Top 10 Times Rick Was A Terrible Dad
#10: The Save Button “The Vat of Acid Episode”
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When Morty criticizes Rick’s “Fake Vat of Acid”, he bullies Rick into creating a Save Button, a device where Morty can return to a saved point in time. He becomes a deviant, pulling off all sorts of shenanigans with seemingly no repercussions. Rick reveals that with each press of the button a Morty from another dimension would be eliminated and replaced by the one we know. Rick merges all these releaties, making a single Morty responsible for everything done while using the Save Button. An angry mob forms against Morty and his only way out is with a fake vat of acid. It’s really amazing at the level of pettiness Rick will sink to when his ego is bruised in order to prove a point.
#9: Leaving His Foster-Children “Childrick of Mort”
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It’s no surprise that Rick is a bit of a player, but no one expected him to get it on with a planet! Despite Rick avoiding Gaia’s calls, Beth makes him take responsibility for his potential children. They even help Rick’s children create a successful civilization! Turns out, however, that a god-like being called Reggie is the father. After a fight breaks out between Rick and Reggie, it’s revealed that neither really cares for the kids. On one hand, Rick wants to preserve what he’s created with Beth. On the other, he abandons Gaia and her children after Morty and Summer accidentally kill Reggie. In the end, Rick is more concerned about any potential revenge Gaia may exact in the future. That’s pretty cold.
#8: Traumatising His Family “Claw and Hoarder: Special Ricktim’s Morty”
Shows tend to glorify these amazing escapades characters go on, but when you think about it, a lot of mental scars come from these events. Rick forces his family to do countless atrocious things, but perhaps the worst of it was when he got Morty a dragon. Admittedly, he didn’t want to get him ones, but once Rick “bonds” with Balthramaw, he inadvertently involves his kids in essentially the dragon version of doing the dirty. It’s not even subtle, Rick and his grandkids get involved in a… How can we say this? Group Soul Bond? Not only is it traumatizing to even do this with strangers, but even more so with your grandad. It’s played for comedic effect, but it’s pretty out there.
#7: Involving His Families in His Crimes “The Wedding Squanchers”
If you want to go and make yourself a fugitive, the least you could do is not involve those closest to you. During “The Wedding Squanchers”, we learn that Rick and his pals are wanted by the Galactic Federation. As a result of moving in and bringing his family into the insanity that is his life, Rick has put everyone at risk, which results in them having to find another planet to live on. Without Rick’s involvement, the family might even be able to call the fire department when they need to. Realistically, if he cared enough, he would try to separate his two lives, at least to make sure they don’t get in trouble because of his actions.
#6: Froopyland “ABC’s of Beth”
We all know that Rick was an absent father, it’s the biggest motivator behind most of Beth’s actions. While he supplied her with plenty of ridiculous toys, including her own safe play-world called “Froopyland”, it was essentially there to distract her while he was off doing other things, reinforcing her toxic traits. This led to some dire outcomes, including Beth’s friend Tommy being trapped there, forcing him into some disgusting cycles of survival and poor play-writing. This artificial dimension, despite its soft and pretty surface, was a manifestation of his larger problem as a father figure. While Rick may have thought he was protecting the neighborhood from his crazy daughter, his short-term solutions have long-term consequences.
#5: Removing Morty’s Memories “Morty’s Mind Blowers”
Imagine if half of the life you lived you couldn’t remember because someone else was too insecure to handle it? That’s what happens when you beat Rick in chess, catch him saying something wrong or he makes a mistake. Morty’s memories have been removed countless times by Rick or at his request, which is pretty dreadful. He’s also used it on Jerry in the past, so who knows how many people, including Beth and Summer, he’s mindwiped. It showcases that Morty is so traumatized by Rick’s adventures that he couldn’t continue living knowing what’s happened, but also that Rick will go to any length to preserve his fragile ego.
#4: Manipulates His Daughter Into Divorce “The Rickshank Rickdemption”
Rick doesn’t like Jerry. In fact, not many people like Jerry. He views Jerry as a mediocre, useless person who gets in his way and destroyed his daughter's future. And it’s not like Rick wasn’t vocal about his disapproval before the divorce. He actively berated Jerry in front of everyone, removing any respect the family had for the guy, and Beth didn’t say anything because she didn’t want her father to leave. Rick knows this, and once Jerry puts his foot down, he actively encourages the divorce even though it might not be the best decision. Rick isn’t just a passively bad influence, he actively tries to manipulate other people for his benefit.
#3: Avoids Therapy “Pickle Rick”
How far are you willing to go to avoid dealing with your or your family's mental health? Are you willing to turn into a Pickle? Cause Rick is. After falling into the sewer, fighting off rats, creating an exo-suit, destroying an entire compound, and fighting Jaguar, he’s still reluctant to go to therapy with his daughter. It’s discussed that no matter how much Beth denies it, he is the cause of everyone’s erratic behavior. While he may be the smartest man alive, he will bring himself to the brink of death to avoid dealing with his issues, hurting everyone around him. But as Dr. Wong puts it, he’s the source of his problems and only he can be the solution.
#2: Abandons His Family “Rick Potion #9”
No matter the dimension, Rick has abandoned his family. Just take the Citadel of Ricks, where it seems like countless versions of himself have moved from their reality to build a life in the company of themselves, no matter how depressing it ends up being. When Morty gives into his hormonal teenage needs and gets Rick to make a “love potion”, the flu season makes it contagious, bringing out some uncomfortable behavior. Rick accidentally Cronenbergs the entire world, so instead of fixing it, he travels to another dimension and slots him and Morty in their dead counterparts' places. The worst (or best) thing is that the previous world’s Jerry, Beth, and Summer realize that with him gone, they are much happier.
#1: Cloning His Daughter “Star Mort Rickturn of the Jerri”
Rick can’t make hard decisions, and that, in itself, leads to some pretty horrendous decisions. When Beth has a heart-to-heart with her father, asking him to choose if he wants her to stay or leave, he can’t make the choice. So instead he clones his daughter, making it so he will never know who the real Beth is. He also puts a bomb in both their necks, meaning he could’ve killed his real daughter. It shows that Rick is ultimately a broken person who irreversibly changed the lives of everyone around him and actively puts them in danger, making him a pretty terrible dad.
