Over the course of seven seasons, Rick and Morty has been filled with horrific arcs. It makes sense, given the perpetual state of existential dread Morty is always in. This problem is also compounded by how cynical and self-deprecating Rick is. But it's not just the titular characters who are subjected to these disturbing arcs.

Rick and Morty's morose energy spreads throughout the titular duo's inner-circle, and even with strangers they meet. It's why the Adult Swim cartoon transcends dark comedy in this very chaotic galaxy. When fans think Rick and Morty can't get any more bleak, it always finds a way to truly leave viewers feeling sick to their stomachs with some very grim moments that push and break boundaries in a terrifying manner.

10 Rick Gave Up and Botched His Suicide

The Season 2 episode "Auto Erotic Assimilation" had Rick hooking up with the hive mind, Unity. Unfortunately, they thought Rick was too dysfunctional, that not even their thousands of minds could forge a proper relationship with him. With Rick thinking he could never find true love again after Diane, Rick returned to his Earth.

Rick euthanized a pet he had in his lab and then rigged lasers to fry his own brain. He passed out drunk, however, and escaped death in a macabre bit of irony. It really showed viewers how vulnerable and alone Rick was, and that, somehow, he always had luck with him in the most disturbing fashion. It compounded how hopeless and filled with despair Rick was, poking at viewers who were hurting from unrequited love, themselves.

9 Rick's Ship Revived And Murdered a Child

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In "The Ricks Must Be Crazy," Rick and Morty went into their ship's microverse battery to get it working again. Rick left orders for the ship to protect Summer, which went awry quickly. It began slaughtering anyone who came near and was deemed a threat. When a SWAT team arrived, it used the "psychological" warfare option, re-creating the son of one of the officers.

The boy, Hunter, drowned a while before, which led to the man cradling him. Sadly, Hunter melted into goo, mentally breaking the officer. The ship then ran the other officers off, making it clear it could have them relive losing loved ones, too. The infanticide was another joke that hit home too hard for those grieving the people they lost. More so, it proved this series could cross any line.

8 Morty Got Obsessed With Suicide

In "The Vat of Acid Episode," Morty fiddled around with a remote control that Rick made, allowing him to jump back to a "start point." This meant Morty could do anything, even die, because he would be teleported back to the aforementioned point with knowledge of the future. Unfortunately, Rick and Morty overstepped the mental health line, twice.

Firstly, Morty attacked the police for fun -- something they called "suicide by cop." It was a bit terrifying, given the state of police brutality in North America. Secondly, after botching a chance at true love, Morty jumped into a gorilla cage at the zoo and got killed multiple times. This happened in front of a child, which felt like Morty overdid what he thought was karma in the most violent manner. This cemented why Rick and Morty needs trigger warnings.

7 Rick Pretended To Be a Dead Man

On the advice of his therapist, Dr. Wong, Rick ignored his villains in "Analyze Piss," which led to Jerry (as an Iron Man pastiche) saving the cosmos. A shameful Pissmaster -- who Jerry had beaten up -- ended up committing suicide. Rick found the body, but imitated Pissmaster by faking that he was alive to his daughter. Part of this played on how Rick lost his real wife and daughter, so he rehabilitated Pissmaster's image to become the hero daughters want all fathers to be.

This was quite jarring because Rick's actions also came from a selfish place. He did feel for Pissmaster, but he wanted to show Jerry up with his own heroics. This reminded people that even with good intentions at heart, Rick would always be toxic. Sure, he could use a dead man's legacy to do some sort of good, but he still had to play egotistical games, confirming he was not altruistic.

6 Morty and Summer Had an Incest Baby

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Rick and Morty go on some weird adventures, but some are too weird, even for the scientist and grandson's usual shenanigans.

"Rickdependence Spray" was filled with really gross activities. Firstly, Morty used Beth's tools for extracting horse semen at her job so that he could masturbate. Secondly, Morty's semen led to the creation of sperm monsters that Rick tried to use as bioweapons. Thirdly, one of the sperm ended up fertilizing a giant egg Summer donated in a trap, not knowing the DNA was that of her brother's.

This led to a "Giant Incest Baby" growing in space after the egg got shot into orbit. Apart from the shockingly incestuous arc, the baby -- Naruto Smith -- is still out there in the cold recesses of space. This taboo storyline left Summer and Morty questioning the role of parents abandoning kids, physically or emotionally, especially after they saw Jerry and Beth go through the motions for years. It's definitely not for people going through a divorce, or who recently had one, as it really sank its teeth into how kids suffer away from neglectful parents.

5 Rick Ditched His Horse-Hybrid Kid

Rick and Morty has always had Rick grieving over losing his true kin. He tried healing by cloning Beth, hoping he could make up for lost time. Not just for himself, but other Rick variants who were bad fathers. Times like these, he felt genuine. But "Rickdependence Spray" had another invasive arc play out that shattered this notion when Rick impregnated Princess Ponietta of the "Chuds."

However, after she gave birth to a horse-Rick hybrid, it burrowed its way into the Earth as it didn't need Rick to live. Rick, however, was glad and exited stage left. This wasn't humorous, given Rick has a terrible track record of being a caregiver. Making Rick a "deadbeat dad" like this for a laugh spat on his entire purpose of rehabilitating himself. It had fans wondering if Rick really did care about being a father, or if he just wanted an excuse to drink and self-loathe across the Rick and Morty multiverse.

4 Beth Pushed Tommy to Become An Incestuous Monster

Beth and Rick traveled to her imaginary world, Froopyland, to pull out the childhood friend she left there, Tommy. Firstly, Rick and Morty took it too far by revealing that Tommy had sex with the creatures there for decades, made kids and ate some to survive. Aside from the Cannibalism, he even procreated with the offspring he didn't devour, keeping a harrowing, gut-wrenching cycle going.

Secondly, Beth was revealed to be as vile as Rick. She was jealous of Tommy's relationship with his father, so she marooned him there for decades, and let the court try Tommy's father. Beth didn't even want to apologize for her sins, effectively projecting over how awful her bond was with Rick. This was a very chilling episode, showcasing Beth's sociopathic side. It's compounded by a grief-stricken Tommy using his kids to do a theater show and tell his story of incest and feasting.

3 Summer Learned the Pangs of Dysfunctional Family

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In "Rixty Minutes," the Smiths used Rick's special goggles to see their alternate reality selves. One Jerry variant stood out, loving his drug-binging life, while Beth saw success professionally away from Jerry. Summer, however, learned there weren't that many variants of her because she was an unwanted pregnancy. This was a very disturbing bit of drama, as it had Beth and Jerry wondering if they were meant for each other, and if they should have stuck it through with a child they didn't want.

This was made even worse with Morty letting Summer know he wasn't even really her brother; he was a variant that jumped into her life with Rick C-137. At this point, viewers could tell Rick and Morty didn't mind using family dysfunction as an emotional dagger while enjoying using the concept of family as a hopeful plot device. It spoke to depressing marriages and why nothing should ever be believed in terms of a happy household. The guilt Summer gained from this still has her fans upset to this day, as it's implied she never recovered mentally when Morty told her they had no purpose or belonged anywhere.

2 Morty Sold Out For Deadly Capitalism

Rick and Morty has always divided fans by taking shots at corporations and commercialism, yet participating in it, as seen with various brand partnerships. "That's Amorte" brought the double standard to light in a major way when Morty helped the president of the Spaghetti Planet keep producing spaghetti from the corpses of people who sign up for assisted suicide.

Morty bent his ethics to get Rick to make clones sign up to kill themselves. He kept shifting morals, which Rick abided by as he enjoyed science and experiments. But seeing the clones trying to end their lives before, and begging not to be turned into food created a capitalist story that really felt disconcerting and hypocritical. It might have been a meta statement, but it was one that could have turned fans away from the unforgiving nature of the series.

1 Rick Kept Messing With Morty's Memories

"Morty's Mind Blowers" had Morty learning Rick deleted several memories from the boy's mind over the years. Some were filled with grief and trauma, meant to protect Morty. Others were selfishly done, where Rick actually felt like Morty was becoming too much of an individual. It recontextualized their relationship, affirming Morty was a pawn, a pet project and maybe, not a person Rick loved.

It also had fans curious if the theory about Morty growing up to be Rick was true. After all, this felt like Rick was pruning, curating and conditioning himself for a specific future. Either way, it was very uncomfortable, especially knowing that after the Space Beth cloning drama, Rick may have been tampering with everyone else's minds, so they would be conducive to his way of living. It's emotional abuse to the max, which makes "Morty's Mind Blowers" the most disturbing episode yet.

Rick and Morty

TV-14

Animation

Comedy

Sci-Fi

The fractured domestic lives of a nihilistic mad scientist and his anxious grandson are further complicated by their inter-dimensional misadventures.

Release Date

December 2, 2013

Cast

Justin Roiland , Dan Harmon , Chris Parnell , Spencer Grammer , Sarah Chalke

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

7

Creator

Justin Roiland, Dan Harmon

Number of Episodes

71

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