Rick & Morty Resurrects Rick’s Greatest Villain In An Unexpected Way
Since Rick and Morty co-creator and dual voice star Justin Roiland departed the series, fans have been concerned about the future of the show. Luckily, Season 7 seems to be a major return to form for the adult cartoon, which now stars Ian Cardoni and Harry Belden in the title roles. The series’ latest episode, “Air Force Wong,” even features a return of two major antagonists established in earlier seasons, Rick Prime and Unity.
Rick and Morty Season 7 picks up the Rick Prime storyline left dangling from the Season 6 premiere.
The Rick Prime storyline has been one of the most intriguing elements of Rick and Morty since the early days of the cartoon’s Adult Swim run. Due to the tumultuous relationship between series creators Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland, as well as the fervent fan response across the internet, the series has made it a point to ebb and flow away from serialized continuity in recent seasons. This departure from long-form adventures and returning plot points previously led fans to believe the Rick Prime storyline had gone the way of the dodo bird.
“Air Force Wong” also brought back Unity, the hive-mind voiced by Christina Hendricks, not seen since Rick and Morty Season 2.
That is, until this week’s latest episode, which shows that our very own Rick has not forgotten about his prime directive to hunt down and kill his alternate self. While many fans may have expected to see Rick Prime show up in the latest season of Rick and Morty, we likely couldn’t have imagined a return of another of the series’ greatest antagonists, Rick’s former fling Unity. Unity was previously seen in a one-off adventure in the 2015 episode “Auto Erotic Assimilation,” in which she and Rick reignite a love affair that ultimately endangers the Smith family and leaves Rick heartbroken.
Rick’s exploits in the final moments of “Auto Erotic Assimilation” serve as one of the most emotionally devastating moments in the entire series, save for the glimpses into his tragic backstory propelled by the actions of Rick Prime. For this reason, it serves as a perfect reunion when Unity returned to Rick and Morty this week for the first time in over five seasons. Unity’s arrival is first signaled to Rick when the entire state of Virginia is overtaken by the tendrils of an alien hive mind, just as she once did on a planet of aliens with oddly shaped nipples.
Despite most of Rick and Morty Season 7 failing to mention Rick Prime up until this point, the season does seem to be laying the groundwork for something big.
Once Rick and Unity finally meet, the Christina Hendricks-voiced character implores Rick to drop his search for Rick Prime. This seems to be the first mention of Rick Prime since the September 2022 airing of the Rick and Morty Season 6 premiere, potentially signaling a return to serialization for the show. Despite Unity’s pleas, Rick continues his white whale hunt for his alternate self in a move that Unity believes will drive him to the brink of his sanity.
Despite most of Rick and Morty Season 7 failing to mention Rick Prime up until this point, the season does seem to be laying the groundwork for something big. With the hindsight of Unity’s warning, Rick’s inability to connect with his family on an emotional level in the past several episodes seems more like a staggering motif than it does a series of one-off gags and may serve to be the catalyst for his failure to let go of his eternal grudge.
