The Rick And Morty series features its titular protagonists on their journeys across multiple realities. Rick's vast technological knowledge has imbued him with godlike power, but it has also made him a number of enemies from various planets and backgrounds. Although the antagonists vary in severity, many have forced the Smith family to come up with ways to creatively overcome them.
Despite Rick's vast knowledge, there have even been instances where he couldn't win on his own. Such villains are excellently written given how they advance the story and grant audiences new perspectives on the heroes.
10 Zeep Was A Glaring Critique Of Rick's Flaws
Zeep was a scientist born from the universe that Rick made to power his car. When entering his car battery and attempting to fix it, the two crossed paths. Despite being jarringly similar to one another, Rick and Zeep's egos quickly put them at odds. The latter felt insulted about his planet's true purpose, prompting them to duel with a series of crude albeit remarkably effective gadgets.
Before returning to his regular size, Rick felt such animosity toward Zeep that he indulged in a completely gratuitous bare-knuckle brawl. In the end, Zeep could be perceived as a personification of Rick's self-hatred.
9 Rick Outsmarted The Devil
Shortly after discovering that Summer worked part-time for the Devil, Rick became suspicious. When offered a telescope that would have lowered his intelligence, he took it personally and devised a shop specifically to counter his opponent's curses.
Consequently, people quickly began taking cursed items from the Devil's shop en masse to the point he had few cursed items left. When uncovering that Rick had been fixing them for a marginal fee, it became clear that the Devil couldn't match his pettiness. The Devil was well written since he indicated how Rick sometimes did the right thing for the wrong reasons.
8 Supernova Polarized Rick In Many Ways
Supernova was a well-written villain due to how she was Rick's complete opposite. For example, he understated how much he cared about his friends, while Supernova exaggerated her compassion. Similarly, Rick didn't care about receiving adulation and sometimes did the right thing, whereas Supernova loved undeserved praise even when it meant hurting innocent people.
What made Supernova particularly interesting was that, unlike the remaining Vindicators, she managed to escape. Given her cosmic power, she may pose a threat to Rick in the imminent future.
7 Story Lord Was A Vehicle For Meta Commentary
Although Rick And Morty often broke the fourth wall, none did so as effortlessly and as hilariously as Story Lord. He relied so heavily on meta that he eventually escaped the parameters of fiction to threaten the heroes personally.
Story Lord was hilariously ironic, with his quest to find motivation being his motivation. He also proved a serious threat in battle, forcing Rick and Morty to work together in order to defeat him. Story Lord's death may not be permanent given his ability to defy the laws of established reality.
6 Mr. Nimbus Was Enigmatic & Entertaining
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Mr. Nimbus embodied everything that fans loved about Rick And Morty. He was bombastic, fairly absurd, and just consistent enough for his theme to make sense. When debuting for the first time, Nimbus was personally acknowledged as Rick's nemesis.
This was a massive boost to his credibility, one that compounded even further through his subsequent victories over the scientist. In addition to prevailing in nearly every one of their duels, Nimbus also seduced Beth and Jerry as their third and presumably one-time fling.
5 Toxic Rick Was An Interesting Analysis Of Rick's Psychology
When Rick and Morty visited a galactic detoxicating machine, it expunged qualities that they viewed as weaknesses. In Rick's case, it manifested as his narcissism, overconfidence, and eagerness to berate others on a whim.
However, "Toxic" Rick proved equally as intelligent as his progenitor, nearly defeating him in the Smith home. Rick battling the personification of his own alleged flaws was fascinating, especially since he later realized that they were essential to who he was by the end of the episode.
4 President Curtis Constantly Jockeyed For Control Over Rick
President Curtis led the United States. Completely aware of Rick's presence and potential, he often attempted to control him through a number of different means. Rick was completely aware of his intentions, resulting in an escalating conflict where the two eventually came to blows.
Curtis was an excellent character since his motives were completely understandable. He didn't want a godlike, amoral threat going completely unchecked. Furthermore, he was also willing to put aside his ego and align with Rick, as seen when they defeated the human-turkey hybrids. Curtis' attempts to stay on Rick's level were admirable.
3 Phoenix Person Was Once Rick's Closest Friend
When Bird Person's wedding was ambushed, he got critically injured and captured by the Galactic Federation. Remade into "Phoenix Person," the former hero was programmed to enforce the regime's will and only answered to his fiancée, Tammy. During Rick's invasion of the Citadel, he faced off against Phoenix Person and was overpowered.
Although Jerry ultimately helped defeat Phoenix Person, it would take time for his mental wounds to heal. Rick's persistence in restoring him was admirable since it disillusioned the notion that he didn't care about anyone else.
2 Rick Prime Ruined Rick's Life
Also known as "Weird Rick," Rick Prime was personally responsible for ruining Rick C-137's life. After C-137 refused to join the Citadel, Rick Prime murdered his wife and Beth. Left to pick up the pieces, C-137 vowed revenge on Rick Prime and spent decades hunting him down.
However, for all of the alternate universe copies of himself he killed, he never drew closer to finding the closure he needed. Recently, Rick Prime resurfaced, taunting C-137's failure to catch him. He made for a compelling villain since he embodied the worst aspects of Rick's personality and what he was capable of.
1 Evil Morty Was A Brilliant Strategist & Elusive Rogue
Evil Morty called attention to the fact that regardless of timeline or iteration, Rick was constantly abusive. Nonetheless, he didn't seek to kill all Ricks. Instead, his only ambition was to escape to a reality where Ricks weren't around to trouble him. To this end, Evil Morty diplomatically took over the Citadel, manipulating thousands of Ricks into signing their own death warrants.
He nearly even killed Rick C-137 when unleashing Operation Phoenix and daringly escaping the Central Finite Curve. Evil Morty's methods may have been extreme, but they were a reaction to the abuse he suffered from his own Rick.