Abhiroop Das
Co-created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, Adult Swim’s ‘Rick and Morty‘ ends its ninth season with a Morty-centric episode, detailing his attempt at funeral-hopping across the multiverse. While surfing through the deaths of different versions of himself, Morty comes across a variant named Mort, whose picture-perfect version of the Smith family becomes too alluring for our Morty to just ignore. As he begins spending more time with them, however, this curious affection turns into something a lot more obsessive and life-threatening, ending in a tragedy that leaves the entire family, including this world’s Rick, dead.
By the end of this sci-fi, however, our Morty makes a safe return home, a bit shaken, but also a bit more appreciative of Rick and the Smiths. Notably, season 10 was confirmed long before the making of season 9, as part of a 2018 renewal order by Adult Swim. As such, given the usual timeframe between seasons, fans can expect the new sequel to release sometime around summer 2027.
Rick and Morty Season 10 Might Get Even More Self-Aware
With ‘Rick and Morty’ confirmed to have at least three more seasons under its belt, it is clear that the titular duo’s journey is far from over. If there’s anything that season 9 proves, it’s that Rick’s journey towards being the best version of himself isn’t always going to be a straight road. There are bumps, setbacks, and moments of intense regression, all of which get captured over the course of ten episodes, through different narrative vehicles. By the end, we are left with Morty coming to a rather strange conclusion, that Rick is essentially a father-figure to him, more than just being his grandpa. This speaks to a level of consciousness regarding the show and how it has evolved over the years, and the upcoming tenth season can add onto that meta-commentary.
Prior to the greenlighting of seasons 11 and 12, the show was designed with a ten-season structure in mind, which makes it likely that the upcoming episodes will have more of a culminative feel to them. At the 2026 San Diego Comic-Con, Dan Harmon and showrunner Scott Marder even previewed black-and-white raw footage of some sequences from season 10, which is actively in production as of writing. In this sneak peek, we see the return of the Air-B’n Body service, with Rick purchasing a body to save the world. While stylistically and narratively indistinguishable from the more recent episodes of the series, the brief cut of animation shows that more of the universe might get explored in the upcoming sequel, with Rick and Morty’s journey going truly extraterrestrial.
Rick and Morty Season 10 Will Likely Retain Most of Its Familiar Voices
‘Rick and Morty’ is known for retaining a core group of characters across seasons, with a fresh bunch of supporting characters being introduced with every installment to keep things unpredictable. Thus, a similar pattern is expected to continue stepping into season 10, with actors Ian Cardoni and Harry Belden returning to voice Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith, respectively. Actors Chris Parnell, Spencer Grammer, and Sarah Chalke are also likely to step back into the roles of Jerry Smith, Summer Smith, and Beth Smith, respectively, reuniting the family once again. Fans can also hope to see more of Snuffles going forward, with actor Rob Paulsen potentially reprising his role if there is another arc written around the dog.
Aside from the core group of voice artists, season 9 has its fair share of guest cameos that make the show as entertaining as it is. This includes Owen Wilson in the role of Reese, Tilda Swinton as The Collective, Ed Helms as Big Mike, Oscar Nuñez as Antonio, and many others. However, these actors are unlikely to return for season 10, as there is not a lot of scope for their respective characters to make a comeback into the plot. Instead, fans can await more surprise cameos from popular actors and voice actors, keeping things fresh as ever.
Rick and Morty Season 10 Can Bring Back Evil Morty
While ‘Rick and Morty’ is ultimately a story about change, the nuances of its premise give ample room for creative choices, especially when it comes to parallel universes. Here, we see versions of Rick that would typically be considered better than our Rick, and yet something always gets left out. In the season 9 finale, it turns out that a Rick who has quit drinking for good is definitely more likely to have a nice social and family life, but at the cost of his own scientific genius. On some level, Morty even yearns for Rick to make that sacrifice and return to his self-destructive side, as that is the version of the world’s smartest man that actually lives up to that lofty nickname. Season 10 of the show can tap into this dilemma, possibly focusing more on Morty’s side of the story.
Keeping the focus on Morty can very well be interpreted as a passing-the-torch moment for the show, and what makes this interesting is the ambiguous status of Evil Morty. We reunite with him in the season premiere, and by the end of the episode, he is behind bars, with very little chance of returning. However, knowing how smart and resourceful he is, it will likely be a matter of time before he makes a comeback, one that is deadlier than ever before. This is a story about Morty’s growth as much as it is about Rick, and future seasons can expect more of a light on him and his escapades, with Rick’s journey potentially becoming a springboard for something more innovative within the genre and the show’s legacy.
Read More: 15 Best Rick and Morty Characters, Ranked
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