Rick and Morty Teaser Hints at New Conflict

CBR

Rick and Morty Go Full-On Kaiju in Surreal New Promo

By Drew Mollo

Published Jan 3, 2019

The latest promo for Adult Swim's Rick and Morty is a psychedelic show of images ending with a kaiju battle and the end of the world.

The latest promo for the popular Adult Swim cartoon Rick and Morty is a psychedelic show of images ending with a kaiju battle and the end of the world.

As a raspy Justin Roiland, who voices both characters on the show, whispers their names, the teaser shows a variety of creatures with either Rick’s trademark spiky hair and unibrow or Morty’s circular hairdo and panicked expressions. All images appear locked in conflict, either with Rick hurting the Morty or Morty reacting to whatever Rick is doing.

While the imagery of a Morty-inspired bird getting chomped by a Rick hippo is hilarious, it’s the manifestation of both characters as classic Kaiju monsters that really stands out. We see Rick’s Godzilla using his atomic breath on a pristine, architecturally-angled city while Morty’s Mothra panics, then flies away. The teaser concludes with a Rick asteroid hitting the planet and, finally, a Rick black hole devours everything, Morty planets included.

The third season concluded in October 2017, leaving fans with many questions. We saw Rick return to save his family, toppling both the Citadel of Ricks and the Galactic Federation in one move. He also got Jerry removed from the family, asserting himself as the dominant male.

As Rick and Morty’s adventures took their usual blend of science fiction, horror and pop culture references to the next level, we saw more and more of the effect Rick and his lifestyle have on his family. Relationships were tested and, in the end, the family reunited with Jerry, much to Rick's chagrin. As the promo hints with an appearance by Evil Morty, who was able to manipulate the new Citadel into electing him as their president, there may be bigger threats on the horizon.

Created by Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland, Rick and Morty is a wildly popular animated sitcom on Adult Swim. Debuting in 2013, the show ran for three seasons, with a fourth in development. Season 4 is expected to debut in 2019.