Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Rick and Morty season 7, episode 10, "Fear No Mort."

Summary

• Rick and Morty season 7's finale reveals that Morty was alone in the Fear Hole, finally facing his fear of Rick viewing him as replaceable.
• Rick's decision to not jump in the Fear Hole shows his character growth, itting his own fear and valuing his current life.
• The finale sets up the possibility of more solo adventures for Rick and Morty in future seasons, as they don't need each other to survive but still make each other better.

Although the outing featured many moments of levity, Rick finally kill his nemesis Rick Prime once and for all.

While Rick was glad to see the demise of his enemy, Rick and Morty season 7, episode 5, “Unmortricken,” made it clear that he was shaken by the episode’s events. Rick and Morty season 7 could have gone anywhere after Rick Prime’s death, so it was somewhat surprising when the series mostly focused on lighter, sillier standalone stories in the subsequent episodes. However, the season finale offered an explanation for this choice. In Rick and Morty season 7, episode 10, “Fear No Mort,” Rick and Morty were introduced to The Hole, a strange space that simulated the ’s greatest fear once they stepped inside, thus allowing them to conquer it. By Rick and Morty season 7's ending, the themes explored and through-lines of the outings were addressed with major setups for season 8.

Morty Was Alone In The Fear Hole All Along – Finale Twist Explained

Rick and Morty's season finale ending revealed Rick never followed Morty

When Rick and Morty emerged from The Hole, they went home to find Rick’s wife Diane in their living room via a miraculously timed portal jump by a dying Rick. Rick was seemingly reunited with his lost love, but he and Morty soon discerned that they were really still in The Hole and this was all an elaborate ruse designed to simulate their deepest secret fear. Morty saved Rick from wasting away with The Hole’s simulation of Diane, but the duo were still trapped down there. This led to a sequence akin to Rick and Morty season 7, episode 9’s hilarious death montage as they repeatedly, mistakenly thought they had escaped.

Eventually, after several fake-outs, the pair escaped when Morty realized that Rick never followed him into The Hole at all. Morty was down there alone and his greatest fear was that Rick viewed him as essentially replaceable. Morty discovered that he was afraid of relying on Rick, which allowed him to wake up and emerge from The Hole for real. By facing this fear, Morty concluded that Rick didn’t view him as irreplaceable, but this was no bad thing. Rather, it meant Morty could be more independent and that he didn’t need to center his entire life around Rick, since his grandfather mostly saw him as a beloved sidekick but not his whole world.

Why Rick Didn’t Jump In The Fear Hole In Rick & Morty Season 7's Ending

Rick realized he was afraid of some things and valued life with Morty

This epiphany was huge for Morty, but it meant that viewers saw very little of Rick in “Fear No Mort.” After Morty jumped in The Hole, the versions of Rick seen throughout most of the episode were just Morty’s projections. The real Rick was intrigued when Morty told him that a version of Diane was down in The Hole and, after telling Morty he would take his advice and avoid it, Rick seemingly ran back to jump in. Instead, he paused and placed a photo of Morty on The Hole’s wall of fame. One of Rick’s biggest weaknesses is his hubris and the belief that he can outsmart everyone, but this moment highlights his ability to change for the better.

Rick's moment of humility proved that he went through serious character growth in season 7 alongside Morty. By choosing not to jump into The Hole, Rick clarified two things. One was that he experienced fear and could it when he's too scared to try something, even if Morty survived the experience. The other was that Rick had learned to value his life as it is. For the first few seasons of the series, Rick was a self-destructive antihero who constantly sought out dangerous adventures that risked his life. In “Fear No Mort,” he turned down a chance to see Diane again to avoid jeopardizing his current setup and satisfaction with Rick & Morty's Sanchez-Smith family.

Mr. Poopybutthole’s Arc Darkly Mirrored Rick & Morty’s Season 7 Journeys

Not every Rick and Morty character grew in season 7's finale

In the post-credits stinger of “Fear No Mort,” Mr. Poopybutthole used a portal gun he stole from Rick to replace another version of himself who was still happily married. Poopybutthole stole this alternative version of himself’s life instead of improving his own existence, a move that darkly echoed Rick and Morty’s season 7 character arcs. In “Fear No Mort,” Morty was forced to contend with the idea that Rick wouldn’t need him if he was happy. Even after an entire Rick and Morty episode without Rick, this prospect terrified Morty, but he held his ground and faced his fear. Similarly, since Rick Prime’s death, Rick was forced to interrogate his purpose.

Poopybutthole replacing another version of himself instead of solving his problems was akin to Morty’s imagined version of Rick living in The Hole with a simulation of Diane, willfully ignoring reality. However, the real Rick didn’t take this path. Rick pointedly avoided jumping in The Hole, despite knowing it might reunite him with Diane, since he valued the imperfect life he had. In contrast, Poopybutthole refused to learn from his mistakes. Amy’s displeased look at Poopybutthole implies that he is doomed to repeat his tragic character arc. This would have been the case for both of Rick and Morty’s heroes if they hadn’t faced their fears and grown.

Rick & Morty Season 7’s Ending Brought Back Its Biggest Theme

The series is still about Rick and Morty's dynamic

Rick and Morty has always been a show about the relationship between its title characters. While Rick and Morty season 7, episode 8 didn’t include Rick and the season 7 premiere scarcely involved Morty, the pair’s dynamic is the driving force behind the show’s action. As such, it made sense for the ending of “Fear No Mort” to reveal that the season 7 finale was, at its core, about why Morty needed Rick. Episodes like the season 4 finale, “Star Mort Rickturn of the Jerri,” and “The Rickchurian Mortydate,” have proven that Rick has needed Morty before, but this episode flipped the formula for a fresh take on the theme.

Season 7’s Ending Changed Rick & Morty For Good

Morty's newfound independence could result in more solo adventures for him and Rick

Rick and Morty's season 7 ending set up a future in which the show’s heroes could go on solo adventures more often. Season 7 teased this prospect throughout its episodes, with the premiere and episode 3, “Air Force Wong,” barely involving Morty, and episode 7, “Wet Kuat Amortican Summer,” mostly centering Morty and Summer. However, season 8 could now take this idea and run with it. Viewers may well get full episodes focused on one character or the other, since “Fear No Mort” proved that Rick and Morty’s heroes don’t need each other to survive but instead work together because they make one another better.