At the end of Rick and Morty Season 2, Earth has become an official member of the Galactic Federation, bringing Rick’s years in hiding to an end. Rick turns himself in to protect his family, becoming just one more imprisoned terrorist in a maximum security Galactic Federation facility.
We all assume that Rick will find a way to bust out at the beginning of Rick and Morty Season 3, probably with the help of his Morty, Morty. But with the premiere of Season 3 still several months away the hows, whys, whens and whatfors are all question marks. While fan theories have attempted some (unconvincing) answers, there’s no way people involved with Rick and Morty would spoil such a consequential early reveal… right?
Well, mostly right. Cue Rick and Morty comic artist Giahna Pantano (she’s done covers and other art for the Oni Press adaptation), who created this arresting image (no, not the header image, keep scrolling):
First time drawing in over a month. I told myself when I return It would be triumphant. @JustinRoiland #tshirt pic.twitter.com/C4sYu1Xz52
— ?G? (@icecry) June 16, 2016
This isn’t how it will go down in Rick and Morty Season 3, Pantano designed the image for a potential Rick and Morty t-shirt, but it’s an awesome vision nonetheless.
Maybe we can pretend this is how events go down in an alternate Rick and Morty dimension. Not only does the image feature a triumphant Sanchez family — with Rick offering his “peace between worlds” gesture — but it also folds in Mr. Poopybutthole and gives us the death of the hated Galactic Federation spy, Tammy (who murdered Rick’s best friend, Bird Person). And, of course, since this is for the fans, Meeseeks are involved.
Here’s how Pantano described her motivation behind her Rick and Morty Season 3 prophecy:
“The last episode of RAM spoke about unconditional love. Even in a show where the vastness of the universe is explored we learn that discrimination and ignorance is not just a human trait but a universal one. But we also learn that hope, tolerance and compassion is a universal trait as well. Even for a guy like Rick fear can be overwhelming, but the key is not to let it consume you completely. It can not contain you. Nor can an intergalactic prison. You must rise above. Even in what seems to be the loneliest of times, you must and will rise above.”
Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland retweeted Pantano’s interpretation of the Season 3 opener, which is the nearest we’re likely to come to an official endorsement of this particular interpretation of future events.
While it’s unlikely to go down this way when Rick and Morty Season 3 returns, we could do a whole lot worse than this imagining, which gives us Rick as we love him best: defiant, triumphant and still a bit of a dick.
