On Rick and Morty, Rick Sanchez's wildest plans put those around him in danger of losing their lives — especially the members of the Smith family. Being a powerful multiversal genius, Rick's grasp on morality is more than a bit shaky. Bearing this in mind, he has frequently been the cause of his family's death, or at least variations of them across many universes.

A frequent theme in Rick and Morty is Rick's concern for his family, despite his life-threatening shenanigans that put them at risk. Potentially wrapped up in tragedy and trauma from his past, Rick's care for his family is obvious, though he exhibits callousness to the idea when called out on it.

Related: Why Rick Didn’t Choose A Dimension Where His Wife Was Alive

This is made more and more apparent as the series goes on, with Rick and Morty season 5 going out of its way to prove Rick's reliance on and need for the Smith family, including his daughter, Beth, and his grandkids, Morty and Summer. This is even clearer with a look at how many times Rick has caused their death.

Season 1, Episode 6, "Rick Potion #9"

Rick and Morty season 1, episode 6, "Rick Potion #9," shows Rick ultimately leaving Summer, Beth, and Jerry to fend for themselves in a world filled with Cronenberg monsters. After giving Morty a chemical designed to make him irresistible to Jessica and failing to fix the mess it brings about when it's mixed with the flu, Rick opts to abandon the reality entirely and escape to one where he solved the problem and he and Morty can replace a freshly dead Rick and Morty.

This universe is later revisited in Rick and Morty season 3, episode 1, "The Rickshank Redemption," when Morty brings Summer there to show her how Rick really is. The aftermath of Rick abandoning this version of the Smith family is very bleak. And it confirms that Rick has actually put the Smith family into situations even worse than death.

Season 3, Episode 8, "Morty's Mindblowers"

Summer holding out a weapon in Rick and Morty

Season 3, episode 8, "Morty's Mindblowers," has Morty learning that in this Rick and Morty universe, squirrels are puppeteering the world behind the scenes. While not referencing the family in this specific instance, Rick again opts to abandon the reality with Morty instead of fixing the problem. It's not explicit, but this likely means that the Smiths were abandoned to the devices of terrifying beings while Rick once again got off scot-free. That this happens in a deleted memory suggests that things like this could have happened numerous times before.

Related: Rick & Morty: Why Rick’s Bird Sidekicks Are Secretly Tragic

Season 5, Episode 2, "Mortyplicity"

Rick and Morty Mortyplicity Season 5 episode 2Beth

This is maybe the most obvious example of the Smith family being killed. Rick and Morty season 5, episode 2, "Mortyplicity," depicts dozens, if not hundreds, of versions of the Smith family being killed. At least 27 versions of the Smith family are seen killed by other versions of the Smith family, with just under 10 families' deaths implied and several more dozen happening in the background of the story.

As decoys of the Smith family, these aren't real examples of Rick being responsible for his actual family members' deaths, but each family that's killed believes themselves to be the real Smiths. This is an interesting look at Rick's psyche: he and other versions of himself build the decoys to protect his family from being killed by his enemies. This is also notable as it's the only time Rick and Morty explicitly shows the Smith family as a whole being killed.

In a multiverse where anything goes and there are few real consequences for Rick, it's odd to see the Smith family having such a low body count, as a whole. "Mortyplicity" suggests that Rick takes active steps to keep his family safe, and the rest of the series stands as proof that he tries to minimize the deaths of his family members, insofar as it doesn't inconvenience him too greatly. This fits with what has been revealed about the Rick Sanchez character's backstory and shows just how much care the Rick and Morty writers take with the show's story.

Next: Rick & Morty Reveals The Smith Family Member Even Worse Than Rick