The dimension-hopping adventures that the titular Rick and Morty undertake are filled with characters who are either eerily normal or downright ludicrous. Given that many of them are Rick's acquaintances, mortal enemies — or in some cases, both — they tend to be as powerful as he is, if not more. Despite being the smartest man in the universe and the remarkable power inherent in that position, Rick has struggled against his fair amount of foes.

Some of these powerful Rick and Morty characters manifest their strength through their physical forms, some are blessed with cosmic superpowers and a few actually possess nigh-divine abilities. Ironically, Rick himself isn't the strongest character in a story that (he believes) revolves around him, which has been demonstrated through the fact that he has been soundly defeated on many occasions.

Updated on July 7, 2024, by Natasha Elder: Rick and Morty has been through a lot of changes since the beginning. While the beginning was episodic, multi-episode plotlines have been introduced. With such plotlines, powerful characters such as Space Beth and Evil Morty have become more common. We wanted to include more of these strong Rick and Morty characters, as well as further explain the strengths in the ones already included.

15 Squanchy Can Hulk Out If Necessary

His Increased Size Gives Him Immense Power

Squanchy, one of Rick's oldest friends and fellow veteran of several battles against the Galactic Federation, is not as harmless as he initially seems. Although the audience's first impression of the character is less than favorable, he eventually reveals that he's not just some strange cat alien who uses the word "squanch" in seemingly random contexts. Instead, he is a powerful warrior who has earned his place as one of Rick’s friends.

Squanchy can transform into an extremely muscular and far more terrifying version of himself when he ingests an unknown fluid stored inside a canine tooth. In this form, he is capable of taking on armed opponents with his bare hands. Although he becomes a bigger target, Squanchy has survived multiple altercations against enemies with guns, such as he did at Birdperson’s wedding and the Battle of Blood Ridge, proving that he is hardy as well as powerful in this form. The simplicity of Squanchy’s form, however, makes him the lowest-ranking character on this list.

14 President Curtis Has Access to a Wide Range of Technology

But He Can Also Hold His Own Without It

Related

15 Best Rick & Morty Episodes, Ranked

Rick & Morty episodes like "Pickle Rick" and "Rickmurai Jack" are superior in quality compared to others.

While President Curtis doesn’t seem like he would be that powerful, he is actually one of the strongest Rick and Morty characters since he has access to a wide range of technology. When Rick Sanchez and the President get into a fight over Morty getting a selfie with the president, he shows that he can control lasers and has mind-controlled girls who know karate and invisible soldiers. He is also willing to enslave others in order to achieve his goals.

That is not all that President Curtis has, however. He can also trigger the ancient aliens that crash-landed on Earth many years prior, as he does in order to fight against the turkey-men hybrid that were trying to take over America. In this fight, he also goes hand-to-hand against the head turkey, winning the fight — albeit barely. Thus, he is willing and able to put his life on the line with a medley of technology and tools backing him up and reinforcing his strength.

13 Morty Smith Has Grown Throughout the Seasons

While He Relied on Rick at First, He Is Now Incredibly Strong in His Own Right

Morty Smith has undergone impressive growth throughout the show. Initially, he is terrified of the situations that Rick gets him into and is even hesitant to kill the Galactic Federation’s soldiers, which he does frequently and without care as the show goes on. Morty’s decreasing morality is marked by an increase in his strength and impressive feats, especially as he has been given his own adventures divorced from Rick.

When Morty gets a Death Crystal, for example, he manages to defeat an army and then get off scot-free. While this was partially due to the crystal itself, he was the one to acquire the weapons and fight himself. Even more impressively, he has won fights against Nick, who he was attached to at the time, survived the world of Cronenbergs on his own, killed the GoTron pilots, and was an integral part of the fight against Rick Prime. His power as the show goes on is evident.

12 The Wizard Is Extremely Overpowered, Even If Limited to His Magical Dimension

He Can Even Extend His Life When Suffering From Grievous Wounds

The Wizard appears in "Claw And Hoarder: Special Ricktim's Morty," more popularly known to fans as the sl**-dragon episode. He is extremely overpowered, even if his abilities only work within the boundaries of his magical realm. This is not even mentioning the fact that he has a literal horde of dragons at his beck and call. Even Rick initially struggles to battle The Wizard, overestimating his abilities and needing the help of many other dragons to overcome The Wizard's power.

Unfortunately for him, The Wizard is burned alive by the very dragons he had been shaming for countless years to achieve their freedom. His final act of magic merely prolonged his suffering. That said, the Wizard could have been a potential adversary had he not been attacked by literal dragons who benefited from Rick, Morty, and Summer’s involvement.

11 Planetina's Elemental Abilities Were Used for Environmental Terrorism

Once Given Freedom Over Her Abilities, She Became a Real Threat

The full potential of Planetina’s power is not shown in the show, but what is shown is already enough to prove that she is one of Rick and Morty’s strongest characters. When Morty had Planetina’s powers, he managed to kill several people in the span of a short amount of time. Planetina outdoes this, however, when she destroys an entire mining operation in order to fulfill her goal of saving the planet.

The amount of flames that Planetina produces without a second thought is terrifying. Additionally, she seems to be able to use the elements simultaneously, as she can fly while shooting flames or water spouts. It is also worth mentioning that she was able to put out a forest fire in seconds, which demonstrates the vast strength of her elemental control.

10 Supernova Can Transmute Objects, Perform Telekinesis, and Cast Portals

She Even Managed to Strangle Rick Without a Problem

As one of the Vindicators, a mismatched pastiche of superhero tropes, Supernova is ridiculously powerful. Her powers are at a cosmic level as she can create dimensions that lead to different parts of space, and her body is made out of a collapsing star. This is further supported by the fact that she constantly has small, planet-like objects circling her that she can control at will.

Supernova is strong enough to capture Rick with minimal effort and is theoretically capable of killing him (and Morty). In addition, she can transmute objects, perform feats of telekinesis, spawn portals, and so on. Supernova was actually planning to kill Rick and Morty but escaped during a surprise party that Rick had set up instead, as she didn’t want to ruin the public’s image of her as a superhero. She is limited by the fact that she worries about her public image, though, so she is only number 10 on this list.

9 Space Beth Gave Rick a Run for His Money

Her Technological Enhancements Rival Rick's Own

Related

10 Rick and Morty Episodes That Prove Rick Cares About His Family

Rick and Morty's seven seasons depicted key moments in which Rick Sanchez showed love for the Smiths, but which episodes depict his softer side?

When Space Beth first returns to Earth in order to confront Rick about the bomb in her neck, she proves to be more than a match for his various gadgets. She can teleport through various objects, fights well, and has advanced technology that rivals Rick’s own creations. These components combine to make her a very dangerous woman. As the series goes on, and she gets more screen time, she continues to prove that she is formidable.

For example, when Tammy returns to Earth, Space Beth is part of the assault team. While she doesn’t manage to defeat him initially, she buys enough time for Jerry to arrive and distract Phoenixperson. This in turn gives her time to switch him off, effectively eliminating the threat. As this was a feat that no one else was able to achieve, it demonstrated her remarkable abilities.

8 Rick Sanchez's Unparalleled Genius Allows Him To Adapt to Any Situation Instantly

His Portal Gun Also Allows Him to Escape Any Situation He Can't Fight His Way Out Of

Rick is under the illusion that he is the center of the universe, even though he unconsciously hates himself — a paradox that explains quite a few of his character eccentricities. His physical strength isn't much to write home about, though his unparalleled genius allows him to modify his body to adapt to any given situation. His preparedness often gives him the upper hand, even in surprising situations.

Rick's various cybernetic implants produce weapons from his arms, shield his heart with unbreakable metal, and even give him the ability to cast a force field around himself. It's very difficult to beat Rick Sanchez without thinking dozens of steps ahead of him, although there are some others, such as Rick Prime, that are able to do so. That being said, Season 7's twist solved the Rick Prime problem for the genius.

7 Mr. Nimbus Is So Strong That Rick Is Terrified of Dealing With Him at Peak Strength

His Control of the Police is Just the Beginning of His Powers

Morty allegedly "desecrate[s] the sacred treaty betwixt land and sea" when he crash lands Rick's space car into the ocean, which gives Rick a lot of anxiety. He is right to be worried, as their landing in the ocean results in the fey Mr. Nimbus emerging from his watery depths and demanding to have a new treaty established, which Rick grudgingly agrees to.

However, the old man sends Summer on a solo off-screen adventure to retrieve his nemesis' power source — a conch shell — showing that Rick is terrified of dealing with Mr. Nimbus at the latter's peak strength. Furthermore, Mr. Nimbus can even control the police for some reason. He also saves Rick and Morty in this episode with his intimidating water powers. As Rick and Morty would have died without Mr. Nimbus’ intervention, he is clearly a powerful character.

6 Phoenixperson Has Several Cybernetic Powers Capable of Putting Rick Out of Commission

Already a Successful Fighter, Birdperson's Transformation into Phoenixperson Only Made Him Stronger

Birdperson's martial skills are certainly above average, considering that he came out of the Battle of Blood Ridge without a single scratch. However, when Tammy turns him into a cybernetic bird, codenamed Phoenixperson, his powers are tremendously enhanced. Given the already strong base that Tammy and the Galactic Federation had to work with, it is no surprise that Phoenixperson is one of the most powerful characters in Rick and Morty.

Phoenixperson can fire lasers from his outstretched wings, manifest a drill from behind his nose, and generate a sonic blast of concussive force by screaming. In fact, Phoenixperson is defeated only because of Jerry's invisible puppetry, which is not the only time that Jerry has been a surprisingly strong character. It is only through this distraction, however, that Space Beth is able to flick his power switch to “off.” Before that, he soundly defeated Rick, Beth and Space Beth seemingly without a struggle.

5 Unity Transcends the Limits of Single-Minded Evolution

She Has Assimilated Multiple Planets into Her Network, Along with Their Resources

By definition, Unity transcends the limits of evolution by assimilating entire groups of species into its hivemind. This character has lofty ambitions, as well; it informs Rick that it will eventually turn into "what the single-minded once called a god" — a statement that doesn't sound arrogant as much as factually accurate, since she has already incorporated multiple planets full of people into her hivemind. Her vast amount of control is why she is ranked as the fifth-strongest Rick and Morty character.

The only weakness Unity exhibits is for Rick; she breaks up with him and severs their ties for what she believes to be forever, so she can save herself from the inevitable heartbreak. Despite this, Unity makes a reappearance in Season 7 in order to check on Rick after their break-up. Rick is forced to deal with the remnants of their former relationship, and come to terms with the fact that he still cares for her.

4 Reggie Is Basically a Slightly Less Twisted Version of Zeus

His Overwhelming Strength is Evident

Related

10 Rick and Morty Episodes That Went Too Far

Throughout its seven seasons, Adult Swim's Rick and Morty has crossed the line in many episodes regarding mental health, emotional and physical abuse.

Rick evidently has a fascination for cosmic beings, one of which is a literal planet named Gaia. The entire family discovers their relationship when Gaia states that the billions of humanoid biscuit-like offspring pouring out of her "body" are Rick's children. While this is not the only of Rick's many love interests to make an appearance on the show, it is one of the most significant; he not only has to take responsibility for what he thinks are his children but also bonds with his own daughter, Beth, in the process.

The situation heats up when the real father arrives, a divine entity known as Reggie, who turns out to be a slightly less twisted version of the Greek God Zeus. Reggie effortlessly crushes Rick into submission, even when he reduces his size to better match Rick’s height. It is only because Summer and Morty, high on alien "brake fluid," fly a spaceship into the back of Reggie's head that their grandpa is saved.

3 Fart's Abilities Include Mental Manipulation and Literal Alchemy

By Giving One Person a False Vision, He Took Down an Entire Fleet of Enemies

​​​​​​

Fart comes from an unknown dimension where life has apparently evolved beyond the need for physical bodies, explaining why it is a cloud of gas with a quintet of orbs radiating within. Not only can Fart perform alchemy between any two elements with perfect precision, it can also telepathically read and manipulate biological brains. Additionally, he is nigh-on indestructible, with Rick needing to make a special gun to kill him.

For example, Fart gives a police officer on Gear World an image of his girlfriend cheating on him, resulting in him crashing into his fellow officers and destroying the whole fleet. This is a vast amount of destruction that Fart hardly had to try to achieve. At the end of the episode, however, Morty kills Fart to prevent the genocide of "carbon-based life forms."

2 Rhett Caan Alters Reality Itself

Whatever He Wills Becomes the Truth

Rhett Caan is introduced as one of the prisoners of the Self-Referential Six, a series of beings that are each related to a different literary concept or device. While the Self-Referential Six are powerful in themselves, with some powers including observing flashbacks in the pasts of others and creating plot twists with smash-cut grenades, they are no match for Rhett Caan. Originally introduced as Brett Caan, Rhett Caan can change reality to be whatever he wants it to be.

One instance of Rhett Caan changing reality comes when he turns the entire building that he, the Self-Referential Six, Rick, and Morty are in into an orange. He also stated that one of the Self-Referential Six was “always able to be killed with coffee,” thereby retroactively making her able to be killed with coffee. His powers seem to have no limit, but seeing as he was introduced as a prisoner and Rick and Morty escaped him, there is some chance to escape his powers, small as it is.

1 Evil Morty Single-Handedly Destroyed the Central Finite Curve

The High Level of His Intelligence Cannot be Understated

Related

10 Questionable Storylines in Rick and Morty

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

Strength can manifest in countless shapes and forms, but it is arguably most effective when utilized in a political context. Evil Morty doesn't care for silly adventures like Rick and Morty C-137. When his initial plan of killing Ricks to steal their memories of the Central Finite Curve and kidnapping and torturing Mortys to hide his signal fails, he instead expends his efforts on garnering enough political clout to usurp the Citadel from the Shadow Council of Ricks.

While his golden portal remains a mystery, the fact is that Evil Morty single-handedly destroys the Central Finite Curve, proving that he is as intelligent as Rick — if not more so. Interestingly, Evil Morty actually helps Rick and Morty defeat the elusive Rick Prime in a later season of Rick and Morty, further establishing his superiority. As he has never truly been defeated by an opponent, Evil Morty has proven that he is the strongest character in Rick and Morty.

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

Seasons

7

Main Genre

Animation