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Rick and Morty's Ultimate Anti-Rick Weapon Confirms His Deadly Weakness
When it comes to sociopathic, nihilistic, and anarchistic mad scientists, few can compare to Rick Sanchez in his titular series Rick and Morty. He's a certified genius with a host of intergalactic crimes under his belt who loudly boasts his lack of empathy, despite his more nuanced actions being grounded in it. Now a surprising reveal shows his greatest weakness.
Since 2015, the publisher Oni Press has expanded the wacky world of Rick and Morty into a comic series that more than lives up to the show's premise. In Rick and Morty #56, the series introduced a landmark spin on the show's Council of Ricks with a dark council dubbed the "Illumiricki" who were founded with the intent to regulate and destroy threatening Ricks. This by itself is not unusual due to Rick's often evil nature, but where the trouble arises is how the Illumiricki conducts this.
In Rick and Morty #60 by Zac Gorman and Kyle Starks, the Illumiricki plan to kill the main Rick (known as Rick C-137) by dropping a reality-killing bomb with a long-timer, and an anti-portal mechanism that slows down Rick's teleport gun. Their plan is effective, not because Rick can't escape, but because he always returns to try and deactivate the device. The Doofus Ricks incorrectly assume this is Rick's hubris refusing him to leave without proving why he's the smartest. However, Rick actually admits it's because he can't stop himself from forming attachments to the specific version of any reality he settles in.
The comic does impressive work in fleshing out Rick's character further. Any fan familiar with Rick's character will be quick to point out that pure nobility is never a consistent action for him. Therefore, his continuous return to stop the bomb seems like a mix of both pride and empathy. Despite Rick changing home dimensions (most recently to C-131) many times seemingly with no concern, this confirms he can't help but get attached to it and the people within. The Illumiricki's plan is a success. Not because Rick failed to outsmart it, but because his unexpected attachments render him vulnerable. This anti-Rick weapon always kills Rick, no matter the reality. The situation shows how his arrogance and attachments combine to make him vulnerable to his emotions. An unstoppable world-ending weapon is a regular threat for Rick Sanchez, so its effectiveness is rooted in the human factor. Escaping its radius is a non-factor for a being like Rick so he feels compelled to try and save the reality he's called home. This poses an interesting dilemma for fans because it gives cause to reexamine Rick's motives as a character.
In a series with a rotating roster of powerful antagonists like Rick and Morty, fans usually agree that Rick is one of the biggest threats due to his sociopathic tendencies. But it's because of these said tendencies that makes Rick's undoing by the anti-Rick weapon interesting. He's a sociopath whose emotions typically fall on the self-absorbed side with remarkable moments of heroism sprinkled in with the times he's sacrificed himself to save Morty and his family. His ultimate weakness is confirmed to be the result of the arrogance and affection he holds for what he calls 'his'. It's an interesting layer to Rick and Morty through Rick Sanchez amoral character that is worthy of exploring in future installments.
