Rick’s recently revealed nemesis Mr. Nimbus, who was surprisingly an established enemy before the events of Rick and Morty took place, is now getting his own origin comic. Little is known about Mr. Nimbus other than he is king of the ocean and he controls the police. Reminiscent of the Marvel character Namor, Mr. Nimbus sports a speedo, a trident, and not much else with the same royal standing as Namor in his universe. While looks and status were once their only similarities, Namor and Mr. Nimbus are about to share comic store shelf space with the release of the new Mr. Nimbus comic, one which pays tribute to the clear inspiration behind the character.
Mr. Nimbus made his first appearance in the first episode of Rick and Morty season 5 titled, “Mort Dinner Rick Andre.” In the episode, Rick and Morty accidentally touch the ocean, and thereby bring forth the wrath of the dread Mr. Nimbus, the long-time nemesis of Rick as revealed to Morty. Mr. Nimbus wishes to then sign a peace treaty with Rick over dinner, one which is full of references to their shared history and ties to Rick’s past. When Morty gets them all wrapped up in a situation that could very well kill them, Mr. Nimbus saves the day by, somewhat erotically, controlling the ocean, squashing the rivalry between him and Rick and sparking a newfound friendship.
The new comic book one-shot Rick and Morty: Mr. Nimbus #1 by Alex Firer with art by Ryan Lee and Doug Garbark and published by Oni Press promises to explore the origin of Rick’s one-time arch enemy Mr. Nimbus. When the rest of Rick’s family finds out that Mr. Nimbus is Rick’s nemesis, they are all taken aback immediately. Rick is an interdimensional super genius who has toppled governments, reproduced with a planet, and fought God, and his nemesis is the seemingly trivial Mr. Nimbus. While the episode mostly poked fun at the ridiculousness of such a situation, the comic series will assuredly explain the bizarre connection.
The similarities between Mr. Nimbus and Namor the Submariner are striking to say the least, and the creative team behind the character’s new book are not shying away from that comparison. A variant cover for the book by artist Emmett Hobbes depicts Mr. Nimbus holding Rick in his kingly arms with the rest of the Smith family following them out of the ocean. The cover is a direct homage to Fantastic Four #4 with Mr. Nimbus taking the role of Namor and Rick as Sue Storm.
One aspect to Mr. Nimbus the comic series will have to clear up is Mr. Nimbus’ strange power over the police. In Mr. Nimbus’ debut Rick and Morty episode, there are two separate instances where Mr. Nimbus proves that he has the power to control the police with no explanation as to why that ability would even remotely be in his arsenal. Regardless of how Mr. Nimbus controls the police, or if that ability will in fact be explored in the comic, Rick and Morty: Mr. Nimbus #1 will surely be a fun and enlightening adventure within the Rick and Morty mythos deep-diving into one of the newest and most beloved characters introduced in the series. Rick and Morty: Mr. Nimbus #1 is available September 29.