Summary
Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Rick and Morty 10th Anniversary Special!‘Pickle Rick’ arguably marked the height ofRick and Morty’s pop culture fame, and has become one of the most iconic moments in the entire series even to this day. This is somethingRick and Mortyis aware of in the meta sense, as the series regularly calls out the episode as being something that fans greatly enjoyed, yet something the series should never do again. At least, until now, as despite its “diminishing returns”, Rick turned practically every side character into a pickle forRick and Morty’s tenth anniversary.
InRick and Morty 10th Anniversary Specialby Alex Firer, Fred C. Stresing, and Dean Rankine, Rick is moving to a retirement home, finally leaving his beloved garage/Sci-Fi laboratory behind. While the story is simple enough, the 10 Anniversary comic uses it as a way to take a look back atRick and Morty’s past leading up to this moment, which includes a great number of iconic side characters making their return.
By the end of the issue, nearly every side character that’s ever appeared inRick and Mortywas at the Smith house, as Rick brought them there for one specific reason: one of them would become the new ‘Rick’. Both Morty and Summer turned down Rick’s offer to succeed him, so Rick was going to pick one of his friends/allies/enemies to fill the role. However, when the contest got a little out of hand, Rick neutralized the situation by turning every contestant into a pickle.
EXCLUSIVE: Rick and Morty Announces RICK OR TREAT Halloween Special
Rick and Morty gets spooky in a new Halloween special, which will see new character Lil Wigsley relating a series of horror stories to the Smiths.
Rick and Morty Surpasses the Original Pickle Rick Purely Out of Obligation
When theRick and Mortyside characters all become pickles, one of the more iconic of the bunch, Birdperson, comments on their transformations, saying, “Have you people never heard of diminishing returns?”. To that, Rick replies, “Yeah, but if this comic is a victory lap, then we’ve got to do the big one, right?”.
In other words, theRick and Mortyseries knows that every time it goes back to the ‘Pickle Rick’ well, the whole gag becomes increasingly lame. And yet, because it was initially so popular,Rick and Mortyhad no choice but to include it in its 10th Anniversary. Therefore, theRick and Mortycreative team is very aware of diminishing returns, especially as it relates to ‘Pickle Rick’, but they still had to honor that moment inRick and Mortyhistory purely out of obligation.
Rick May Have Accidentally Given Every Rick and Morty Side Character God-Tier Power
Rick and Morty Presents: The Vindicators#1 by J. Torres and CJ Cannon
By turning all these characters in pickles, Rick may have given them access to a god-tier power known as the Sour Force. That pickle-related pun that’s not-so-subtlyparodying DC’sFlashoriginated inRick and Morty Presents: The Vindicators#1, when the Vindicators asked Rick to help them form a new team, and he brought them to an alternate version of Pickle Rick. It’s at that moment that Rick confirms that Pickle Rick has access to this cosmic power, purely because he’s a sentient pickle - implying that all other ‘Pickle People’ could tap into the Sour Force themselves.
Regardless of whether these ‘Pickle People’ gained access to a Speed Force-parody that grants them god-tier power likeThe Vindicators’ Pickle Rick, this 10th Anniversary comic still manages to surpass the original Pickle Rick gag by the sheer number of Pickle-d characters that made an appearance. Diminishing returns be damned, this anniversary issue wasn’t going to miss the chance to celebrate one of the most iconic moments inRick and Mortyhistory, and it did so in spectacular fashion.
Rick and Morty 10th Anniversary Specialby Oni Press is available now.
Rick and Morty
Cast
Rick and Morty is an animated science fiction series that follows the eccentric scientist Rick Sanchez and his impressionable grandson Morty Smith as they embark on perilous adventures across space and alternate dimensions. The show explores the impact of these exploits on Morty’s tumultuous family life and personal challenges.
