The Smith-Sanchez Family (Rick Sanchez | Morty Smith) | School | Rick and Morty: Variants (The Citadel) | Others | One Off Characters | Oni ComicBook | Pocket Mortys
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Faculty
Principal Gene Vagina
Voiced by: Phil Hendrie
The principal of Morty and Summer's high school. A middle-aged, balding man with a shitty name that he constantly has to emphasize he has no relation to the female body part, Principal Vagina is a surprisingly level-headed person in such a messed up world.
- Dissonant Serenity: As stated in the description, he is very calm and brushes off stuff like hiring a vampire as a PE teacher as if it were an everyday thing.
- Drunk with Power: After establishing the Headism Religion.
- Embarrassing Last Name: But don't let that fool you, he's very much in charge. According to him, his best guess is that it's possibly Scandinavian.
- Pædo Hunt: After Morty tells him that Mr. Lunas is from the moon, Vagina not only fires him but punches him for good measure, believing that Morty was implying that he was a pedophile.
- Suspiciously Specific Denial: When Frank Palicky is killed, he insists — completely unprompted — that there's no evidence a Latino student did it. Especially considering Rick is implied to be Latino.
Mr. Goldenfold
Voiced by: Brandon Johnson
Morty and Summer's math teacher.
- Badass Teacher: Only in his dreams...and when rebelling against the Galactic Federation.
- Butt-Monkey: His existence is pretty sad both in and out of school.
- Characterization Marches On: Was presented as a typical angry black man in his first appearance. He is shown as much calmer whenever he appears after.
- A Day in the Limelight: "Rise of the Numbericons: The Movie" puts him in a role Rick usually occupies and deals with his history as Ice-T's former math teacher.
- Ephebophile: Has a repressed attraction to Summer, and is in no particular hurry to stop Morty from rubbing his chest in the pilot.
- Fantastic Racism: The last episode of Season Two has him being the victim of this, with two aliens playing keep-away with his hat. The first episode of Season Three has him calling aliens "Insects" and rising in rebellion against them.
- Paste Eater: He eats his own poop. Defied because he's going to therapy to get help for this.
- Rebel Leader: He seems to have spent the Galactic Federation's occupation of Earth hiding in the sewers and preparing for an uprising.
- Retired Badass: Despite leading an Anti-Federation Rebellion (see Rebel Leader and Badass Teacher above), afterwards he went right back to being a teacher.
- Took a Level in Badass: Season two ends with Earth being occupied by the Galactic Federation. In the first episode of Season Three, when said federation was collapsing into anarchy, Goldenfold emerges from a sewer manhole with a sniper rifle and several angry followers.Goldenfold: No longer will the insects have domain over surface world!
Coach Feratu
A coach who's secretly a vampire that preys upon the school. Killed offscreen by Morty and Summer with Tiny Rick's help.
- The Ghost: He's dealt with entirely offscreen.
- Our Vampires Are Different: This is the first time vampires have been mentioned in the show, although Rick seems to take them for granted.
- Steven Ulysses Perhero: His choice of name wasn't exactly subtle.
- Too Dumb to Live: His vampire master thinks as much when he hears what his assumed name was.
Gordon Lunas
A new guidance counsellor at Morty's high school.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Despite looking like a typical cartoon villain, he was revealed to have been a respected marine officer and a guidance counsellor.
- Driven to Suicide: He took his own life after being falsely accused of being a pedophile.
- Meaningful Name: His name is Gordon Lunas and he is accused of living on the Moon.
- Mentor Archetype: Invoked, but Ultimately subverted.Mr. Lunas: I look forward to helping guide you all towards a brighter future. I believe every student should shoot for the moon.
- Mistaken for Pedophile: Played for Drama. When Morty tells Principal Vagina that Mr. Lunas is "living on the Moon", the Principal doesn't understand that the accusation is meant to be taken literally and assumes it is a euphemism for pedophilia, confronts Mr. Lunas, punches him in the face, and presumably fires him.
- The Nondescript: Apparently Morty described him as being a "regular dude". At his funeral, the only thing his brothers-in-arms can say about him is that he was a good marine and that "from a certain angle he looked like a smudge".
- Retired Badass: He's a retired U.S. Marine.
- Weird Moon: Morty thought he saw this guy on the moon ... it was just a smudge.
Students
Jessica
Voiced by: Kari Wahlgren
A popular and attractive girl in Morty's class. Morty is hopelessly in love with her but, unfortunately for him, she only rarely acknowledges his existence.
- And I Must Scream: Due to being trapped in a Year Inside, Hour Outside dimension, in the seconds it took Morty to go after her, Jessica spent centuries frozen in time in the other dimension, watching the rise and fall of her captors' civilization and going through madness and enlightenment both.
- All Girls Want Bad Boys:
- Played with concerning her and Brad. She hates how he always picks fights, and yet they're still together no matter what. It's possible though by "Big Trouble in Little Sanchez" that they have broken up as she goes with Morty to the dance. In Season 3's episode 6, "Rest and Ricklaxation", she admits to having broken up with him at the start of the episode. She maintains that they're still broken up at the end, despite going to lunch with him.
- Played for laughs in "The Vat of Acid Episode". Morty uses his place-saving device, greets her politely and gets an apathetic greeting in return. After he reloads and acts like a bad boy, to the point where he pretends not to know her name despite their multiple interactions, she immediately acts smitten around him and even squees when he brushes her off. Justified in this case, those happened in various Alternate Universes.
- In "Mort Dinner Rick Andre", its all but stated that Jessica actually does return Morty's feelings, an inversion of this trope. Sadly for poor Morty, she invokes Let's Just Be Friends at the end of the episode.
- All Guys Want Cheerleaders: Jessica is shown to be a cheerleader in the 20th issue of the comics. In the same issue, Morty actively seeks to win her affections by becoming stronger and joining the basketball team.
- Bus Crash: After setting off to find her purpose in life, Jessica is assimilated offscreen into Mr. Frundles. Since Morty and his family have since migrated to a similar universe, any chance of Jessica reappearing will be a variant with a near-identical history.
- Cool Kid-and-Loser Friendship: Played with. While they aren't friends per se, Jessica is genuinely nice to Morty and seems to not mind his company, even going with him to the school dance in "Big Trouble in Little Sanchez". She also is impressed by the fact that he is a sidekick to his Mad Scientist grandpa.
- Further played with in "Rest and Ricklaxation", where she is willing to go on a date with him. When the detoxified Morty spearheads the date, instead of making an excuse about leaving, she admits that he would be bored of her. Later, she helps Rick get Morty back to normal, and while she insists it was because Rick was drunk-dialling her into it, she has some genuine care for him. The day after, she tells Morty that it's good to have him back.
- Flat Character: So far, she doesn't have much depth as a character and exists solely for Morty to have a crush on her. She has shown some hints though as seen below.
- Freaky Is Cool: In the pilot episode, she is impressed with Morty for coming into the cafeteria through a portal and in "Big Trouble in Little Sanchez" when Morty tells her that tiny Rick is his grandpa in the body of a teenager, her response is "cool".
- Gaussian Girl: Parodied in "Ricksy Business". Jessica is introduced this way, only for Rick to scold Slow-Mobius for messing with time to create the effect.
- Go Mad from the Revelation: She's trapped in another dimension where centuries pass by in the span of seconds in Rick and Morty's dimension, frozen in time and aware of everything going on around her but unable to move. She said first came madness, then enlightenment, then madness again. She walks away from the experience believing she's a Time God.
- Girl of My Dreams: She is the object of Morty's teenage desires and humid daydreaming.
- Give Geeks a Chance: "Mort Dinner Rick Andre" reveals that she is indeed interested in Morty romantically, but never knew he felt the same. An animatic not in the finished episode had her going a bit more into her rational essentially explaining from her point-of-view, Morty was Master of the Mixed Message and she never really knew if he was into her or not given that he never said anything and she didn't want to assume.
- Hartman Hips: Wider than her shoulders.
- Hidden Depths: She reveals herself to be far from shallow in "Ricksy Business," where she expresses her exasperation with her Jerk Jock of a boyfriend and says she only wants to date someone nice and sweet, though it doesn't stop her from leaving the party happily with him at the end.
- Jerkass Ball: She posts an Instagram selfie with her recently deceased grandmother in the background totally devoid of any grief. In the same episode, she considers providing affection to dying people as a worthwhile career, so she's not completely heartless.
- Let's Just Be Friends: After showing interest in Morty throughout "Mort Dinner Rick Andre", Jessica comes to this conclusion due to a series of events that leave her aware but frozen in time for centuries. Given enough time she begins to wonder if she's an actual person or just an object in a story, and wondering if she could become something more. At least she lets him down easy. The next guy who hits on her gets, "Fuck off, I'm a Time God!"
- Maybe Ever After: In "Mort Dinner Rick Andre", Jessica decides to just be friends with Morty after spending centuries frozen in time but being fully aware of her surroundings and in the process, being driven insane which leads to her questioning her own existence. However, despite this and just before she leaves the Smith household, she tells Morty that there will be more times for them in the future, implying that they will eventually get together.
- Meaningful Name: As noted on Morty's list of things he likes about her, Jessica means "Foresight" in Hebrew, she ends up becoming a "Time God".
- Nice Girl: Even if she isn't particularly close with him, she's never anything but pleasant to Morty and sees him as a friendly acquaintance, at the least. When detoxified Morty ruins their date by being overbearing and obnoxious, she stops herself from being rude and lying to him about needing to leave, instead of saying he'd get bored with her at the speed he's now going... and she's immediately proven right. In the Season 4 premiere, she's even shown that she wants to make a career path out of being a hospice worker who comforts lonely elderly people as they die.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Saving Morty from an alien assassin results in her getting splashed by time goo and trapped in a pocket dimension where centuries pass while she's frozen in time but aware of everything going on around her, sending her spiraling into an existential crisis where she questions the nature of her very existence and wonders if she's anything other than a living plot device.
- Pet the Dog: She wants this as a career path, as she wants to be a hospice worker who comforts lonely elderly people as they die.
- Satellite Love Interest:
- She has almost no characterization outside of being Morty's crush, but "Ricksy Business" did add some depth to her. She finally gets a decent amount of screentime in "Rest & Ricklaxation", going on a date with Morty (which he torpedoes) and then aiding Rick in tracking him down—partly to help bring Morty back to normal, and partly because Rick wouldn't stop drunkenly calling to press her into it.
- This is Lampshaded in "Mort Dinner Rick Andre" where spending centuries frozen in time but aware of everything going on around her, she wonders if she had ever really lived or was just the "object in another story, was that all [she] ever was, and could she be more?" Finding no answer to her existential crisis is the reason why she tells Morty they should just be friends.
- Violently Protective Girlfriend: Though they're only in the middle of one date and had only recently shared their first kiss, Jessica kills an alien warrior who's trying to assassinate Morty. Shame this results in her being frozen in time for centuries while aware of everything around her in another dimension and ultimately questioning the nature of her own existence that she decides she and Morty should just be friends.
Ethan
Voiced by: Daniel Benson
Summer's boyfriend, who's shown to be extremely clingy and dealing with his own insecurities. His body becomes the building site for the new Anatomy Park, but given Rick's frustration that it won't include a "Pirates of the Pancreas", that may not be permanent. The replacement dimension version of him was later seen in "The Whirly Dirly Conspiracy".
- Body Horror: Morty uses the Morphizer-XE to horribly mutilate him for dumping Summer and breaking her heart.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Ethan was molested by his older brother on a fishing trip.
- Drama Queen: In his initial appearance in C-137, he crashes the Smith family's Christmas dinner to ask Summer why she hasn't been texting him.
- Disproportionate Retribution: See Body Horror above. Morty basically dooms him to a lifetime of pain and despair, because he dumped Summer and made her insecure about her body, and there is absolutely no indication that he will ever revert to his normal self. And by all appearances, Morty also left Ethan stranded at the campsite, forcing him to haul his malformed body all the way back to civilization on his own; judging by his pace during the after-credits scene, this might take some time.
- Freudian Excuse: Played for Black Comedy, when Jacob gets Ethan to reveal why he is so touchy and it turns out to be because his older brother molested him.
- Has a Type: If you take Summer's word for it, Ethan has a distinct preference for girls with large breasts. Played for Laughs.
- It's All About Me: He barges into the Smiths' house and demands to know why Summer hasn't been texting him. When she explains that Jerry took her phone away and wanted her to spend time with her family, his only response is to angrily ask if she stopped to consider how that might affect him.
- Rape as Backstory: In a tear-filled confession he admits that his older brother molested him as a child.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Given the events of "The Whirly-Dirly Conspiracy", its unknown how Annie and the new Anatomy Park are faring, or if they even existed inside Ethan in this dimension.
Brad
Voiced by: Echo Kellum
A student at Harry Herpson High School. He is a jock who plays football for the school and dates Jessica.
- Buffy Speak: He once tells Jessica that if she wants good words she should date a "languager."
- Jerk Jock: Plays football and bullies Morty. He is even somewhat self-aware about his role:Brad: (to Morty after he awkwardly tries to chat up Jessica) Dude, stay in your league! Look at how hot she is. You don't see me going to a bigger school in a wealthier district and hitting on their prettiest girl!
Jessica: (rolls her eyes) Gee, thanks, Brad.
Brad: I throw balls far. You want good words? Date a languager.
Frank Palicky
Voiced by: Ryan Ridley
A bully who appeared in the pilot episode of the series. Frank Palicky carried a knife around in school and threatened to make anyone who called his family poor pay the price for doing so. He was summarily frozen by Rick, then toppled over and shattered on his own, killing him instantly.
- Asshole Victim: Downplayed, despite being an an absolute lunatic, Frank's death is shown to traumatize Summer and results in the school being on edge for the rest of the episode.
- Ax-Crazy: Becomes angry enough over just ten seconds to try to "cut" Morty with a switchblade, right in front of everyone else in the hallway.
- Barbaric Bully: A greaser delinquent who threatens Morty with a knife over an imagined insult.
- Berserk Button: Don't call his family poor. Or say anything that might make him think you called his family poor. Or... it's probably best if you don't talk at all around him, actually.
- The Bully: His almost-instant death upon introduction was meant to parody the concept by immediately having him turn out to be irrelevant to the series as a whole.
- Expy: Of Biff Tannen from Back to the Future. Unlike Biff, however, Frank didn't last long.
- Greaser Delinquents: Leather jacket? Check. Switchblade knife? Check. Ducktail haircut? Check. The dude just looks like he's stuck in the wrong decade.
- Harmless Freezing: Subverted, Rick responds to Morty's request to unfreeze by saying the freezing is harmless. Shortly after they leave, the frozen Frank tips over and shatters into a million pieces, horrifying the students.
- Informed Poverty: He goes Ax-Crazy if he even thinks you mentioned that he was poor. Though just as he is about to cut Morty, he claims his family is rich.
- Literally Shattered Lives: Thanks to being frozen then shuffled around, one of his feet cracks and he ends up in pieces.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: He's frozen about 20 seconds into his first appearance. 50 seconds later, he's shattered. It's possible that the universe Rick and Morty jump to in Rick Potion #9 has a still-living Frank Palicky, but he's never been seen or referenced. Thus it's likely that the Frank of this dimension suffered a similar fate.
Nancy
Voiced by: Aislinn Paul
A nerd girl with whom Summer is friends with. They share the same flute class. Because of her nerd status, Summer denies their friendship when socializing with popular kids.
- Embarrassing Pyjamas: In "Rattlestar Ricklactica", Nancy is at Summer's place for sleepover with her and Tricia. When Summer puts on "snake jazz" and starts jamming with Tricia, Nancy asks about altering the course of a species without repercussions, prompting Summer to call Nancy a huge nerd and Tricia to insult Nancy's embarrassing candy-cane footy pajamas and her weight.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: Played With. She went with Summer to flute practice and the latter invited the former to her party, where Summer denied being friends with her, due to the popular girls not liking her. Though it's unknown how good the friendship between Summer and Nancy was at that point or if they were just acquaintances. Also, it's unknown how well Nancy gets along with her other friends if she even has any. Nevertheless, at least Squanchy respects her, considering he refused to let Summer at his place after Nancy told him how Summer treated her.
Toby Matthews
Voiced by: Alex Hirsch
Yet another boy that Summer obsesses over.
- Ink-Suit Actor: He looks like a blond, slightly younger version of his voice actor.
Tricia Lange
Voiced by: Cassie Steele
A girl from Morty and Summer's high school that Summer's ex Ethan dumps her for.
- Buxom Beauty Standard: It's suggested more than once that Ethan dumped Summer for Tricia because the latter has big breasts. Summer ends up so jealous of them she tries to use one of Ricks's enlargement devices just to be able to compete.
- Casual Kink: She mentions enjoying getting peed on, and once described true love as intimate as docking. She's also weirdly turned on by watching Jerry keep bees, getting so aroused in the span of a minute or two that she eventually drops the pretense and just tells Summer she intends to sleep with Jerry.
- Ethical Slut: Initial portrayals make it seem like she's so nice that she's oblivious to how weird certain kinks are. Later on it becomes clear that however she got into it, she's actually so constantly horny that she ends up wanting to have sex with Jerry just by watching him keep some bees, and even goes as far as to drop the subtlety and tell Summer directly that she wants to rail him. Given Summer's reaction it seems she wasn't that surprised, meaning she might be used to Tricia being up for sleeping with basically anyone.
- Likes Older Men: In The Stinger of Promortyous, she slowly talks herself in wanting to have sex with Jerry, right in front of Summer no less!
- Ms. Fanservice: She's easily the bustiest character in the show, though her steadily lengthening list of weird fetishes might turn some people off. Almost all her appearances involve explicit sex talk, too. In fact, she gets an entire episode stinger in Season 4 dedicated to her subtly lusting after Jerry before proudly telling Summer she wants to bang him, basically cementing her as the show's resident sexpot.
- Parental Issues: She runs to call her mom after seeing the mutated Beth and Summer resolve their issues, suggesting Tricia has some sort of conflict with her own mother. She is also fully onboard with banging Jerry of all people despite never mentioning her own father - the way she talks about it so casually implies she's slept with fathers before, despite the show ever mentioning her mother.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: She's very similar to how Tammy behaved while posing as a high school student, they even share a voice actor.
- Yaoi Fan Girl: We overhear her talking about how docking is a beautiful expression of love.
Bruce Chutback
Voiced by: Darren Criss
A new kid at school whom everyone find cool. Morty and Summer tries to befriend him to not be seen as losers.- An Aesop: He has an extremly pretentious attitude and look down upon anyone he deems not cool enough, even Morty and Summer despite offering him a travel in space. The siblings eventually realise that they let themselves be impressed by his confidence when in actuality he isn't worth anything.
- Broken Pedestal: He is initially seems as a cool kid by Morty and Summer until they see how ungrateful he is and realize that they don't have to buy into his popularity. The same thing eventually happen to him with the whole school after he "embarrasses" himself.
- Dull Surprise: He reacts with very little emotions to out of the ordinaries things such as interdimensional TV or being sent to space and meeting aliens. Morty and Summer takes this as a sign of his superior coolness.
- Embarrassing Nickname: After it turns out he wore the same pants two days in a row, he gets the nickname "Bruce Chadpants" and become a school loser.
- New Transfer Student: He is new at school. Meaning he hasn't anything embarrassing on his reputation yet. Making him cool.
- Not So Stoic: He shows little emotions most of the times until he is on the verge of dying where he starts crying and shooting: "I dont want to die!"
- Ungrateful Bastard: He still looks down on Morty and Summer as losers even after they offered him a space travel combined with a whole adventure.
