Rick and Morty Season 9 Opens With Chaos, Betrayal, and the Return of Evil Morty

After nearly a decade of dimension-hopping absurdity, Rick and Morty has reached the point where every new season premiere carries enormous expectations. Fans no longer tune in just for intergalactic jokes or bizarre alien worlds — they now expect mythology-heavy storytelling, emotional fallout, and universe-altering stakes.

Season 9’s premiere episode, “There’s Something About Morty,” delivers all of that in spectacular fashion.

Premiering on May 24, 2026, the episode immediately positions itself as one of the most ambitious season openers in the show’s history. With Evil Morty making a dramatic return, Rick confronting the consequences of his past, and a multiversal threat known as The Collective endangering the Central Finite Curve, the episode pushes the series deeper into serialized science-fiction territory while still embracing the manic energy that made the show famous.

A Premiere Built Around Isolation

The official synopsis sounds deceptively simple:

“Rick’s been lonely, broh. Morty’s worried bout side pieces.”

But beneath that deliberately ridiculous phrasing lies a surprisingly emotional setup. The episode explores what happens when Rick Sanchez — arguably the most emotionally guarded character in modern animation — begins forming relationships outside of Morty and the Smith family.

That shift creates tension immediately.

For years, Morty’s identity has been tied to his adventures with Rick. The idea that Rick might not need him in the same way introduces insecurity, jealousy, and fear. Critics and fans alike quickly noticed that the emotional core of the episode revolves less around science fiction and more around abandonment and dependency.

This psychological angle gives the premiere unusual weight. Instead of resetting the characters for another season of standalone adventures, the episode doubles down on the consequences of prior seasons — especially the fallout from Rick Prime’s defeat and Evil Morty’s apparent freedom.

Evil Morty Returns — and Changes Everything

The biggest shock of the episode is the return of Evil Morty, one of the franchise’s most popular and mysterious characters.

For longtime viewers, Evil Morty has represented something larger than a typical villain. Introduced years earlier as a Morty intelligent enough to outmaneuver entire civilizations of Ricks, he eventually escaped the oppressive structure of the Central Finite Curve — the engineered multiverse where Ricks remain the smartest beings alive.

By the end of Season 8, many fans believed his story had effectively concluded.

Season 9 immediately proves otherwise.

In “There’s Something About Morty,” Evil Morty apparently blackmails Rick into participating in dangerous missions while holding the Smith family hostage as a failsafe. The arrangement instantly transforms the power dynamic between the characters and introduces one of the series’ darkest psychological conflicts.

The episode also reveals that Evil Morty possesses the Omega Device, a terrifying piece of technology tied to events following “Unmortricken.”

That revelation alone significantly expands the show’s mythology.

The Collective Raises the Stakes

If the emotional tension between Rick, Morty, and Evil Morty were not enough, the episode introduces a massive new threat: The Collective.

Voiced by Tilda Swinton, The Collective functions as a terrifying fusion of cosmic hive-mind concepts reminiscent of both The Borg from Star Trek and Marvel’s Galactus. Critics described the villain as one of the most visually ambitious antagonists the series has attempted.

The Collective’s goal is catastrophic: absorbing the Central Finite Curve itself.

That premise allows the episode to scale upward rapidly into massive sci-fi spectacle. Rick and Evil Morty are temporarily forced into an uneasy alliance, becoming what the episode jokingly calls “Defender of the Central Finite Curve.”

The result is a sequence many viewers are already calling one of the best action set pieces in the show’s history.

Animation That Pushes the Series Forward

Even critics who questioned aspects of the story praised the episode’s visual ambition.

IGN’s review noted that the premiere “thrives on the strength of its spectacle,” highlighting the large-scale destruction, kinetic animation, and anime-inspired battle choreography.

Several sequences reportedly resemble full-scale anime combat productions more than traditional Adult Swim animation. Rick and Evil Morty engage in explosive nanobot warfare, reality-bending combat, and dimension-level destruction that critics compared to Dragon Ball-style escalation.

This visual evolution reflects broader comments from co-creator Dan Harmon regarding the series’ creative direction.

Harmon recently explained that Rick and Morty has gradually shifted from purely script-driven storytelling toward a more collaborative visual process involving storyboard artists and animators. He argued that animation works best when artists are empowered creatively rather than merely illustrating scripts.

That philosophy is increasingly visible onscreen.

Dan Harmon’s Complicated Relationship With Canon

One of the most fascinating aspects surrounding Season 9 is how openly Dan Harmon has discussed the burden of continuity.

According to Harmon:

“Canon sucks, it drags your show down, but it’s also what you guys love.”

That statement perfectly captures the challenge facing Rick and Morty today.

The show began as a chaotic sci-fi comedy where continuity barely mattered. Over time, however, serialized storylines involving Evil Morty, Rick Prime, the Citadel, and the Central Finite Curve became some of the series’ most celebrated material.

Fans now actively expect mythology episodes.

“There’s Something About Morty” embraces that reality completely. The premiere references numerous past episodes, including:

• “Close Rick-Counters of the Rick Kind”
• “Rickmurai Jack”
• “The Ricklantis Mixup”
• “Unmortricken”
• “A Rickle in Time”

Rather than avoiding continuity, Season 9 appears determined to build directly upon it.

A Divisive Portrayal of Evil Morty

Despite strong reactions to the spectacle, not every viewer agreed with how Evil Morty was handled.

IGN’s Jesse Schedeen argued that the character may have lost some of the complexity that originally made him compelling.

Previously, Evil Morty symbolized rebellion against Rick’s toxic influence. In this episode, however, critics felt he was reduced to something closer to a possessive rival competing for Rick’s attention.

That criticism could become one of the defining debates surrounding the season.

Does Evil Morty still represent freedom from Rick’s system? Or has he now become trapped in the same emotional cycles he once rejected?

The show appears intentionally interested in that contradiction.

The Smith Family Finally Learns the Truth

One major turning point in the episode involves Rick finally explaining Evil Morty’s history to the rest of the Smith family.

That moment matters because the family has often remained partially disconnected from the show’s deeper mythology. By bringing them into the conflict directly, the writers blur the line between standalone family comedy and serialized multiverse drama.

The episode reportedly culminates in a massive confrontation inside a “Bunker Dimension,” where Rick and Evil Morty unleash devastating levels of technological power against each other.

Even the Time Cops return, hinting that the show may once again explore time travel — a concept the series historically avoided because of its narrative complications.

That tease alone could have enormous implications for future episodes.

Season 9 May Signal a New Era

“There’s Something About Morty” also arrives during a transformative moment for the franchise itself.

Adult Swim has already confirmed several major expansions:

• A Rick and Morty feature film is in development
• Supervising director Jacob Hair will direct the movie
• The President Curtis spinoff is preparing for release
• The franchise is continuing beyond Season 9 with multiple additional seasons planned

This means the series is no longer simply a television comedy. It has evolved into a long-term multimedia science-fiction property with expanding mythology and interconnected projects.

The premiere reflects that larger ambition.

A Bold, Messy, Fascinating Return

Like many of Rick and Morty’s best episodes, “There’s Something About Morty” is simultaneously chaotic, brilliant, uneven, emotional, funny, and excessive.

It delivers enormous action sequences, major continuity developments, shocking reveals, and emotional tension between characters who increasingly resemble damaged family members rather than cartoon archetypes.

Most importantly, it proves that after nine seasons, the series still knows how to surprise audiences.

Whether viewers embrace the new direction for Evil Morty or question the choices surrounding him, the premiere succeeds in reigniting discussion around the show’s future — and few animated comedies can still generate that level of conversation nearly a decade after debuting.

For a franchise built on infinite universes, “There’s Something About Morty” makes one thing clear: Rick and Morty still has plenty of places left to go.