D&D Moral Alignments Of Rick and Morty Characters

Rick and Morty is a beloved animated program, not least for its magnificent parodies of the Sci-Fi and Fantasy genres. Currently in the middle of its fourth season, Rick and Morty has taken viewers on journeys both across the universe and deep within their own minds.

Given the massive popularity of characters on this show, even weird ones like Mr. Poopybutthole and Squanchy, one might wonder about the convoluted threads of morality expressed through the diverse mixture of each personality. To remedy the lack of such a discussion, a list has been prepared which identifies the appropriate moral alignment for each character, based on the system used in Dungeons & Dragons.

10 Bird Person – Lawful Good (Crusader)

Bird Person is Rick’s closest friend, having fought in the Resistance against the Galactic Federation together. Unlike Rick, however, Bird Person is a calm, almost meditative, character; he only has kind words and helpful advice to give those who are struggling with moral conundrums.

As a genuine Crusader, he puts the well-being of others before his own, as seen in “Get Schiwfty” when he helps an injured Morty recover. Bird Person is also perceptive enough to understand Rick’s pain, even though the latter expressed it in a comical form with “Wubba Lubba Dub Dub.”

9 Beth Smith – Neutral Good (Benefactor)

Beth has inherited a sizeable fraction of Rick’s intelligence, as well as his blood lust, but does not express it as much due to various factors such as her mother’s death, Rick’s absent parenting, becoming a teenage mother, and Jerry.

She is a Benefactor, considering that she willingly shoulders responsibility on behalf of the entire household, from bringing home the bacon to taking care of her children (because Jerry might as well be a witless worm). Although she refuses to acknowledge her accountability in several matters, she often insists on Morty’s safety during his missions with Rick.

8 Summer Smith – Chaotic Good (Rebel)

Summer was originally a generic replica of an adolescent high school girl until she gets a taste for adventure. Since then, she has been involved in some rather dangerous outings with her grandpa Rick, like when they went to feminist utopia parody planet, Gazorpazorp.

Summer demonstrates a classic Rebel persona. For instance, when she married Hemorrhage in “Rickmancing the Stone,” choosing to live a free life in the post-apocalyptic wasteland filled with death matches and mutants. Nevertheless, Summer loves her family, even Rick, considering she says “you don’t love someone in hopes of a reward” when Jerry suggests abandoning Rick.

7 Morty – Lawful Neutral (Judge)

Morty, though regularly manipulated by Rick, shows considerable intellect in various situations, for instance, when he successfully kills Fart by pretending to like his song; or when he finds the solution to the memory-parasites in “Total Rickall” by realizing they can only create happy thoughts.

As a Judge, Morty complements Rick’s chaotic behavior, at least to a degree, such as when he criticizes Rick for the unethical enslavement of an entire microverse just to provide energy to run his car. He follows a personal code of conduct, even when it clashes with Rick’s distaste for the rules, being able to defy his grandfather on several occasions.

6 Mr. Poopybutthole – True Neutral (Undecided)

Mr. Poopybutthole was apparently another best friend of Rick’s, with an atmosphere of cheer always surrounding him. However, Mr. Poopybutthole has expressed some amount of negative emotions, such as immediately after Beth shot him by mistake (as she believed he was a memory-parasite).

He is classified as an Undecided character mainly because of his meta-statements, regularly breaking the fourth wall; he announces the end of every season by directly addressing the audience and providing an ambiguous summary of events.

5 Abrodolph Lincoler – True Neutral (Undecided)

Abrodolph Lincoler is one of Rick’s genetic experiments and is the result of his attempt to create a perfectly neutral being by fusing the DNA of two among the best and worst political leaders, but Rick ended up with an ethically disordered fanatic.

However, Lincoler still remains a True Neutral because, under his wacky antics and elaborated monologues about existence, he is simply trapped between good and evil; for example, when he says things like “Prepare to be emancipated from your own inferior genes,” which is an incredibly mixed message.

4 Rick Sanchez – Chaotic Neutral (Free Spirit)

Rick Sanchez is the smartest being in the galaxy, as many side characters often mention (usually because they want to kill him). However, even though Rick can solve the most complex of problems with ease, he is shown to grapple with some difficult emotions with his guilt at leaving Beth behind being the most powerful one.

Due to his hatred of vulnerability, Rick disguises himself as a Free Spirit, often abandoning entire universes because he cannot be bothered with actually doing the work in rescuing them, like when he casually moves to a different reality because his own was now filled with Cronenberg creatures (that he accidentally made).

3 Mr. Goldenfold – Lawful Evil (Dominator)

Mr. Goldenfold is a terrible math teacher. Not only is he unaware of several basic rules of mathematics, but he also gives out grades according to his own moods. As a Dominator, he rarely displays concern for the children; Mr. Goldenfold believes that all of his students are stupid, and therefore does not hesitate to yell at them.

It is implied that he has deep-rooted anger problems due to his past, which he then takes out on his innocent students. In fact, he is also shown to have sexual urges towards his students, specifically Summer, although he never acts on them. Regardless, this is an incredibly problematic characteristic or anyone to display, regardless of where they fall on a moral alignments chart.

2 Evil Morty – Neutral Evil (Malefactor)

One of the new additions to the show, Evil Morty (or Eye-Patch Morty) is shaping up to be the final villain of the entire series. As a Malefactor, his outward appearance suggests that he is kind and empathetic, but his brutal cunning emerges soon after his victory as President of the Citadel of Ricks.

Evil Morty shows no desire to safeguard either the lives of Ricks or Mortys, ruthlessly murdering anyone who stands in his way (including half of the Council and a Morty reporter who uncovered his secret). While nobody knows exactly what he wants, it is implied that he despises the tyranny of Ricks over Mortys.

1 Jerry Smith – Chaotic Evil (Destroyer)

Jerry Smith is sometimes nice, but that’s pretty much the best thing that can be said about him. His insecurities are richly decorated with pangs of jealousy; it almost feels like he uses these two emotions as his sole driving force. Jerry is a definitive Destroyer, whether it’s the mood, his family’s respect for him, or even his own marriage.

He has shown bravery only once when he figured out how to destroy Beth’s demonic mytholog, but in every other case he displays some of the worst traits possible: utter ignorance and a bloated sense of self-worth. Jerry even denies donating his genitals to Galactic savior, Shrimply Pibbles, but later tries to force the doctors to take it, just so he can be recognized as a good person.

About The Author

Ajay Aravind
(429 Articles Published)

In real life, Ajay disguises himself as an academic, mainly writing textbooks for children — who all hate him for making their lives more miserable. He also writes about TV and film, strewing his opinions across the internet to see if people care (they don’t). You can find him @stain_dprinc_ss on Twitter.

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