The success of Rick and Morty was built not just on the show’s unique sense of humor, but also on the strength of its characters. While it has several important figures that have proven central to the show, none are more crucial than its two titular heroes, Rick Sanchez and his grandson, Morty. Rick and Morty is one of the most rewatchable sci-fi series of the 21st century so far, with a large part of its success attributed to the eponymous grouchy scientist who makes its stories possible. As brilliant and hilarious as Rick Sanchez may be, though, he’s far from perfect in a narrative sense.
In truth, there are many aspects of Rick that don’t make any sense at all. Over several seasons and episodes of Rick and Morty, elements of Rick’s character have been introduced that either don’t add up or otherwise contradict prior ideas expressed in the show. The sci-fi nature of Rick and Morty often serves to make the stories of its characters fairly complex, but this has ultimately led to things about Rick Sanchez that just don’t add up.
5) His Inconsistent Nihilism
One of Rick Sanchez’s most prominent beliefs can be best described as nihilism, which makes sense, considering the wider implications of his travel between different universes and realities. His nihilistic outlook is often considered the philosophical core of the show, as it best fits with his adventures exploring the endless possibilities of many different realities. It’s often depicted as a sort of coping mechanism for Rick, who uses his nihilistic views to shield himself from trauma and other complex or difficult emotions.
While this might subtly make Rick one of Rick and Morty‘s most tragic characters, it also doesn’t make much sense. If he truly believes that nothing matters, it seems especially odd that he is often shown to hold huge grudges and seek out extreme revenge on those who have wronged him. In this context, Rick’s nihilism only really works if it’s not actually true, but that then undermines the core philosophy of the show’s premise and much of the comedy surrounding Rick as a character.
4) His Belief System Makes No Sense
Nihilism isn’t the only thing Rick Sanchez believes in. He’s predominantly a man of science, who ascribes to a logical way of thinking above all else. This has seen him proclaim that he doesn’t believe in more abstract notions and belief systems such as magic and religion, which makes sense considering he’s a brilliant scientist. However, this has also led to the animated sci-fi show contradicting itself, as Rick’s entire belief system is shown to make no sense.
Over the course of the show’s run, Rick has been shown interacting with both religious characters and magical beings, which makes his assertions that he doesn’t believe in such things utterly nonsensical. At one point, he even opens a shop specifically to un-curse the cursed items sold by Satan, which evidences that he must at least have some understanding of how such curses work. To understand this means he must believe in them to some degree, even though he has also been shown to dismiss more mystical or spiritual ideas.
3) He’s Weirdly Attached to the Smiths
Of all the characters in Rick and Morty, the Smith family are by far the most important. Rick’s daughter Beth, her husband Jerry, and their children, Morty and Summer, form a key part of not just Rick’s life but the entire show, with Morty serving as his grandfather’s long-suffering sidekick on his multiversal adventures. However, Rick has often been shown to disregard the importance of his family, stating that he can easily replace them with other versions from different realities.
This much is certainly true, but the way the show continues to explore Rick’s relationship with the Smith family is increasingly odd. He is shown to despise Jerry in particular, but still chooses not to permanently replace him with a better version from another reality. His repeated connection with the Smiths might form a key part of Rick’s emotional story, but it’s one that is in a constant state of contradicting itself in terms of the show’s wider world.
2) His Mastery of Biochemistry Randomly Disappears
It’s no secret that Rick Sanchez is one of the most brilliant scientific minds in fiction. After all, he’s the creator of some truly remarkable inventions in Rick and Morty, and often creates astounding and potentially devastating new technology on the fly. However, one particular aspect of his scientific abilities seems to be incredibly inconsistent, making his talents in biochemistry seem fleeting at best, and nonsensical at worst.
On several occasions throughout the show’s history, Rick has shown himself capable of turning himself into other objects (such as the infamous Pickle Rick) and of rebuilding cellular structures, but his grasp of biochemistry is painfully inconsistent. He has also been depicted as being completely unable to heal simple physical ailments and diseases, and is helpless to solve the problem of biological mutation on the Cronenberg world. It simply makes no sense that one day Rick is performing feats of unbelievable biochemical brilliance, and the next he’s unable to even tackle relatively simple biological issues.
1) He Repeatedly Contradicts Himself
In the years since Rick and Morty has cemented itself as one of the most successful animated series of all time, Rick Sanchez has become a pretty iconic sci-fi character. However, the way the show depicts him is unfortunately full of contradictions, with later stories seeming to ignore or defy elements introduced in previous episodes. While Rick himself is a pretty unstable figure, some of these contradictions are just a little too confusing to ignore.
For example, Rick is shown to be incredibly attached to specific members of his family, especially Morty and Beth. However, he has also shown that he’s indifferent to the idea of replacing them with other versions from different realities, and even cloned Beth without establishing any way of knowing which was the original. While it’s probably worth remembering that it’s only an animated sci-fi comedy show, there are many ways in which Rick and Morty infuriatingly contradicts itself in terms of the character of its protagonist.
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