The Rick And Morty Helmet That Fans Think Is A Reference To Back To The Future

Despite the hit Adult Swim sci-fi comedy "Rick and Morty" centering on adventures to wild dimensions, one of its key locations is that of the family's garage. The space underneath the garage houses Rick's laboratory, but even the garage itself isn't safe from the show's mayhem. Although it appears fairly ordinary at most times, the garage actually houses a variety of dangerous weapons and other unseemly hazards. In fact, it is full to the brim with Rick's countless array of unique inventions. While most of their uses are obvious, the exact intent of many of Rick's do-hickeys are actually quite mysterious, perhaps even foreign to their inventor.

One of these devices is a strange helmet that Rick continuously works on whenever he isn't running from alternate versions of himself or escaping alien killers. Throughout the series, Rick can be seen making adjustments and additions to the helmet. However, despite the helmet's near constant presence on the series, he never mentions his progress on the device to anyone. We also never get a clear indication as to what it is to be used for. While we may not know what the show's intentions are with the mysterious helmet, it's quite plain and obvious where its inspiration comes from.

It's probably no secret that "Rick and Morty" is heavily inspired by "Back to Future" (via MovieWeb). In fact, the show's titular duo are essentially look-alikes of the 1985 film's Doctor Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd) and Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox). The film more directly inspired co-creator Justin Roiland's raunchy animated short "The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti," which helped form the backbone of what eventually became "Rick and Morty." From the sci-fi-comedy angle to Rick's constant belches and even the usage of Roiland's voice for both members of the main duo, there's plenty to be found within the short film that became the show we know today.

However, other references to the show's original inspiration are slightly more subtle. The helmet that Rick routinely works on in the garage has an almost identical appearance to one featured in "Back to the Future." In the film, Marty seeks out Doc's help after accidentally traveling back to the year 1955. However, he finds the mad scientist focused on another invention, a bizarre helmet. The gizmo seems to be made of a kitchen strainer and a variety of lights and wires. Without knowing this future Marty, Doc tries to use the helmet to read Marty's thoughts before learning of his true intentions. Unfortunately, the device never works at all.

Does the helmet in "Rick and Morty" have a similar purpose? Or is it nothing more than a nod to the franchise that helped inspire this show's making? Most importantly, will Rick ever be done fixing it? Will it ever actually work? Either way, it makes for just one more fun detail in the already vast world of the beloved cartoon.