Though Pickle Rick's appeal may have been lessened for some Rick and Morty fans due to meme culture, it's worth remembering the character is responsible for one of the Adult Swim series' two Emmy wins. Plus, the reason the character got so overexposed was because the episode is such a kooky and odd take on Rick Sanchez, though it's only one of many fans have seen over the years.
There are scores of Ricks that exist across dimensions in Rick and Morty, and while we've seen a good deal in the series so far, a few have stood out as a cut above the rest. Below are some of the best versions of Rick Sanchez, with everyone's favorite vegetable scientist kicking off the list.
Pickle Rick
Some men would rather turn themselves into a pickle than go to therapy, which is exactly what Rick did in the iconic Rick and Morty episode "Pickle Rick." Pickle Rick started out as one of the most impossible and useless incarnations for Rick to transform himself, all so that he'd be too busy to attend therapy with Beth and the kids. Of course, the character was sent on a hellacious adventure that required upgrades on the base form and inevitably ended him up in therapy anyway. Unfortunately, Pickle Rick was a one-and-done appearance, though I can't imagine the Adult Swim series could ever bring back the character in a way that would be nearly as entertaining as the first go-around. Pickle Rick was an awesome show of Rick's ingenuity, and perhaps hubris.
Tiny Rick
When a vampire broke loose in Morty and Summer's high school in "Big Trouble In Little Sanchez", Rick Sanchez only had one option. Really he had multiple options, but for some reason, he decided that, as opposed to regular infiltration in the school as he'd done several times in the past, the easiest way to track down the vampire was to transfer his consciousness to a younger self. Thus, Tiny Rick was born, and became a quick hit at the high school with his attitude and overall coolness. As cool and as nearly badass as he was compared to Pickle Rick, Tiny Rick turned out to be evil when it was revealed he was trying to have Rick's original older body destroyed. Thankfully, through the ultra-sad music of Elliott Smith, Summer and Morty were able to save their grandpa and get him back in his old body. Still, before he went evil, Tiny Rick was the coolest of Ricks out there.
Hologram Rick
Hologram Rick was, as the name would suggest, a hologram Rick installed into Morty's spine in the event he died. The goal of Hologram Rick in "Edge Of Tomorty: Rick Die Rickpeat" was to instruct Morty on the proper way to resurrect Rick's body after Rick was killed on a mission off-planet. Morty ignored the hologram's instructions, which forced Rick to travel through inter-dimensional resurrections until he finally made it back to his world. Hologram Rick originally wasn't evil, but Rick and Morty blessed the character with actual physical life which corrupted him entirely and turned him into some horrific monster. His death was ultimately one of the most gruesome on the list, after Wasp Rick laid eggs in his eye and larvae came exploding out. Though he died a coward, Hologram Rick taught us it's not ok to be "holophobic," and not to discriminate against others who aren't physically real.
Doofus Rick
Doofus Rick was introduced as a Rick from another dimension, though one that was remarkably nicer and kinder than the Rick Sanchez of Rick and Morty. This character even managed to hit it off in a meaningful way with Morty's father Jerry, whose relationship with Rick is often contentious across all other dimensions. Doofus Rick told Jerry his coin collection was valuable to him, and that was the only thing that mattered. Rick later teased Jerry for forging a friendship with Doofus Rick, who allegedly was from a universe in which the people eat their own feces. Though it's been reported, co-creator Justin Roiland later explained that Doofus Rick did not actually eat poop, and it was just a rumor created by other Ricks to bully him. With that nugget of knowledge, it's basically confirmed that Doofus Rick is the nicest of Rick's, which makes him pretty awesome given how much of a dick Rick can be.
Cop Rick
Cop Rick hails from one of my favorite episodes of Rick and Morty, "Tales from the Citadel," which is centered in the area in which many variations of the two main characters live. Cop Rick was assigned with Cop Morty to patrol the more undesirable areas of Mortytown and learned in the process that Cop Morty was evil and corrupt. Cop Rick ultimately killed his partner, and while he surrendered himself to authorities, he was ultimately pardoned by Evil Morty, who took hold of The Citadel after Rick's holding control for an almost indefinite period of time. Should The Citadel ever be revisited he'll no doubt be a character of interest, though it's unclear when or if Rick and Morty will ever revisit the plotline. Cop Rick is awesome because he could be relevant to the plot down the line, but beyond that, he's just Rick as a cop.
Rick D. Sanchez III
Rick and Morty likes to riff on pop culture a lot in its plotlines, and it's clear to see the inspiration behind the character of Rick D. Sanchez seen in "Tales from the Citadel." The character was Rick, but if Rick had fallen into the candy business and emerged as a Willy Wonka-type character that still retained most of the scientist's personality. That is to say, he's deceptively clever, and considered powerful enough that he was on the Council of Ricks. Of course, his time on the council and time in life came to an end after Evil Morty executed him and the rest of the council. Kind of sad really, he had some Pickle Rick potential, which is what made him so awesome.
Western Rick
Western Rick is one of the coolest Rick's on this list we know next to nothing about, beyond the fact that he's appeared in a couple of episodes ("Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind", "Tales from the Citadel") of Rick and Morty. He's accompanied by a Western Morty, but that's about the long and short of what we know about this character. Of course, I tend to think the character is a reference to Back To The Future Part III, given the plot of the film and the fact that Rick and Morty were originally based on Doc Brown and Marty. Western Rick is awesome because cowboys are awesome, and I'd love to see him in a future adventure.
Rick and Morty Season 5 is set to premiere on Adult Swim Sunday, June 20 at 11 p.m. ET. The trailer is currently out right now, and for anyone who hasn't seen it yet, watch it now and get hype for the upcoming season.
