Any fan of Rick and Morty can recognize how layered and thought out the story, characters and worlds of the show are, and, as a result, they keep watching. The writers responsible for the show have drawn quite a bit of attention over the last few years, even leading to some of them moving on to writing for Marvel. It’s not often that the heads of such successful franchises as Marvel go looking to the writers of an animated series for collaboration. In this case, it’s proven to be a wise choice so far, as the writers seem to carry their talents from one project to the next.
For many of these writers, Rick and Morty either boosted their success or gave them useful experience. Simply by looking at Rick and Morty as a series, you can see the many qualities it contains that require a large skill set. Some of these are more surface level, like writing adult content in a genre often associated with children, or writing dark stories that are balanced with humor. Though the overarching storyline for the show has dark elements, it always weaves comedy into the dialogue, situations, concepts, animation, and in the character dynamics.
The writers also possess qualities that are apparent in Rick and Morty and speak to their ability to write for the genre of the Marvel universe perfectly. Firstly, they have created countless, imaginative and satirical worlds that in some way or another reflect society and actually resonate with the audience on a deeper level than may, at first, be apparent. Secondly, they already write in a universe that is centered around action and saving the world(s). Every episode involves fighting, exploration of new places, futuristic transportation, and unique weapons. In many cases, the characters’ goal for the episode is to rescue themselves, the family, or the planet (though, since they have other dimensions as backup, it’s okay if it doesn’t always work out).
Beyond being well suited to write for the MCU Hero genre, they also have what it takes to create unique characters that stand out to viewers. One example of this is how they are great at writing flawed characters that we still care about and want a happy ending for. They are able to evolve into real heroes, even if they don’t fit the traditional image of a hero. Rick is a prime example of this.
There’s also the point that they know how to capture emotion and as a result, create characters that feel alive and relatable. In a matter of 22 minutes, viewers can go from finding a character deplorable, to tearing up as they watch that same character go against everything they stand for to save someone else. Lastly, they write a solid character arc. It takes a lot to make an audience root for a drunk old man that regularly kidnaps his grandson from school, or to respect a character with a name like Mr. Poopybutthole, but they do it.
If the success and consistency of the Rick and Morty series aren’t enough to point out the potential of the show’s writers, the number of them that have begun moving toward the MCU should. While many fans know Dan Harmon has several connections to Marvel, himself, some of the other writers have actually gone to write for the franchise. Jessica Gao is one example as she has been signed on as the lead writer for She-Hulk, the Marvel Series on Disney+. If her winning the Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program because of her Rick and Morty episode, “Pickle Rick”, proves anything, it’s that she can write an entertaining story about a green character.
There’s also Michael Waldren, who worked for Rick and Morty for several years and has written in multiple Marvel worlds, like Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Michael's experience with writing a world with such complicated characters as Rick or Birdman adds experience to his talent when writing these complex and dark Marvel characters. If his experience isn’t enough, the fantastic ratings that Loki received seem to shine a light on his capability. It’s likely that he’ll continue writing for Marvel because of his grasp of the world and success thus far.
On the other hand, Jeff Loveness, another Rick and Morty writer is also writing for a Marvel film, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which requires a different set of abilities. He is having to take a character that seems simple on the surface level and reveal their depth, all while still adding humor to the mix-- another quality often present in Rick and Morty episodes.
Between the success of the animated series and what has been seen of the Marvel stories written by Rick and Morty writers, we can count on seeing their names pop up on more projects in the future. Until then, we can look forward to experiencing more of their work in the foreseeable future with She-Hulk that will be available on Disney+ in 2022, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness that is in theatres on May 6, 2022, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which will hit theatres on July 28, 2023.