Is Rick and Morty Based on Back to the Future?

Yes, the animated series Rick and Morty is heavily influenced by the Back to the Future movie franchise. The show’s creators, Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland, have openly acknowledged that the central relationship between the characters Rick and Morty is inspired by the dynamic between Doc Brown and Marty McFly in Back to the Future.

The Core Similarities Between Rick and Morty and Back to the Future

Central Duo

Both shows feature a brilliant, eccentric scientist (Doc Brown/Rick Sanchez) and his young companion (Marty McFly/Morty Smith). The older mentor takes the younger one on wild adventures using fantastical technology.

Science Fiction Premise

The core sci-fi premise of both shows centers on using technology to travel between alternate dimensions. While Doc and Marty use time travel to visit the past and future, Rick and Morty use portal guns to explore alternate realities.

Twisted Parody Origins

Rick and Morty actually started out as a vulgar, R-rated parody of Back to the Future titled “The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti.” Justin Roiland created it but later retooled it to avoid copyright issues.

Homages and References

Despite starting as a parody, once Rick and Morty became its own show, it avoided direct references to Back to the Future for several years. But recent seasons have included fun homages to several iconic elements.

Differences Between Rick and Morty and Back to the Future

Tone and Style

While both shows blend sci-fi with comedy, Back to the Future has an upbeat, optimistic tone focused on friendship. Rick and Morty is darker, filled with cynicism, nihilism and dysfunctional relationships.

Messages and Themes

Back to the Future emphasizes inspirational themes about how the future is unwritten. Rick and Morty espouses messages about the meaningless of human existence.

Origins of Rick and Morty in an R-Rated Back to the Future Parody

To understand the DNA shared by Rick and Morty and Back to the Future, it’s important to trace the origins of Rick and Morty back to a vulgar, R-rated parody Justin Roiland created in 2004 called “The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti.”

This animated short featured twisted versions of Doc Brown and Marty McFly from Back to the Future in extremely explicit situations, including suggestions of incest. While controversial, the short attracted the attention of Dan Harmon.

Harmon helped Roiland retool the concept to remove the overt Back to the Future references and vulgar humor. Retitled Rick and Morty, the show otherwise retained the general spirit and sci-fi concept of the original parody short.

Early Efforts to Distance Itself from Back to the Future Influence

After developing a cult following on its own merits, Rick and Morty wanted to avoid being viewed only as a derivative of Back to the Future.

The showrunners established an explicit rule that Rick and Morty would never incorporate time travel into its stories. Early episodes even seemed to take jabs at time travel tropes, perhaps as an effort to further distance itself from comparisons to Back to the Future.

But as the series progressed, Rick and Morty started to incorporate more overt references and homages to Back to the Future without feeling the need to hide its influences anymore.

Recent Rick and Morty Homages to Back to the Future

In recent seasons and mediums, Rick and Morty has directly paid tribute to several iconic elements from Back to the Future:

Quantum Rick’s High School Dance

In the Rick and Morty Presents: The Council of Ricks comic book series, Quantum Rick crash lands at a high school dance straight out of Back to the Future.

Ice-T’s New Sound Discovery

In Season 7 of the Rick and Morty TV series, Ice-T discovers Chuck Berry’s music in a scene playing off the famous Johnny B. Goode stage performance.

Breaking the No Time Travel Rule

After avoiding time travel for years, Rick and Morty’s Season 4 episode “Rattlestar Ricklactica” features Morty encountering a race of time traveling aliens.

While developing its own voice, Rick and Morty continues to pay respect to the classic sci-fi series that inspired its existence.

Key Similarities and Differences Between Rick and Morty and Back to the Future

Despite its denial during early seasons, the impact of Back to the Future on inspiring Rick and Morty is undeniable when looking at the key characters and premises:

Central Duo

Both feature a quirky, eccentric scientist inventor paired with a more level-heade teenager. But while Doc Brown is supportive of Marty, Rick Sanchez neglects Morty’s emotional needs.

Sci-Fi Premise

Each show allows its central duo to go on adventures through alternate worlds. But Back to the Future relies on time travel while Rick and Morty uses multidimensional travel.

Tone and Style

Back to the Future blends sci-fi with uplifting humor and an optimistic viewpoint. Rick and Morty has darker comedy with pessimistic, nihilistic themes.

The cynical outlook and dysfunctional relationships at the core of Rick make his character distinct from the well-meaning, supportive Doc Brown. But without the inspiration of Doc and Marty, Rick and Morty may have never seen the light of day.

Conclusion: An Elevated Fan Fiction Adaptation

Rick and Morty essentially took the central relationship and sci-fi concept at the heart of Back to the Future and used it as a template to build out its own brand of cynical, raunchy humor mixed with nihilistic commentary on human nature.

In that sense, Rick and Morty could be considered one of the earliest mainstream examples of what has now become a popular trend – taking fan fiction-style adaptations of existing properties and elevating them into entirely new creative works with mass appeal.

Much like Fifty Shades of Grey originated from Twilight fan fiction or The Stanley Parable emerged out of a Half Life 2 mod, Rick and Morty evolved from Justin Roiland’s vulgar Back to the Future parody into a wholly original property.

By embedding itself so successfully into mainstream pop culture, Rick and Morty demonstrates the tremendous creative potential lying within the fan fiction community and transformative works genre waiting to be developed into breakout entertainment franchises.