Rick and Morty Finally Gives Rick a Worthy Nemesis (That Isn’t Himself)

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Rick and Morty: Finals Week #1 – SheRick Holmes and Mortson! Since his introduction at the beginning of season 5, Rick and Morty fans have been told that Mr. Nimbus was Rick’s ultimate nemesis, with Rick confirming as much himself. This point is then hammered home in the realm of the Rick and Morty comic books, with an entire origin story dedicated to how Rick and Nimbus became enemies to begin with. However, in their latest comic book adventure, Rick and Morty discover that Nimbus is nothing compared to Rick’s real nemesis (and no, it’s not himself).

In Oni Press’ Rick and Morty: Finals Week #1 – SheRick Holmes and Mortson by Daniel Kibblesmith and Priscilla Tramontano, Rick decides that it’d be fun if he and Morty did an homage to Sherlock Holmes, as he wants Rick and Morty to attain the same level of literary immortality as the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It’s a meta premise, to be sure (like many other Rick and Morty storylines), though the villain he chases is very much an in-universe threat.

Rick and Morty seek out a seemingly impossible murder somewhere in space and solve it. Turns out, there was a perfect case just waiting to be solved, and the villain responsible for the murder was an obviously evil humanoid life form named Dr. Quantastico. Quantastico killed a being that’s essentially a god within a planet-sized vessel that’s supposedly impossible to break into, and he did it by sending a single one of his cells back in time billions of years to evolve into a version of him that would kill this god – all just to get Rick’s attention.

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Rick & Morty’s Quantastico Makes a Point to Be a Better Nemesis to Rick than Mr. Nimbus

Quantastico actually uses Mr. Nimbus to pull off the murder in Rick and Morty!

The method behind Quantastico’s murder involved the deadly toxin of a certain fish found within Mr. Nimbus’ domain, which the killer spliced with the temporal cell that would evolve into his biological murder weapon. Quantastico could have used anything, but he chose to use this toxin from this fish because he knew that Rick would detect it at the murder scene, and then track the toxin straight to Mr. Nimbus.

Of course, Mr. Nimbus had nothing to do with the murder, and the time Rick and Morty spent questioning him was more or less a complete waste. However, the fact that Quantastico pulled him into the situation at all was to deliver a very specific message, one that Rick deduced during the story’s ‘big reveal’: “**** Nimbus, I’m the real deal”.

Rick & Morty is Slowly Phasing Out Mr. Nimbus as Rick’s Nemesis

It seems as though Mr. Nimbus is slowly being phased out of Rick and Morty canon as Rick’s nemesis, and this comic isn’t the only evidence to suggest that. In Rick and Morty season 6, episode 8 “Analyze Piss”, Rick becomes fatigued by all the ‘costumed villains’ from all over the place challenging him, and decides that he’s not going to give them the satisfaction of a fight anymore in the hopes that they’ll leave him alone. One of these ‘villains’ Rick speaks of – as seen at the very start of the episode – is his supposed nemesis, Mr. Nimbus.

Apparently, Mr. Nimbus means little more to Rick than any other random ‘costumed villain’ that pops up to fight him, which doesn’t indicate a level of mutual respect a true nemesis deserves. With Quantastico, however, Rick is absolutely blown away by his brilliance, and is excited to call him his new nemesis – until Morty shoots Quantastico in the head, killing him instantly, anyway. So, while short-lived, Rick and Morty finally gives Rick a worthy nemesis that isn’t Mr. Nimbus (or himself).

Rick and Morty: Finals Week #1 – SheRick Holmes and Mortson by Oni Press is available now.