Rick And Morty: 10 Aliens Inspired By Pop Culture

Rick And Morty is incredibly unique and inventive, but many of its episodes are actually inspired by pop culture – though it may not be immediately obvious. The creative team behind the animated hit are big fans of cinema and television, so it isn’t too surprising to see plenty of references throughout the various episodes.

Some of the alien species have been directly inspired by these cinematic classics. While they might not always be direct rip-offs, the very concepts behind the characters are usually formed by pre-existing franchises. Of course, it’s not always immediately obvious which familiar series and films these characters are being drawn from.

10 Honorable Mention: The Vindicators

The Vindicators are made up of an array of alien species, but that’s exactly the point. The idea behind the team itself is heavily inspired by the Marvel superhero squad, The Guardians Of The Galaxy. That team also has a wide array of aliens forming its ranks.

The whole idea behind this team-up is that it’s a found family made up of a bunch of misfits. It seems that in the Rick And Morty universe this kind of group simply can’t be held together and ends up collapsing in on itself thanks to the interference of a drunk Rick. Despite their fate, the Vindicators are still a powerful group.

9 Space Snakes

There’s a Snake Planet in the Rick And Morty verse and fans may know that its development was actually helped along by Morty’s stupidity. In one of the show’s only time travel episodes, the Snake Planet managed to develop incredible technology and fought a war fuelled by racism.

With these two opposing sides fighting hellishly, a Terminator-like snake was created to kill Morty from ever getting involved with the planet. This evolution of the species is clearly inspired by the sci-fi movie and is indeed an example of why the animated show is one of the best of the science fiction genre right now.

8 Atlanteans

The most recent series of Rick And Morty introduced audiences to Mr. Nimbus. As the King of Atlantis, it was clear that the design of the character was going to draw from pre-existing material. However, the quirky leader is actually directly inspired by Marvel Comics.

Mr. Nimbus himself is clearly a parody of the Avenger and part-time villain, Namor the Sub Mariner. The rest of his species are certainly similar and while there are also influences from DC’s Aquaman in the mix, the character’s design more closely resembles that of the house of ideas.

7 Facehuggers

Rick has had some pretty terrible ideas, but his plans on the Facehugger planet are perhaps some of his worst considering the danger both Morty and Summer were in. The planet is full of these creatures which use other alien species to do their bidding. They control them by latching onto their face.

The aliens are inspired by the initial form of the Xenomorphs, one of pop culture’s most dangerous sci-fi creatures. Their design is incredibly similar and they are equally as terrifying. These Facehuggers managed to create a whole civilization using their unique manipulating abilities though.

6 Planetina

Planetina doesn’t reveal what species she’s from, but the show portrays her as an Earth-based superhero that wants to protect the planet at all costs. Morty gives in to one of his main weaknesses, hoping to get the affection of this incredible vigilante.

After falling in love though he comes to realize that some of her methods to protect Earth are actually very extreme. The basic premise of the character though and the way in which she is formed by four elemental rings is actually based on the famous kid’s cartoon series, Captain Planet And The Planeteers. 

5 Scary Terry

The species that the haunting Scary Terry belongs to may just be a figment of Rick and Morty’s imagination. After all, he turns up in a dream but has a whole family to look after, all of the same strange alien species. The design of the character is clearly influenced by a horror franchise though.

The terrifying Terry and his family are loosely linked to Freddy Kruger, one of cinema’s greatest villains. The knives for nails is a clear giveaway, as is the grotesque face. Much in Rick And Morty fashion though, the character actually has fears of his own, twisting the genre on its head.

4 Bug Monsters

After Rick looks to create a team by utilizing the mysterious Gotron Ferrets, Ricks, Mortys, Summers, Jerrys, and Beths from across the galaxy and different realities come together to form a GoGoGotron robot. It’s an impressive moment but these vigilantes need a foe to face off against.

Luckily there are no shortages or Bug Monsters, huge insectoid-like creatures which wreak havoc whenever they appear. This inter-dimensional species is clearly influenced by the Kaiju that is often fought in pop culture by giant robots. However, it turns out they were just trying to help humanity!

3 Beth Mytholog

The Beth Mytholog is a figment of Jerry’s imagination, but an alien species all the same. It’s the way in which part of Jerry’s brain interprets his wife, based on the fear and humility he often feels around her. The representation of Beth in this form is as a giant alien monster.

The design of this creature is heavily influenced by the Xenomorph queen, marking a second Alien reference in the show. It’s a pop-culture touchstone for most fans of the genre and therefore plays a vital part in this series as well. It’s unclear if there are more creatures out there in reality like this Mytholog.

2 Fourth Dimensional Being

The Fourth Dimensional beings are strange creatures that try to control reality and stop time itself from ripping apart. They operate as cops of the universe, but their designs are actually based upon a little-known creature from Stephen King’s work.

While not much is known about the planet or realm they reside in, these Fourth Dimensional creatures are influenced by Langoliers, which were strange beings that actually had a show based around them. Those aliens also interact with reality, eating up pieces of the universe.

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