Rick and Morty fans are deep into Season 5 and, while many are desperate for the return of some of the series' past storylines, I'm not sure this is what they had in mind. "Pickle Rick" was one of the series' best episodes, won awards, and it was meme'd to death by the internet until it became an ironic joke. Now, according to series showrunner Scott Marder, a Pickle Rick return isn't completely off the table.
Scott Marder discussed Pickle Rick and a potential return during a recent interview with Monsters & Critics. Because the character is simply the result of Rick Sanchez deciding to make himself into a pickle, it absolutely could happen again, from a storytelling perspective. As for if it will actually happen in a future Rick and Morty episode, Marder had this to say.
Will Pickle Rick make a return? I'll be tight-lipped about that. He certainly comes up in the room plenty, because he's left such a footprint on pop culture. I won't give anything away there.
Based on that comment, it does seem like there have at least been discussions about bringing Pickle Rick back to Rick and Morty. Whether or not that will ever culminate in a return is an entirely different story. But given the episode won the Adult Swim series an Emmy, I wouldn't be surprised if there were even some decision-makers outside the series at Adult Swim pushing for Pickle Rick to be used again.
Rick and Morty loves meta-humor, so I could totally see the series finding a way to reference the popularity of Pickle Rick in a manner that fans can appreciate once more. Perhaps Rick is obsessed with trying to push licensed Pickle Rick merchandise for one episode, or maybe Rick can't eat anything with pickles after his experience.
There are tons of ways to reference Pickle Rick without directly turning Rick Sanchez back into a pickle. And if there's any series on television that has found new and inventive ways to retread old ground, it's Rick and Morty. While I=it's possible any attempt to bring back Pickle Rick could result in a panned episode the levels of the "sperm monster," there's also a chance it becomes one of the highlights of a season.
Still, all we know at the moment is that Pickle Rick gets mentioned in the writers' room quite a bit, and I'm sure hundreds of other ideas do as well. There's probably talk about evil Morty, Rick's wife, among other things, but that doesn't mean they'll actually appear. Fans can only wait and see what a finished episode has to offer, so we'll have to wait and see if Pickle Rick ever makes his way back to our screens.
Rick and Morty airs on Adult Swim Sundays at 11:00 p.m. ET. Season 5 has been a solid romp so far, though I can't help but think there's something up with Rick. For more on that, check out some of the signs that something may be off with the character right here.
