Season 7 of Rick and Morty was quite a transformative experience for many characters, for reasons beyond Justin Roiland's firing forcing recasts of voice actors. Rick Sanchez went through some changes after completing his long mission to exact vengeance on Rick Prime, and Morty slowly became less reliant on Rick and even had a solo intergalactic adventure. There was also a big change for another beloved character, and an executive producer's thoughts on Mr. Poopybutthole's latest development have me stoked for the character's future.
Weird name aside, Mr. Poopybutthole's heartwarming backstory and the various theories surrounding his existence and place in the universe won over the Rick and Morty fandom. It seemed like Mr. Poopybutthole was back on the right path after his intervention in the Season 7 premiere, but the final scene showed it wasn't as effective as the characters involved may have thought. However, as his story continues, I can't wait to see what happens next.
Rick And Morty Put Mr. Poopybutthole On A Dark Path
Mr. Poopybutthole appeared in the post-credits scene of Rick and Morty Season 7, much like he has in previous seasons. As one of Rick and Morty's best side characters, it was a thrill to see him right up until the wild thing he did that shifted my perspective of the character permanently.
The character revealed he stole Rick's Portal Gun, and we witnessed him swapping places with another Mr. Poopybutthole and tossing him through the portal. In this reality, this character's family was still together and hadn't left him after his life fell apart.
The scene closed with Mr. Poopybutthole getting a beer from his wife from another dimension, though she was seemingly aware that something had changed about her husband. Executive producer Steve Levy talked about the moment to TVLine, and he gave some insight behind the scene in question as well as what it means for the character:
I’m not sure where we’re going to take that story just yet, but it's clear that Mr. Poopy Butthole has a screw loose and is very unwell. He’s not the hero we all thought he was at one point.
It seems as though Mr. Poopybutthole needs some help, and rather than try to resolve his issues with addiction and do some self-healing, he finds another way to cope. Time will tell if he's ultimately able to fool his new family, though it seems like the wife is already aware that something is amiss. What will happen once she finds out, and what does this mean for the future of the series? I can't wait to find out!
Why This Is Great For Rick And Morty
The Season 7 finale that gutted CinemaBlend's Nick Venable just got even more tragic for me. At the same time though, I love the idea of Mr. Poopybutthole transitioning into villain territory. Given the fact his other self was tossed back through the portal, there's an opportunity for Rick and Morty to revisit this storyline in Season 8.
Unfortunately, there's a chance that this doesn't get revisited in Season 8. Sarah Chalke already revealed the upcoming Rick and Morty season was written. So, if Steve Levy didn't know where the plot was headed, then it likely isn't a big part of the new episodes. That's not entirely surprising if true, though he could also be playing coy to hide the upcoming plot.
Whatever the case may be, it's good to see a secondary character like Mr. Poopybutthole get some strong character development that could be revisited at a later date.
I also like how his actions are similar to what Rick did when he first infiltrated the Smith family of Rick Prime, minus the fact that there's no revenge plot in mind. Could this force Rick to view his past actions in a different light? How will he feel about the rest of the family and his stance that "every version is more or less the same" as the previous one? I hope these questions are addressed in Season 8.
We will have to wait for answers, obviously, and continue to watch Rick and Morty with a Max subscription while the team works on new episodes. I'm eager to see how the story moves forward in Season 8 and beyond, and if Mr. Poopybutthole ends up becoming the next big bad of the show's universe.
