Rick And Morty Theory: Rick Dropped The Bomb On His Family

Rick Sanchez may be the smartest man in the universe, but he's also one of the most depressed. The genius scientist who makes up half of the titular duo in "Rick and Morty" has lived a life on the run from the darkest chapter in his life, when his wife and child were killed by a rogue Rick variant from another universe. Or were they?

Over the past season of "Rick and Morty," we've seen the tragic backstory of Rick C-137 ("our" Rick). After being a mild-mannered Rick running science experiments in his garage, he was visited by another Rick variant called Rick Prime (the Rick who is actually our Morty's biological grandpa), who offered him dimension-hopping portal tech. But our Rick refused, and Rick Prime later returns to kill Rick's wife and a young Beth by dropping a bomb through a portal.

But according to a fan theory that has cropped up in some form on Reddit, Rick Prime may not have been directly responsible for the calamity. Instead, it posits that Rick C-137 was somehow responsible for the bombing of his family. Although flashbacks do show Rick C-137 sitting in his driveway when it happens, we never see who drops the bomb through the portal. Could it have been a past or future version of C-137? That would certainly explain why C-137 hates time travel so much.

While this fan theory seems to have some evidence in its favor, it does leave a gaping plot hole. Namely, if Rick C-137 is the one who dropped a bomb on his family, why is he hunting Rick Prime for revenge? After all, if Rick Prime didn't slaughter Rick C-137's family, why is our Rick so dead-set on pursuing him to the ends of the universe?

If Rick C-137 killed his own family, a couple of things would still explain his vendetta. First, Rick Prime may still have been involved somehow, creating the scenario that led to the bomb being dropped through the portal, even if our Rick was the one who caused it to happen. Another possibility is that Rick C-137 blames Rick Prime for his family tragedy on account of him being the one to have given Rick C-137 the portal tech that led to the bombing. Rick has never been able to bear the blame for his mistakes, after all.

Whatever the reality of the situation, it's likely to be revealed when "Rick and Morty" returns for Season 7. The first episode of Season 6 dealt with Rick's vendetta against Rick Prime, while the finale implied that Season 7 will feature Rick and Morty teaming up to hunt him down. However, "Rick and Morty" loves nothing more than pulling the rug out from under its fans, so perhaps this macabre theory will remain just that.