A familiar villain will reemerge in Rick & Morty season 8 and present a challenge to Rick C-137 that Rick Prime never did. Rick & Morty is an animated television show that follows the misadventures of scientist Rick Sanchez and his grandson Morty Smith, along with Rick’s daughter Beth, his son-in-law Jerry, and his granddaughter, Summer. Rick & Morty season 8 is underway, with a confirmed release window for 2025.
The show was originally released in 2013 by show creators Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon and has enjoyed widespread popularity. The last season delivered a long-anticipated conflict between Rick C-137 and Evil Morty, as well as Rick and Rick Prime, and posed burning questions for Rick & Morty season 8. The show has been renewed through at least season 10, leaving plenty of time to dig into the backstories teased in season 7.
Rick & Morty season 8’s villain will present new challenges to Rick C-137 that Rick Prime never did because of his intimate knowledge of Rick. As the scientist’s grandson, any Morty in the Central Finite Curve knows a thing or two about Rick, but Evil Morty is smart enough to leverage his intel of Rick and wise enough to do so. Rick will need to watch his back in Rick & Morty season 8, regardless of what Evil Morty is plotting.
After Rick Prime dies halfway through Rick & Morty season 7, the series loses its longest-standing villain, leaving a hole in Rick’s universe that is likely to be filled with more conflict. With showrunner Scott Marder confirming Evil Morty’s return in season 8 and with “grand designs,” Rick C-137 may be left in a vulnerable state should Evil Morty choose to target him. Rick’s connection to his family is his Achilles’ heel, and coming up against a Morty could be one of Rick’s greatest challenges yet.
Working closely with Rick in Rick & Morty season 7, episode 5, Evil Morty has already required Rick to self-reflect. When Rick loses Diane to Rick Prime’s attack, it prompts Rick’s life purpose to be to kill Rick Prime. Evil Morty makes Rick confront the final stage of his vengeance when Rick disrupts his forcefield while hacking the Central Finite Curve to find Rick Prime, and Evil Morty temporarily joins forces with Rick and Morty as they team up to find Rick Prime.
Evil Morty forces Rick to reconcile with his past by optimizing Rick’s design so that Rick can successfully trace Rick Prime. Evil Morty knows that Rick will feel empty when he gets what he thinks he wants, however, he helps him do it anyway. For the most part, he remains partial to the situation, but downloading the information that allowed Rick Prime to wipe out a person across all realities could make Evil Morty the most challenging villain yet, even though Rick and Morty have faced some powerful villains.
Evil Morty is the natural conclusion to Rick & Morty’s central relationship, between Rick and Morty, because if there are infinite timelines in infinite universes, it’s probable that Rick’s antics have pushed one of his grandsons too far in at least one of them. Since season 1, episode 1, Rick has faced challenges with respecting his grandson, and so it feels natural for a character to emerge out of the show who resembles Morty but is immune to Rick’s hubris.
A familiar villain will return to Rick & Morty season 8 and challenge Rick C-137 in ways that Rick Prime never did. Evil Morty will prove to be a unique villain for Rick, due to the character’s existing intimate knowledge of his opponent and Rick’s weakness for his family. Evil Morty could be Rick’s most rivaled competitor if he chose to go after the scientist, however, Rick & Morty season 7 suggested that Evil Morty wanted to remain neutral.