to a rebellious teen, to a thoughtful, self-reflective middle-aged Gazorpian in the space of a few weeks. By the end of “Raising Gazorpazorp,” he has learned to channel his rage against his father into a successful literary career, penning the bestselling memoir My (Horrible) Father and earning a spot on a talk show to promote the book.
This goofy storyline wasn’t given a lot of dramatic weight in “Raising Gazorpazorp,” as was typical of the series at the time. Until Rick and Morty’s game-changing season 2 finale, the show wasn’t all that interested in the consequences of each episode’s absurd standalone misadventures. There were hints at Rick’s dark backstory and the severity of his depression, but these were mostly small character moments like the ending of season 2, episode 3, “Auto Erotic Assimilation.”
Morty Jr’s Absence From Rick and Morty’s Subsequent Seasons Is Surprising
In contrast, later seasons of Rick and Morty started to bring back one-off characters and explore the ways that earlier goofy, comedic subplots had far-ranging consequences offscreen. One of the best instances of this trend comes in season 8, episode 9, “Morty Daddy,” when, over 11 years after his debut, Morty Jr. returns and is reunited with his father for the first time.
Now a failed author, Morty Jr. meets with Morty to learn more about his mother, Morty’s long-discarded sex robot. This sets up a storyline where the duo does their best to reconcile their differences, paying off a plot from over a decade earlier by finally treating Morty Jr. as more than a one-joke character. This Rick and Morty character comeback was a long time coming, but the episode’s unexpectedly warm-hearted ending ensures the return was worth the wait.
Which one-off characters do you hope to see in Rick and Morty season 9? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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Image courtesy of Daybreak Game Company -
Image courtesy of Wizards of the Coast
