Rick and Morty
Justin Roiland, Dan Harmon · 2013 · TV Series
This animated series popularized the concept of an infinite multiverse for a wide audience, using dark humor and complex sci-fi tropes to explore profound philosophical questions about identity, choice, and existentialism in the face of endless possibilities.
What it is
An alcoholic, cynical super-scientist, Rick, drags his timid grandson, Morty, on dangerous, dimension-hopping adventures across an infinite multiverse. The show frequently explores the nihilistic implications of infinite realities and the meaninglessness of individual choice within them.
↑Inherited from(2)
The premise of easily accessible, numerous parallel Earths, some nearly identical and others vastly different, echoes Simak's foundational concept of alternate worlds existing concurrently.
The show's occasional forays into temporal paradoxes and the idea of a 'central' timeline or reality that must be protected or corrected, shares a conceptual thread with 'Donnie Darko's' tangent universe.
↓Passed on to(4)
The show's casual depiction of parallel selves and the consequences of 'swapping' or interacting with them directly precedes and influences the core premise of 'Dark Matter,' where the protagonist is replaced by an alternate version of himself.
The casual acceptance and visual depiction of multiple, often absurd, parallel versions of a character, and the fast-paced traversal between them, show a conceptual influence from 'Rick and Morty's' multiverse antics.
The show's depiction of a bureaucratic organization managing the multiverse, the concept of 'variants' (alternate versions of characters), and the exploration of free will in a predetermined reality, are heavily influenced by 'Rick and Morty's' established multiverse mechanics and philosophical inquiries.
The show's fast-paced 'verse-jumping,' the idea of drawing skills from alternate selves, and its comedic yet profound exploration of identity and purpose in a multiverse, are direct conceptual influences on 'Everything Everywhere All at Once'.