Rick Sanchez is the eccentric mad scientist protagonist of the popular adult animated series Rick and Morty. With his genius-level intellect, Rick has accomplished feats of science so advanced that he sees himself as above everyone else. This raises the question – does Rick have a God complex?
What is a God complex?
A God complex is an unrealistic sense of superiority that causes a person to believe they have special powers and abilities beyond normal humans. Someone with a God complex believes they are omnipotent and can control anything and everything around them. They see themselves as the center of the universe.
Common traits of a God complex include:
- Believing you are special and more powerful than others
- Needing to have constant control
- Feeling the rules don’t apply to you
- Having unrealistic standards for others but not yourself
- Being unable to handle criticism or being contradicted
- Having a sense of entitlement and requiring excessive admiration
People with God complexes often demonstrate arrogant, condescending, and patronizing behaviors. Their sense of self-importance leads them to only care about themselves rather than showing empathy for others.
Evidence that Rick has a God complex
There are many examples throughout Rick and Morty that demonstrate Rick’s God complex tendencies:
He sees himself as the most intelligent being in the universe
Rick’s extremely high IQ results in him having an inflated sense of superiority over others. He frequently looks down on people and treats them like they are stupid compared to him. For example, in the pilot episode, Rick calls Morty a “slow-in-the-minds time dinosaur thing.”
He demands absolute control
Rick needs to be in charge at all times. He makes major decisions without consulting anyone else because he believes he always knows best. In the episode “Auto Erotic Assimilation”, Rick gets angry when the others try to have input, yelling “Don’t be like me! Never let anyone have this much control over you!”
He believes the normal rules of society are beneath him
Rick constantly defies the law and disregards rules, regulations, and social norms. He lives by his own rules and does whatever he wants without care for the consequences. For example, Rick made a theme park inside a homeless man just because he could in the episode “Anatomy Park”.
He abandons his family whenever he wants
Rick periodically leaves his daughter Beth’s family with no warning or reason. He believes his time is more valuable than theirs and that they should just accept him coming and going as he pleases. In the episode “The Wedding Squanchers”, Rick suddenly comes back after leaving for ages and acts like nothing happened.
He experiments on Morty against his will
Rick uses his grandson Morty as a guinea pig for dangerous science experiments and forces him to go on treacherous interdimensional adventures. Rick clearly does not care about consent or Morty’s wellbeing, only what benefits himself. In the episode “Rick Potion #9”, Morty calls Rick out, yelling “You ruin my life! You ruin my family’s life!”
He has disdain for religion and gods
Rick vocally expresses his disbelief in any religion and he refuses to submit to any higher power. He wants to be the one in control. In the episode “Something Ricked This Way Comes”, Rick mocks religious beliefs and even creates his own mini-verse just to prove he can become a god.
Counterarguments – Does Rick have any redeeming qualities?
While Rick clearly exhibits many God complex tendencies, there are instances that demonstrate he is capable of caring about his family:
- He deletes toxic memories of his daughter Beth’s childhood to make her happier in the episode “Total Rickall”.
- He turns himself in to the Galactic Federation to protect his family in the episode “The Rickshank Rickdemption”.
- He shows regret and grief when abandoning a version of Beth as a child in the episode “The ABC’s of Beth”.
Additionally, Rick’s intelligence does allow him to do great things. Though he often uses his genius for self-serving purposes, he has also done things like cure planetary diseases and defeat alien villains. However, on closer inspection, even Rick’s good deeds usually still ultimately benefit himself in some way.
Conclusion
The preponderance of evidence strongly supports the assessment that Rick Sanchez has a pronounced God complex. His arrogance, disregard for others, lack of empathy, and need for control are consistent with the key traits of a God complex. While Rick occasionally demonstrates some caring behavior, his more dominant tendencies reveal his core belief that he is superior to everyone else.
Rick likely developed his God complex as a coping mechanism to deal with his genius-level intelligence. Being the smartest being in the universe has led Rick to believe the normal rules of society are beneath him. Rick’s God complex causes problems for himself and everyone around him. But it is such a core part of his identity that treatment would be challenging. For better or worse, Rick Sanchez will in all likelihood continue behaving like a God amongst mere mortals.
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