Top 20 Crazy Rick and Morty Deaths

Top 20 Crazy Rick and Morty Deaths

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the “Rick and Morty” demises that are gruesome, disturbing, or just downright shocking. Spoilers ahead, obviously.

#20: Vance Maximus

“Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender”
Granted, you could lump fourth-fifths of the Vindicators into this entry, but once their leader Vance went down, we knew the others would be following suit. Morty’s favorite intergalactic team of superheroes, the Vindicators get a rude awakening when it’s revealed that Rick dispatched their villain on a drunken bender. Not only that, but Rick also set up a “Saw”-esque game to knock them down a peg or two. Vance, acting like most victims in the “Saw” movies, shows his true colors when faced with death and tries to flee. Unfortunately for him, the air duct he chooses has been made into a trap, which promptly executes him. Such a hilariously unceremonious exit for such an overhyped hero.

#19: Tophat Jones

“Rixty Minutes”
We’re used to wacky characters popping in and going out in horrendous ways, but this one hits us right in the childhood. A clear parody of the Lucky Charms mascot with a dash of Trix the Rabbit, Tophat Jones is the selfish spokesman for the cereal brand, Strawberry Smiggles. Rick and Morty catch the commercial on interdimensional cable, but it goes way darker than the ads in our dimension when those pesky kids finally track down Tophat. Undeterred by the fact that Tophat has already eaten the cereal, the kids coldly pin him down and eviscerate him, retrieving the smiggles in the most direct way possible. From now on, we think we’re rooting for the Lucky Charms leprechaun… no reason.

#18: Krombopulos Michael

“Mortynight Run”
Most contract killers keep their chosen profession hush-hush. But this alien assassin’s a bit of an oddball, what with his business cards, social media accounts and constant talk about his love of killing. As is to be expected, not everyone agrees with his line of work – namely, Morty. The idealistic youngster sets out to keep Krombopulos Michael from fulfilling his latest contract – only to accidentally run him over. Seeing this top-tier assassin get crushed by a kid who doesn’t even know how to fly is shocking – but that just makes it funnier. What’s even more funny is the fact that he’s not even the last guy Morty kills in this episode.

#17: Miles Knightly

“One Crew over the Crewcoo’s Morty”
Do yourself a favor: never cross Rick Sanchez. Because even when he doesn’t mean to, his super smarts might still get you killed. An aesthetic cross between Freddie Mercury and the DC villain Sinestro, Miles Knightly becomes Rick’s one-time rival in the art of heisting. Nothing in this episode is as it seems, and since Rick always needs to exceed expectations, he reveals that he’s already incepted everyone attending Heist-Con, which he plans to heist itself. Rick orders his zombielike crew to steal everything, and since Knightly is the host of Heist-Con, that includes him, too. Instead of simply picking him up and walking away, though, the crowd savagely picks Knightly apart with their bare hands. We don’t remember that part of the “Ocean’s” movies…

#16: Zick Zack

“Morty’s Mind Blowers”
We can see why Morty would want to forget this event. In the Morty’s Mind Blower episode, we see a memory where a Floop Floopian named Zick Zack finds Rick and asks him to kill him. You see, Floop Floopians believe that they’ll transcend to a very “pleasurable” afterlife so long as they’re killed by a “great warrior,” like Rick, apparently. But Morty questions Zick Zack’s faith with a lack of concrete evidence, making the latter back out at the last minute. He flees Rick like his afterlife is at stake, only to get flattened by a car. It turns out the Floop Floopians are right, however, and Zick Zack’s soul is subsequently dragged by demons to a hellish eternity.

#15: Davin

“Rick Potion #9”
Davin might be a minor character, but he is one handsome horse surgeon. Since he works alongside Beth, he’s constantly hitting on her – and making Jerry jealous. Fortunately – we guess – Davin quickly falls out of love with Beth and in love with… Morty thanks to a love serum created by the youngest Smith. But don’t worry; Davin soon transforms into a mantis monster due to the serum’s antidote. Jerry – naturally – sees this as his one chance, so he kills Davin with a crowbar… and a terrible joke. And, we gotta be honest: it’s really cool to see Jerry. It’s just too bad we don’t get to see badass Jerry again for quite some time.

#14: The Zigerions

“M. Night Shaym-Aliens!”
When you’ve got something of value, people are going to try to take it from you – at least, that’s the lesson we learned from the Zigerions. With a name that is clearly a play on those Nigerian email scams, these aliens are out to get Rick’s recipe for concentrated dark matter. Believing they’ve finally managed to trick him, these aliens celebrate by making a batch of the dark matter in front of everyone… and blow themselves up in the process. In an episode full of twists, the biggest surprise is that we thought Rick was being played, but the Zigerions were the true victims.

#13: Alien Parasites

“Total Rickall”
This is kinda cheating, but come on, you expect us to choose between Pencilvester and Sleepy Gary? In the episode “Total Rickall,” an alien species invades the Smith home, multiplying by creating false memories in people’s minds. We obviously know who’s who – but then, we didn’t have our brains altered, did we? Fortunately, Morty manages to figure it all out, so he and Rick grab a veritable arsenal of weapons to take care of these pests. It’s kickass to see the Smith family go all out, but also hilarious to see them remembering horrible things about their family. Too bad this universe’s Jerry didn’t rise to the occasion to be a part of the action, though.

#12: Roy Parsons

“Mortynight Run”
Technically, “Roy Parsons” doesn’t exist and so doesn’t actually die. But since this bit has us questioning what “real” is, we’re counting it, anyway. In this episode, Rick takes Morty to the coolest intergalactic arcade ever, Blips and Chitz, and sits him down to a hyper-realistic VR game. Essentially, “Roy: A Life Well Lived” is like experiencing someone else’s life in what’s perceived to be real time. In the span of a minute, we watch Morty live a lifetime as Roy as he becomes a football star, starts a family, settles into an unglamorous job and beats cancer, only to die in a completely mundane and avoidable fashion. Morty’s reaction to returning to reality has us questioning the nature of our own every time.

#11: Evil Rick

“Close Rick-Counters of the Rick Kind”
We’d call Rick a lotta things, but “nice guy” ain’t one of ‘em – same thing goes for most of his alternate selves. Yet, there are versions of Rick that are more “evil” than the one we know so well. Our Rick and Morty set out to stop Evil Rick after he captures many of the other dimensions’ Mortys. And they ultimately succeed, with an army of Mortys beating Evil Rick to death. Our relief is short-lived, however, because Evil Rick is soon revealed to be a cyborg controlled by an Evil Morty!

#10: King Jellybean

“Meeseeks and Destroy”
This series dives into some very dark territory. Case in point: in the episode “Meeseeks and Destroy,” Morty’s adventure just keeps getting worse. But when a friendly Jellybean tries to help him calm down, things seem to be looking up. Until that jellybean tires to assault him. Thankfully, Morty escapes, but he’s left exhausted and traumatized. Rick figures out what happened, but the two continue their adventure anyway, ultimately ending up in a village where the leader is… the jellybean. As our titular characters leave through a portal, Rick shoots the king, causing him to explode and causing us to cheer. For once, a “Rick and Morty” death that results in a happy ending.

#9: Party Mascot

“Rest and Ricklaxation”
Speaking of “Rick and Morty” destroying our childhoods… In this episode, a burnt out Rick and Morty go to an alien spa and have all their literal toxicity removed. Trouble is, their toxic selves are just as autonomous as their regular selves - well, at least Toxic Rick is, which makes him incredibly dangerous. Together, Toxic Rick and Morty escape their toxic stronghold and concoct a plan to toxify the whole world. It works, and we eventually cut to a children’s birthday party where the entertainer removes his costume and steps on the kids’ innocent reality. In turn, the kids rip him to shreds with their bare hands. But wait! It gets worse. They’re eventually turned back to normal, and they’re more than traumatized. Us, too.

#8: Lisa

“The Whirly Dirly Conspiracy”
Alien technology may be vastly different, but at the end of the day, kids are still kids. That is, until things go horribly wrong. Here, Rick takes Jerry to a fancy resort on another world that’s protected by an immortality field. Meaning anything that happens at the resort is consequence-free, as anyone killed is instantly regenerated. With a lack of stakes, everyone there treats mortality as a fun game, including a brother and sister duo who playfully kill each other. Of course, things go wrong and the immortality field is disabled. Immediately after, we see the brother kill his sister Lisa like before, only this time, she doesn’t come back. Oh, the childhood trauma…

#7: Space Cruiser Kills

“The Ricks Must Be Crazy”
Obviously, Rick’s space cruiser is highly advanced for being what he essentially uses as a “car.” Too advanced, as this B plot shows. By locking Summer in the cruiser and giving it the directive to “keep Summer safe,” Rick inadvertently gives the vehicle carte blanche to do just that in the most permanent way possible. The cruiser starts by dicing a stranger to pieces, but even when Summer commands it not to kill, the cruiser still comes up with horrifying ways to deter aggressors. It leaves another man paralyzed, before utilizing emotional warfare on the responding police force. It resurrects a dead cop’s son, only to take him away again by reducing him to goo. It may not be a “death,” but we’re still counting it.

#6: Jerry Smith

“Interdimensional Cable 2: Tempting Fate”
This show makes it clear that anything goes, including sending its core characters off in brutal fashion - even if it’s only temporary. But that doesn’t make it any less shocking when it happens. Speaking of B plots, this one sees Jerry being selected to save the life of alien civil rights leader, Shrimply Pibbles, by donating his… you know. Jerry initially agrees, but starts having second thoughts with his fragile male ego being so tied to his manhood. Jerry gets out of it at the cost of his reputation, but when it’s revealed that Shrimply Pibbles can be saved by other means, Jerry demands the procedure at “gunpoint,” only to be blasted by security. But since he’s in an alien hospital, ‘tis but a scratch.

#5: Birdperson

“The Wedding Squanchers”
In case you haven’t noticed, Rick’s number one goal in life isn’t to make friends. In fact, there are very few people that he truly cares about and considers buddies. But Birdperson is one of those lucky few. Rick and his old pal happen to be wanted by the Galactic Federation, making Birdperson’s wedding to Tammy all the more risky. Unfortunately, because Birdperson lets his emotions cloud his judgment, he gets killed by his new lover. This is actually a heartbreaking death because Birdperson is such a passive character. And, it’s even harder to take because we see Rick lose it. Thankfully, this isn’t the last we see of Rick’s avian ally…

#4: Lighthouse Chief

“Look Who’s Purging Now”
When Rick plans an escape from the Purge planet, Morty is forced to listen to a terrible screenplay by the Lighthouse Chief, who doesn’t take kindly to Morty’s comments. Unable to take the pressure anymore, Morty pushes the Chief down a flight of stairs, killing him. As we’ve already seen, this isn’t the first time Morty has killed someone – but it IS the first time he killed an innocent. To be honest, it’s pretty surprising to see Morty like this – and it only gets worse, as he then goes on a bloody rampage. We gotta say: the possibility of this side of Morty resurfacing is a pretty terrible thought…

#3: Rick Sanchez & Morty Smith

“Rick Potion #9”
After our favorite mad scientist accidentally creates an epidemic of Cronenbergs, all hope seems lost. But Rick assures Morty that he’s got one last trick up his sleeve, and it seems to work! The world gets back to normal, and we see the two finally working on Rick’s new invention… only to be blown up in a horrific explosion. Just as we begin to process our shock, we see our Rick and Morty pop in. Morty, terrified at the scene, is forced to bury his own corpse, and realizes that he’s living with a family that technically isn’t his own. This is “Rick and Morty”-brand existentialism at its best: sad, terrifying and haunting – to both Morty and us.

#2: Fart

“Mortynight Run”
Fart is a gaseous being that Morty saves from alien assassin Krombopulos Michael, so named thanks to an insult once thrown at it by Rick. A powerful entity, Fart can piece together atoms to create any form of matter – including gold – and it can influence other entities. Morty questions his decision to save Fart throughout his journey, but ultimately leads him back to his portal. Of course, in a juicy bit of irony, it’s at this very moment that he discovers this thing intends to return and destroy all carbon life. Heartbroken and realizing his mistake, Morty kills Fart, marking an important moment in the youngster’s life.

#1: Hologram Rick

“Edge of Tomorty: Rick Die Rickpeat”
This episode starts with the brutal, accidental death of Rick, and yet that’s peanuts compared to where it ends. Rick’s consciousness then bounces around other realities, being continuously resurrected in other versions of himself. And while we’re on the subject, Larva Mr. Goldenfold being eaten alive by wasp versions of the Smiths is also horrifying. Meanwhile, a sentient hologram of Rick tries to get Morty to revive him. A bunch of plot mechanics too complicated for 125 words later, and Hologram Rick gets assimilated by Morty’s symbiote thing and becomes a corporeal, vengeful god. But it’s short-lived as Wasp Rick stings him in the eye, causing his face to swell and bloodily birth hundreds more Wasp Ricks. The things the writers think up…

Any crazy “Rick and Morty” deaths we missed? Riggity-riggity-wreck us in the comments!