Why Older Morty Has Rick And Morty Fans Looking Twice At Younger Rick

The fanbase behind the hit Adult Swim animated sci-fi comedy, "Rick and Morty," is among the strongest and most loyal in recent years. Ever since the show's debut in late 2013, numerous lovers of geeky pop culture, science fiction, and outrageous comedy have found a friend in the Emmy-award-winning adult animated series. And while most are more than happy to just enjoy the show, others have gone so far out of their way that, at times, their exploits come close to matching the wild adventures partaken on the show. From harassing McDonald's for a special sauce showcased on the show (via Vox) to complaining about female writers brought onto the show down the line (via Entertainment Weekly), "Rick and Morty" fans can certainly be a rambunctious bunch.

This vocal, adamant nature goes for opinions on the show itself as well. The fifth season of the series is a prime example. Airing throughout the middle of 2021, the 10-episode season received split reactions from audiences and critics (via Rotten Tomatoes), but nevertheless presented enough unique ideas to get fans talking. One of these concepts having to do with an older version of Morty shown in the season finale has given rise to the circulation of a prominent fan theory.

As with any popular property, "Rick and Morty" is home to a host of bizarre fan theories. One particular fan theory focuses on a 26-year-old Morty briefly featured in the Season 5 finale episode "Rickmurai Jack." In a post to Reddit, u/kiyxoco noted that older Morty's floofy hairstyle resembles that of younger Rick. This resemblance caused a number of people to theorize that Morty actually becomes Rick in the future.

While this wacky idea wouldn't be the craziest thing the series has ever introduced, more than a few viewers were also skeptical. Fans responding to the thread largely took the design as more than just a coincidence, believing that the look is meant to hint to an even larger "Rick and Morty" secret. In response, u/Blackwell94 wrote, "Morty has grown increasingly apathetic and cold throughout his adventures with Rick. It actually makes sense that he would end up becoming him." Similarly, u/Argorash wrote that they have, "always assumed that Rick is Morty and that's why he's so averse to time travel." Interestingly, u/Bentup85 provided the most elaborate suggestion. They claim that Morty will grow old, and use his box of time travel supplies to go back in time to become his own grandfather to further help Beth get over past issues.

Notably, no matter how much fans speak up, it's unlikely the show's creators are listening. In a 2017 interview with CinemaBlend, "Rick and Morty" co-creator Justin Roiland said, "We don't read that stuff...It's fun to talk about all these different possibilities, but there's only a few things, a very, very small number of things that we would be interested in canonizing from this realm of fan theory stuff. I think it's more fun for us to just keep charging ahead." Whether the creators are on the same mind wavelength as their legions of fans or not, "Rick and Morty" always seems to be full of surprises.