Rick and Morty season 9 episode 1 brings Evil Morty back into the story through a multiversal conflict involving The Collective, the Central Finite Curve, and the Omega Device. The episode follows Rick, Morty, and Evil Morty as they attempt to stop a hive mind entity from gaining access to portal technology that could threaten multiple universes. After the mission ends, Rick secretly destroys the Omega Device, leading to another confrontation between him and Evil Morty.
By the end of Rick and Morty season 9 episode 1, Evil Morty does not escape the Time Cops. Instead, they arrest him for violations involving time manipulation and place him inside a time prison, although the episode leaves his long-term containment uncertain.
Does Evil Morty actually escape in Rick and Morty season 9 episode 1?
In Rick and Morty season 9 episode 1, Evil Morty enlists Rick and Morty in a fight against The Collective, a hive mind entity which aims to devour universes lying on the Central Finite Curve. While in the midst of the mission, Evil Morty threatens Rick and Morty with an Omega Device which holds alternate realities of Smith Family hostage. After the mission is accomplished, Rick disables the device using hidden coding.
Later in the episode, Rick makes preparation for any possible reprisals by Evil Morty, while Evil Morty takes refuge in high-tech devices such as those that enable him to travel through time and transport him from one point to another. However, before matters are allowed to escalate further, the Fourth Dimensional Time Cops appear to arrest Evil Morty for abusing the space-time continuum.
What role do the Time Cops play?
The Time Cops is again introduced as the authority that maintains order in the universe. The Time Cops are brought into action by the end when Evil Morty uses a time freezing machine to fight against Rick, Morty, and Smith family members. Evil Morty’s efforts to regain control by using time as a weapon is a violation of all laws pertaining to the multiverse.
The result of this action is that the Time Cops detain Evil Morty and prevent him from continuing with his attack. It is uncertain whether the imprisonment of Evil Morty is eternal or temporary. In the absence of any information about the conditions and duration of Time Cop incarceration, Evil Morty is simply detained in the end without dying or being destroyed.
Is Evil Morty permanently contained or planning another exit?
The first episode of Rick and Morty season 9 ends with the capture of Evil Morty who ends up in prison thanks to the Time Cops’ efforts. Although the post-credit scene shows that Evil Morty is imprisoned, it is still not clear whether this imprisonment will be permanent.
Throughout, Evil Morty seems to escape all the attempts at containing or supervising him made by both Citadel and other methods in the multiverse. Therefore, it can be argued that the efforts made by the Time Cops have not been entirely successful. Moreover, the destruction of the Omega Device does not solve any problems on the scale of the whole multiverse.
Even though the device is destroyed, the instability associated with the work of The Collective and other interdimensional structures persists. In addition, Rick and Morty season 9 episode 1 demonstrates that the threat has not yet been resolved in the minds of Rick and Morty themselves.
Rick and Morty season 9 continues airing on Adult Swim.
Edited by Bea Melisse Ibañez
