Rick & Morty Called Out Fans for Loving Pickle Rick Too Much
In a spiritual sequel to the Pickle Rick episode, Rick finds himself turning into other objects, but Morty asks him and the fans why it's so funny.
One of the most iconic gags in Rick and Morty's five-season run is Pickle Rick, but one comic featuring the duo actually called out fans for loving it a bit too much.
The joke first debuted during season 3 with the episode aptly named "Pickle Rick." In Pickle Rick, Rick turns himself into a pickle to avoid going to therapy with his family, loudly proclaiming himself to be "Pickle Rick." It's a simple joke that fans ended up making bigger than the creators probably expected. Now, the gag has cemented itself in popular culture with people loving it to this day. It's so big that even Rick and Morty themselves officially called out its popularity in the comics.
Rick and Morty #40 by Kyle Starks and Sarah Stern follows the titular characters engaged in a Hunger Games-style battle royale. While the two prepare for a fight to the death, Rick unveils his secret weapon: the Transformatron. With this device, Rick is able to turn himself into anything he wants to. He uses this ability to not just take out enemies but also to entertain members of the audience with his antics, which proves to be a success as people can't get enough of him turning into inanimate objects. Morty, on the other hand, isn't as impressed. When Rick asks Morty for the Transformatron, he tells him that he doesn't quite understand the appeal. When Rick reveals that he does it because it's funny and gets them attention to make it further into the games. Morty tells him they aren't as funny as Rick thinks and that it's a pretty low-effort joke. This is a direct call-out to the people that made the Pickle Rick joke as popular (and misunderstood) as it is today. Essentially, Pickle Rick was made a silly little gag that was meant to get a cheap laugh but wasn't necessarily comedic genius.
This is a pretty damning critique for Rick & Morty to make seeing how popular the joke has become in popular culture. Pickle Rick is one of the most iconic pieces of imagery from the show. In fact, the character is even the primary cover art for the Season 3 DVD and Blu-Ray release because of his immense popularity. So why make a bold callout like this? Maybe it's because some people took the joke a bit too seriously. Rick even tries to justify why he considers turning into things funny by asking "You ever think maybe you're not smart enough to get the subtle references I-I'm making here, Morty?" It's a perfect callout because it shows how people take the cheapest gags like Pickle Rick, then turn them back around to call them genius satire.
The criticism brought about by all of Rick's wild transformations is definitely one of the most daring jokes the Rick & Morty comics have come up with because of how directly it addresses its audience. In fact, when Morty is voicing his dislike to Rick, he's drawn to look like he's talking to the reader, not Rick himself. It's a clear mocking of a silly joke that got so popular that people took it out of hand, and it's a clever way for the writers of Rick and Morty to voice their thoughts on it. Pickle Rick isn't going anywhere because of how popular he is among the Rick and Morty fanbase, but to see Morty himself call out the joke's popularity is a pretty funny fourth-wall-breaking moment.
Next: Rick and Morty Reinvented Pickle Rick with a Forgotten Season 1 Villain
