One fan theory about Rick and Morty suggests the two lead characters may not be grandpa and grandson at all - but the same person. Across its three seasons, Rick and Morty has delved deep into the infinite possibilities of sci-fi and specifically the multiverse. Rick Sanchez and his grandson Morty Smith frequently go on adventures in different dimensions and have grown somewhat close throughout the process.
This could come as a surprise since Rick has only been a part of Morty's life for a limited time. Rick abandoned Beth when she was a child and was not involved with the family for 20 years. But, Rick quickly became an influential voice in Morty's life and one of his only friends. Without his relationship with Rick, Morty's only other male role model would be Jerry. And that tightness could support a theory that Rick and Morty are the same person.
The theory, as discussed in the latest Screen Rant video, suggests that Rick is an older Morty who has gone through a difficult life, learned of time travel, and then went back in time to impersonate his grandfather and watch over his younger self. In order for this to make sense, though, Morty would have to experience some hardships on his way to becoming Rick. Without Rick, Morty may become just another version of Jerry, someone who has relationship issues, lacks confidence and struggles to hold a job. Morty would also be beaten down by the disinterest of his sister and Beth's lack of care for him. Without any friends or family, the theory suggests that Morty would become even more obsessed with entertainment and science.
The theory specifically suggests that without the interference of Rick, then Morty and Jessica could actually become an item and get married. Unfortunately for Morty, he has no idea what it is like to be in a stable, loving relationship and becomes miserable. He could turn to alcohol to cope with his depression, lose his job and start fighting with Jessica until they divorce. Morty could then dive deeper into science and accidentally learn of the multiverse. It would be at this moment he decides Jerry is the root of his problems and wants to prevent this from happening.
After years of searching the multiverse, this aged, alcoholic, scientific genius Morty finds one dimension where time travel is possible. So, he decides to go back in time and act like he is his own grandfather just to give his younger self a chance to have a better life than he had. This is why Rick is always pushing Morty into seeing the possibilities of the multiverse and undermining Jerry. And even though Rick and Morty has avoided getting into time travel so far, there is a box clearly marked as "time travel stuff" in the Smith's garage that could back this up.
While the theory gives Rick and Morty greater meaning and clearer focus, it's not perfect. One inconsistency is that Rick has been shown having memories of holding a baby Morty. Another hold up many may have is the entire multiverse full of Ricks and Mortys. However, this theory would suggest that the entire multiverse is filled with older Mortys acting like Rick trying to better the lives of their younger selves. A quick moment in the season 3 premiere "The Rickshank Redemption" may even prove this theory to be true. At the Citadel of Rick, several variations of Ricks with their Mortys can be seen, but there is one individual that stands out. A younger Rick is shown who is wearing Morty's regular yellow shirt. This could be a version of Morty who has not yet discovered time travel and is beginning to resemble his grandfather. This is all just a theory though, so fans hoping this one is true will have to stay tuned to future episodes of Rick and Morty to see if any other evidence appears.