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| Rick and Morty Season 9 Finally Brings Evil Morty Back — But His Real Plan Looks Far More Dangerous Than Rick Realises. (Credits: Avenue) |
The season 9 premiere of Rick and Morty wastes absolutely no time pretending life has gone back to normal. After years of multiversal chaos, revenge arcs, collapsing timelines and emotionally unavailable grandfathers trying their best for roughly six minutes at a time, the series opens with a strangely calm atmosphere that immediately feels suspicious.
Rick acting slightly responsible is already alarming enough, but the bigger shock comes from the return of Evil Morty, who somehow manages to make every room feel uncomfortable even before saying a word. The episode plays like a giant warning sign hidden beneath layers of sarcasm, sci-fi nonsense and deeply unhealthy family dynamics.
Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, the animated sci-fi comedy has slowly transformed from a chaotic adventure-of-the-week cartoon into one of television’s messiest and oddly smartest long-running multiverse stories. By the end of season 7, Rick finally defeated the version of himself that haunted nearly every major arc in the series.
Season 8 then leaned harder into Rick becoming less emotionally destructive, or at least destructive with occasional self-awareness. But season 9 quickly makes it clear that peace inside the Rick Sanchez universe never lasts long. Especially when Evil Morty is still breathing.
The biggest talking point from episode 1 is undoubtedly whether Evil Morty is truly gone after being arrested by the time cops. The short answer is: probably not even close. The final look he gives Rick before being dragged away practically screams unfinished business.
If anything, the arrest feels more like a coffee break in the middle of a war rather than a proper defeat. The show has repeatedly established that Evil Morty operates on the same intellectual level as Rick, except with significantly less ego and arguably far better long-term planning. That combination alone makes him terrifying.
What makes the situation even more dangerous is the lingering mystery surrounding the remains of the Collective. The episode quietly reveals that its remains are stored inside a USB drive currently controlled by Evil Morty.
In true Rick and Morty fashion, the show treats a potentially universe-ending object with the same casual energy as losing a charger cable under the sofa.
But fans already know nothing in this series gets mentioned accidentally. The Collective consuming itself endlessly may sound contained for now, yet Evil Morty possessing access to that power changes everything.
There is also growing speculation that Evil Morty may eventually merge with or replicate the Collective’s abilities. If that happens, season 9 could become one of the darkest storylines the show has attempted.
The idea of a character who can consume or absorb anything he touches fits disturbingly well with Evil Morty’s entire character arc.
Since his introduction, he has wanted freedom from every Rick, every system and every version of destiny forced upon him. Becoming something larger than time itself would basically complete that transformation. It is dramatic, horrifying and exactly the sort of absurd escalation this series loves.
Then there is the issue of the Omega Device, which remains the single most dangerous invention still hanging over the show’s universe. Even though Rick successfully destroyed the original machine, the premiere reminds viewers of one uncomfortable truth: Evil Morty still knows how to rebuild it.
That alone means Rick’s victory is nowhere near permanent. The Omega Device is not dangerous simply because it can erase versions of people across realities.
It is dangerous because it gives one person the power to control existence itself. And somehow the only person capable of rebuilding it is also the person holding onto years of resentment and abandonment issues.
The episode also sneaks in something surprisingly emotional beneath all the dark humour and sci-fi chaos. For all his hatred towards Prime Rick and his bitterness towards Mortys in general, Evil Morty appears to view Rick C-137 differently.
There are moments throughout the premiere where his actions feel less like pure revenge and more like someone desperately searching for acknowledgment from the only Rick he considers worth anything.
Naturally, because this is Rick and Morty, that emotional complexity gets buried underneath insults, manipulation and the looming possibility of mass universal destruction.
Meanwhile, Morty himself remains trapped in the middle of this bizarre emotional chess match. Evil Morty’s open dislike towards him only sharpens the tension further.
Rick may think he is keeping the most dangerous parts of his life hidden from Morty, but the series keeps showing that Morty always ends up dragged back into the mess anyway. Usually against his will and often before breakfast.
Fans online have had wildly mixed reactions to the premiere, although most agree the return of Evil Morty instantly raised the stakes again after some viewers felt season 8 lacked a major central threat.
Some praised the episode for bringing back the darker psychological tension that made earlier seasons stand out, while others joked that Rick finally trying to become a decent father somehow triggered the universe into collapsing again.
A large section of viewers also believe the time cops arresting Evil Morty was intentionally too easy, with many convinced he planned the entire situation from the start. Honestly, with this show, that theory does not even sound remotely impossible anymore.
Others were more focused on the Omega Device itself, especially after the premiere quietly confirmed the technology is still very much relevant.
Some fans are already predicting that the machine will eventually force Rick and Evil Morty into another temporary alliance later this season. Considering this series treats trust like a contagious disease, that would almost certainly end terribly.
What makes season 9 particularly interesting is that the show no longer seems interested in simple good-versus-evil storytelling. Rick is softer but still manipulative. Morty is more experienced but emotionally exhausted.
Evil Morty remains terrifying yet strangely understandable. Nobody here is entirely right, and nobody is fully stable either. That uncertainty is exactly what keeps the series compelling after all these years.
For now, Evil Morty may technically be off the board, but Rick and Morty has never been a show where prison cells actually solve anything.
If anything, episode 1 feels like the opening move of a much bigger conflict involving time manipulation, unfinished emotional baggage and one dangerously smart Morty who still has access to knowledge that could destroy everything.
The real question now is not whether Evil Morty returns. It is how much damage he plans to cause when he does. And honestly, after that final stare, it feels less like a possibility and more like a countdown. What did you make of the season 9 premiere, and do you think Evil Morty is secretly still five steps ahead of Rick already?