Rick and Morty season 5 has set up some interesting backstory reveals for Rick in its premiere episode. Despite being one of the show’s two central characters, Rick has always had a mysterious and amorphous past - something he and other characters have made repeated meta jokes about, poking fun at the fans who’ve clamored for more details. But now, in season 5, the series could finally be setting up some proper origin story reveals for the character.
The first episode of Rick and Morty season 5, “Mort Dinner Rick Andre,” introduces a new character in Rick’s old nemesis Mr. Nimbus. Mr. Nimbus is the King of the Ocean, has the power to make the land wet, and controls the police. He also seems to have known Rick for a very long time, going back to before the death of Rick’s wife.
At one point in the episode, Mr. Nimbus makes a pointed comment to Rick about how far he’s fallen. He asks Rick what Diane would think if she could see him now, to which Rick immediately responds with a humorous command not to give him any canonical backstory. In the past, Diane is the name that’s been used for Rick’s wife, but because it was only used in fake flashbacks, it hasn’t been clear if it was her real name, or if Rick made it up. Now, though, Mr. Nimbus seems to have confirmed that Rick’s wife truly was named Diane.
Beyond the simple name confirmation, this twist adds a lot of potential for more Rick backstory reveals to come. The show’s writers have said that Mr. Nimbus has been a planned character for a long time, which means he could continue to feature throughout season 5. And if he does, he’ll be in a perfect position to drop some bombs about Rick’s past. Morty, Summer and Beth would probably all like to know more about Rick’s early days, and if they have the opportunity to ask Mr. Nimbus, he’ll almost certainly talk.
Of course, there’s just as much chance that Mr. Nimbus’ Diane comment is just another instance of the show’s writers trolling fans. Rick and Morty has succeeded largely off its ability to balance sharp comedy with occasional moments of striking poignancy, and diving too deep into tragic backstories could upset that balance. Rick’s character is already going through some bigger changes in season 5, however, which could mean that it’s finally time for Rick and Morty to explore his origin in a bit more detail.