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Running for seven seasons successfully, Rick and Morty has continued to captivate fans with its sci-fi theme and pop culture references. The series has been subjected to multiple theories and speculations among fans regarding its sci-fi interdimensional and interplanetary adventures. But sometimes these fan theories talk about something other than sci-fi stuff.
One such theory surfaced among fans after the release of season 3. That theory led some fans to believe that Rick has autism. This divided the fanbase, with some saying that it is just a theory and some saying it is more than that.
Rick from Rick and Morty could possibly be neurodivergent
Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, the animated sci-fi sitcom follows the adventures of a scientist named Rick Sanchez and his grandson Morty Smith. Debuted in 2013, the show has aired a total of seven seasons and 71 episodes.
Though the series is popular for its sci-fi theme, it is also known for Rick cracking jokes about real-life celebrities or the particular scenario mentioned in the storyline.
Sometimes the show presents characters saying something that has an impact beyond their initial intent, which leads to numerous fan theories and speculations among fans.
A particular theory emerged when Rick and Morty season 3 episode 10, The Rickchurian Mortydate, showed Rick playing the popular video game Minecraft.
At the time, Rick says:
“Is this game popular with autistic people?”
Morty responds by saying:
“Why would you say something like that?”
Rick interrupts Morty by saying:
“Because I’m starting to love it!”.
This started a popular theory among the fanbase that Rick is neurodivergent.
After season 3, episode 10, the whole conversation between Rick and Morty was considered a theory only, but season 6, episode 10 (Ricktional Mortpoon’s Rickmass Mortcation) made some fans believe that it was more than just a theory.
The episode portrayed Rick saying:
“I’m not touching that I’ll get neurotypical cooties.”
In season 6, episode 6 (Juricksic Mort) president calls Rick, “You pompous autistic cadaver!” This possibly hints that Rick may have autism.
Rick and Morty co-creator Dan Harmon previously created the popular sitcom Community, which aired for a total of 110 episodes and six seasons from September 2009 to April 2015. The show also had neurodivergent representation via Abed’s character.
As reported by the online media portal Vulture, while creating the character of Abed, Harmon discovered he had Asperger’s.
Harmon told Vulture:
“I started looking up these symptoms just to know what they are. And the more I looked them up, the more familiar they started to seem,” says Harmon.
Thus, there are possibilities that the animated sitcom may continue this trend of neurodivergent representation. However, the makers of the show have not officially confirmed anything about Rick being neurodivergent.
Since its release, Rick and Morty has become popular among fans for its sci-fi elements and pop culture references.
There is a reason why the series is full of sci-fi storylines. Roiland and Harmon developed the series while taking inspiration from the Back to the Future film series. They also made The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti, which was a parody of the Robert Zemeckis-directed film.
Rick and Morty recently aired season 7, including a total of 10 episodes. The animated sitcom can currently be streamed on HBO Max in the USA and Netflix in India.
