While 100 years of Rick and Morty is still up for debate, the fan-favorite sci-fi series is back for Season 8—and renewed through Season 12. After nearly a year and a half away from the small screen, the details surrounding the Season 7 hijinks of Rick Sanchez and his grandson Morty can get a little hazy. Not to mention, the show’s interdimensional storylines make knowing who’s who and what’s what more challenging than the average TV series.
So, if you’re looking forward to more portal-hopping chaos and quotable lines from everyone’s favorite Back to the Future knock-offs, here is what to know before Rick and Morty Season 8 hits Adult Swim on May 25, 2025.
Rick and Morty Have New Voice Actors
While it doesn’t affect the story, new voice actors could catch some audiences off guard, especially if you missed last season. Season 7 marked the first season without Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland. After domestic abuse allegations and allegedly pursuing relationships with underage fans, Adult Swim dropped Roiland, who also voiced Rick, Morty, and a host of other zany characters.
In his place came Ian Cardoni and Harry Belden to voice Rick and Morty, respectively. Although it seems like a significant change, most fans and critics agree that Cardoni and Belden are excellent replacements, even if their performances differ from Roiland’s.
Rick Killed Rick Prime
Rick’s desperate search for Rick Prime, the version of himself responsible for killing his wife in every dimension with the Omega Device, had been an ongoing plot point with lots of juicy reveals in Season 6. After slaughtering hundreds of Ricks, Rick C-137 finally killed Rick Prime, thanks to a little help from Evil Morty in Season 7, Episode 5, “Unmortricken.” Given Rick and Morty’s bombastic nature, Prime Rick could return. However, the show seems to have killed him off for good…at least for now.
Evil Morty Has The Ultimate Weapon
Evil Morty might have joined forces with Rick and Morty in “Unmortricken,” but that doesn’t mean we can ignore the “evil” in front of his name just yet. During the same episode, Evil Morty scans the Omega Device before its destruction. The Omega Device, of course, is the infamous weapon Prime Rick created to kill Rick’s wife in every dimension before recreating it to work without a one-use limitation. While Evil Morty claims he doesn’t have plans to use it yet, the fact that he has it at all is worrisome, especially for Rick. Maybe it will come up in Season 8. Maybe it won’t. It’s still worth knowing that Rick and Morty’s biggest villain now has one of the series’ biggest weapons.
Morty Accepted That Rick Sees Him As Replaceable
Rick and Morty delivered a different kind of season finale. Instead of laying the foundation for a lore-expanding story, Season 7 concluded with a relatively stand-alone episode, ultimately about Rick and Morty’s complicated relationship. After diving into a fear hole, Morty learns two things. One, Rick was never down there with him putting in the gut-wrenching emotional work like he thought. And two, Morty’s fear of Rick seeing him as replaceable is true. What could’ve shaken a less developed Morty actually results in surprising acceptance. Rick will always be Rick, but Morty realizes he can become more independent.
With Morty seemingly wiggling free from his co-dependency, Season 8 may feature more episodes with Morty doing his own thing, or, at the very least, not letting Rick push him around as much. Either way, it’s an emotionally heavy arc, brimming with possibility for future character development and reveals.
Minor Characters Got Some Canon Development
Season 7 saw the return of recurring characters like Water-T and Mr. Poopybutthole. The fan favorites both saw character development, although in vastly different ways. Season 7, Episode 8, “Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie,” picks up where “Get Schwifty’s” post-credits scene left off. Water-T faces off against the invading Numbericons and brings peace to Alphabetrium with the help of Morty’s math teacher. All this earns him a fiery upgrade and name change to Magma-T.
Back on Earth, Mr. Poppybutthole, who was previously left by his wife, gets his hands on one of Rick’s portal guns to hop into a dimension where he is still happily married. The catch: This version of Amy seems to suspect something is off about her “new” husband. Dun dun duuun!
Where To Watch 'Rick and Morty' Online
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