Rick and Morty season 5 has continued Morty's character development - and, as early as season 5's first episode, it makes Morty more like Rick than he's ever appeared to be before. Season 5 brought a surprising amount of developments in almost every major character's storylines, showing Beth and Jerry working on their marriage, Summer developing into Rick's "more trusted" grandchild, and Jessica finally getting a moment not based around being a love interest - albeit at the cost of being trapped in time for untold eons.
Perhaps the most focus though, naturally, was on Rick & Morty's titular duo. While Rick's arc was the focal point of the episode - as it unveiled his nemesis Mr. Nimbus, and suggested the scientist hasn't outsmarted all his rivals - his grandson proved just as vital to the show's progression, especially when it revealed his more serious side. The show has made no secret of Morty being capable of some pretty intense violence, but usually, this is a scenario in which he's forced into, and that he often is shown feeling massively guilty for, especially in early seasons. In line with him steadily becoming more assertive, though, season 5 suggests that Morty has actively begun to see violent encounters as an unfortunate inevitability in his life - and that he not only has become far less terrified at the concept, but also far better at making sure he wins these battles, too.
While it is a scenario played largely for laughs, Morty's efforts defeating the inhabitants of the universe Rick Sanchez tasks him with getting wine from demonstrates a surprising proficiency in warfare from a character who was commonly picked on. Though he still attempts to solve his problems without resorting to violence first, the minute Morty realizes the situation is lost, he immediately breaks out some legitimately impressive fighting prowess. Arming himself with an arsenal of Rick's weaponry, Morty takes out a battalion of soldiers when he visits the medieval world, and then manages a one-man escape from confinement and subsequent beatdown on a robotic version of the universe's inhabitants later in the episode. While this could appear just a matter of luck, it's worth noting that Morty tells the robot that "sometimes you gotta be an as*hole - my grandpa taught me that," as he beats the creature down. The line strongly suggests that all of this hasn't been luck, or merely the youngest member of the Smith family getting a lone episode of success, but rather an active decision to use all means necessary to get the result he wants - an attitude he has seen work enough times in the case of Rick to decide to inherit it.
It's unlikely Rick and Morty season 5 will see Morty suddenly become hyper proficient after a lifetime of relative inadequacy - but it also makes sense that having him as a permanent laughing stock would be a waste of potential character development. It would also perhaps be boring, as this choice would stagnate a show that is constantly changing its own meta the minute the audience appears to have gotten used to it. In this vein, it's also worth note that this particular Rick and Morty episode begins with Morty saving Rick, and ends with Rick's failed attempt at saving Morty, which is only narrowly saved from being an utter disaster by Mr. Nimbus - a subversion from the normal recipe the show works on. Combine this with the episode making sure to add some extra dimension to Jessica - a character long regarded by many as unfortunately one-dimensional - and it seems all too likely that the season is in many ways dedicating to evolving its cast considerably.
It would arguably be in season 5's best interest for Morty to begin to notably grow outside of his initial parameters. One of the best parts of Rick and Morty has always been the way it manages to continue to have a linear storyline despite all the chaos that goes on within the duo's adventures, and this lends itself to seeing the main characters grow on a personal level throughout the seasons. The show has pulled this off thus far in countless ways - but to have its second-biggest underdog evolve so dramatically would be another, more exciting matter entirely.