Posted in: Adult Swim, Preview, Rick and Morty, TV | Tagged: Adult Swim, preview, rick and morty, season 8

Rick and Morty: Season 8, More Evil Morty, Mr. Poopybutthole Theory

Rick and Morty co-creator Dan Harmon and Showrunner Scott Marder on balancing Season 8, Evil Morty's future & that Mr. Poopybutthole theory

If Adult Swim's Rick and Morty Season 7 finale "Fear No Mort" (directed by Eugene Huang and written by Heather Anne Campbell) felt like closure in a number of ways for our dimension-hopping duo, you would be right. As series co-creator Dan Harmon and showrunner Scott Marder have discussed in the past (and in an interview with Variety that went live earlier today), that was the plan. By the time that disturbing Mr. Poopybutthole-starring post-credits scene had finished leaving us with serious questions about his long-term intentions (more on that in a minute), we were presented with a Rick who literally slayed his "Moby Dick" in Rick Prime – and now faces a future of his own choosing. Meanwhile, it took one twisted drop into a fear hole for Morty to realize his true fear – that he's invested too much of himself in Rick, only to be one day deemed replaceable by him. As for what the future holds, those questions won't be answered until Season 8 arrives in 2025 – but that doesn't mean it's too early for Harmon & Marder to offer some insights into what viewers can expect from the season's episodes. In addition, the duo make it clear that Evil Morty isn't quite done yet – and addresses those Mr. Poopybutthole concerns that a lot of us have.

If you appreciated how Seasons 6 and 7 were able to maintain a proper balance between canon/mythology episodes and those standalone "classic Rick and Morty adventures," then you'll like what's in store for Season 8. "There's obviously been a lot of shakeups and transitions that have happened that are luckily coinciding with some of these canonical storylines being resolved. If I could set a framework for fans of the show, it's the old characters and all these things, but it's like, this is an opportunity for a rebirth," Harmon explained. "I mean, the kind of canonical things like searching for Rick Prime, these are things that come out of the ether, and then they acquire this gravity, and then they become a canonical serialized story. I think people should expect more random embers shooting off of that fire and turning into organically gigantic serialized things of their own."

But with Harmon being a fan of the standalone adventures, viewers shouldn't be expecting them to be going anywhere anytime soon. "I will always target the episodic personally. Because, like, your job is to fight gravity. And gravity is serialization. That's what happens organically; gravity is a great thing. But you're supposed to want to fly." Marder reaffirmed that the eighth season will be looking to strike the episodic balance that the previous two seasons achieved. "Eight will have a lot of similar flow and vibes to six and seven, which is like a cool balance of silly and one-up canonical stuff. That's the stuff I want as a fan. And that's the stuff that Harmon and I work on all jammed together. I'm really proud of these last couple of seasons; they're sort of the perfect blend of what I look for as a fan," he added.

Could that include the return of Evil Morty at some point? Most definitely – in case anyone thought his ominous warning before departing our dimension (with one serious ultimate weapon) in "Unmortricken" would be the last that we would hear from him. "We can expect to see him in the future. We certainly have plans and grand designs with him, for sure," Marder shared – though not confirming that his return would happen during the eighth season.

And then there's Mr. Poopybutthole question. Like us, a lot of folks are getting a feeling that Poopybutthole's overarching storyline is lading him to becoming a major big bad for our heroes. "Shit. Well, now we can't do that, or he can sue us, right? Good job, internet! You blew it again!" Harmon joked during the interview when presented with the theory. "No, in all seriousness, I do love that guy [the person who posted the theory online] so much; I want to encourage those kinds of theories. I love, love that stuff. I love him, particularly the amount of energy he puts into that stuff," the series co-creator added. While Marder found the theory interesting, he also shared that was "not their plan for him" – adding that "I always love what fans take and run with in any show."

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