Abhiroop Das
Created by James Siciliano and Dan Harmon, ‘President Curtis’ expands on the doozy world of ‘Rick and Morty‘ through the eyes of one of its supporting characters, the eponymous president. First introduced in season 2, President Curtis quickly becomes the host of many a signature comedic traits, be it his textured baritone voice, sharp sense of humor, and a flair for the nonchalant and the dramatic alike. In this animated sci-fi spinoff series, though, he takes center stage as the most powerful man in the homeland, in charge of the complex geopolitics that Rick Sanchez, the scientist extraordinaire, usually ignores. This doesn’t come easy for the President either, as interstellar mysteries and extraterrestrial threats are always around the corner, urging President Curtis to pull off something stranger than reality every time.
President Curtis is Reminiscent of, But Not Based on, Barack Obama and Donald Trump
While President Curtis isn’t based on any one U.S. president, co-creator Dan Harmon has acknowledged the parallels to both Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Harmon described these comparisons as “inevitable” in a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, explaining that Curtis has a “naïveté that you could overlap with Trump, who is like, ‘I’m an outsider, and I consider this job simple.” On the Obama front, Harmon noted that the character has the “whole rock star aspect of Obama,” calling him a “guy who gets organic joy in being liked.” Just these juxtapositions alone, however, do not indicate that Curtis is an explicit composite of Obama and Trump. Instead, it is likely that the writing team takes rough references from the political zeitgeist when crafting what is essentially a humorous character who happens to be the president.
To trace the origins of the comparisons between Curtis and real-life homeland presidents, it is important to take the history of this character into account. In his first appearance in ‘Rick and Morty’ season 2 episode 5, titled ‘Get Schwifty,’ Curtis appears as an unnamed character, but his broader similarity to Obama, the then-sitting president, cannot be denied. It is entirely possible that Curtis was first conceptualized as a fictionalized, detached nod to the political leadership of 2015, and with every subsequent appearance, that model began to evolve. By the time we get to season 6, the surname “Curtis” is confirmed, and the President becomes a fleshed-out character, away from references to any particular president or real-life figure.
Notably, Curtis may not be directly based on either Trump or Obama, but that doesn’t mean his pool of inspiration is limited to contemporary presidents. When designing ‘President Curtis,’ co-creators James Siciliano and Dan Harmon sat with the writing team to map out qualities that made real-life homeland presidents stand out. While Harmon was impressed by Harry S. Truman, other writers also brought up leaders like Theodore Roosevelt, which suggests that a lot of creative thought went into the making of this character. Rather than limiting him to a set of inspirations and potential real-life models, Curtis is better interpreted as a new set of eyes into the ‘Rick and Morty’ universe, one filled to the brim with fictional, sci-fi shenanigans.
President Curtis is Not Necessarily Meant to Comment on Real-Life Politics
To create the dramatic aspect of this world at the forefront, the writers of ‘President Curtis’ made a conscious effort not to draw directly from contemporary news stories. As evident from ‘Rick and Morty,’ there is no shortage in this world of extraterrestrial and absurd scenarios, which means that President Curtis’ arc is shaped a lot by elements that have been made up from scratch. While Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy are among some of the leaders who have been fictionalized for the story, the creators made a note not to reference anything that can place the show into a fixed timeline. This was largely done to ensure that the sci-fi side of the story doesn’t have to deal with a strict chronology.
“What happens if Curtis says, ‘That’s from the Trump administration,’ (…) Well, now Reddit has to turn into a pretzel,” Dan Harmon mused in an interview with The Daily Beast, highlighting the importance of keeping the show’s timeline ambiguous. While that may be the case, he also understands that this is a story that cannot escape routine comparisons to the contemporary political climate. Broadly, Harmon and his team want this to be a story that can be appreciated by everyone, regardless of how they identify with Curtis as a character. “It’s pretty much just a show about the president that takes place in a parallel universe,” he said conclusively, ensuring that the show remains politically conscious but never lets go of the off-the-wall absurdity this franchise is known for.
Read More: Rick and Morty Season 9 Ending Explained: How Does Morty Leave the Alternate Universe?
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