Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Rick and Morty season 7, episode 5.

Summary

• Rick Prime's death in Rick and Morty season 7, episode 5 is likely permanent due to Evil Morty destroying all of his backups.
• Revealing a secret backup to bring Rick Prime back would cheapen the tragic ending of "Unmortricken" and invalidate Rick's numb reaction to his revenge.
• While there are plot devices that could resurrect Rick Prime, it would not be a good idea for the series as his story has come to a perfect conclusion.

While Rick Prime villain, but when the massive moment came, it still managed to take even longtime viewers by surprise. In Rick and Morty season 7, episode 5, “Unmortricken,” Rick and Morty disturbed the peaceful existence of Evil Morty with their attempts to hunt down Rick Prime, prompting an adventure that ended with Rick beating his nemesis to death after Evil Morty disarmed him.

While the ending of “Unmortricken” leaves Rick and Morty season 7 with new plots to pursue, some have understandably wondered whether this is truly the end of Rick Prime. After all, the character was introduced as Rick’s longtime obsession and his greatest enemy, so even though he received a brutally bloody death scene, it seemed like there must be some way for the villain to return. Consequently, theories have abounded regarding whether Rick Prime could really be gone and, if not, how he might reappear in the series. While there are a few loopholes that could result in his resurrection, everything points to Rick Prime’s death being permanent.

Rick Prime Losing His Backups Suggests His Death Is Permanent In Rick & Morty Season 7

Evil Morty Killed Rick Prime For Good

The main reason that Rick Prime’s death is unlikely to be retconned is the fact that Evil Morty destroyed all of his backups before he let Rick C-137 kill the villain. While most of Rick and Morty season 7, episode 5's story was focused on Evil Morty, Morty, and Rick working together to take down Rick Prime himself, after disarming him, Evil Morty got to work on his backups. In typically chilling fashion, Evil Morty ignored Rick Prime’s attempts to bargain with and threaten him. He methodically deleted any backups of the villain, although Rick and Morty could always reveal that he missed one.

However, while this twist is technically plausible, it doesn’t fit with Rick and Morty’s tone more broadly. Rick and Morty might be an anarchic, self-referential comedy where anything can happen, but the show doesn’t usually lean into cheap genre writing clichés when they can be avoided. Revealing a secret backup that conveniently brings Rick Prime back to life would sap “Unmortricken” of its tragic heft, as this twist would render Rick’s numb reaction to his revenge null. Rick and Morty’s saddest post-credits scene proved that Rick’s obsession with vengeance was pointless, so revealing that Rick Prime was secretly still around would ruin this revelation.

How Rick & Morty Could Still Resurrect Rick Prime In Future Episodes

Rick Prime Could Return Via A Dark Twist

Rick Prime could come back through a variety of plot devices, but none of these would necessarily be a good idea for the series. There is the secret hidden backup option mentioned above, as well as a dark fan theory posited by a Reddit . Since viewers didn’t technically see Rick land the killing blow to end Rick Prime’s life, the show could always reveal that Rick Prime bested Rick C-137 off-screen, killed him, and then took his place. This twist would be particularly mean-spirited, but it does have a precedent in Rick and Morty thanks to season 6, episode 9, “A Rick in King Mortur's Mort.”

This outing saw Rick treat Morty much better than usual, only for the next episode to reveal that he had seamlessly replaced himself with a clone who was more understanding for that week’s adventure. While Rick and Morty’s Rick Prime plot shouldn’t replicate this story, the narrative could use this precedent as an excuse to reveal that Rick and Morty’s hero is really Rick Prime in disguise. The fact that Rick Prime was the Rick seen in Rick and Morty’s earliest episodes lends further credence to this theory, even though it would still be too dark and grim a twist for the show to pull off effectively.

Why Rick Prime Should Stay Dead After Rick & Morty Season 7 Episode 5

Rick Prime's Death Was Too Good To Change

Ultimately, although there are a few avenues for the villain's potential return, Rick Prime should still stay dead. The question of whether the antagonist could conceivably return is less important than whether he should return. Rick Prime’s story has come to a perfect conclusion, and the ending of “Unmortricken” proves that there is nowhere else for his arc to go. Rick Prime got his well-earned death, Rick C-137 got his long-desired revenge, and even Evil Morty managed to broker a tentative truce with the heroes of Rick and Morty. As such, Rick and Morty season 7 shouldn’t undo this plot, even if it is technically possible via plot contrivances.

Source: Reddit