Justin Roiland’s Rick & Morty Recasting Just Became So Much Harder To Hide – Armessa Movie News

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Rick and Morty season 7, episode 1.

Rick and Morty season 7’s premiere could have focused on hiding Justin Roiland’s exit, but the show’s creators opted to draw attention to his absence instead. Rick and Morty debuted in December 2013, and the anarchic animated comedy was instantly met with critical acclaim. In the years that followed, the Adult Swim hit grew in popularity as Rick and Morty amassed a huge fan base and a stellar reputation. However, the show ran into controversy in January 2023, when co-creator and star Roiland was accused of domestic battery. Roiland voiced both Rick and Morty until Adult Swim severed ties with the actor.

As such, Rick and Morty season 7 needed to replace Roiland and find new voice actors for the show’s title characters. This was a big ask, as Rick and Morty are the primary focus of the series. However, one issue that made this task even more difficult was the fact that Roiland also voiced a host of supporting characters throughout Rick and Morty‘s six seasons. In a wild and zany show like this one, the obvious answer to the second problem was to simply ignore these characters until viewers acclimated to Rick and Morty’s new voices. Rick and Morty season 7 does not take this approach.

Mr. Poopybutthole’s Return Makes Roiland’s Exit Way More Noticeable

Rick and Morty season 7, episode 1, “How Poopy Got His Poop Back,” sees the show’s creators make a surprising choice. As the title implies, this episode focuses on Mr. Poopybutthole. While Rick and Morty season 7 already mocks one of the show’s most famous episodes, the series really seems to be asking for trouble by bringing back Mr. Poopybutthole in its premiere. By focusing episode 1 on Mr. Poopybutthole — a third character voiced by Roiland — the creators of Rick and Morty season 7 inexplicably make the actor’s absence even more noticeable.

Rick and Morty was never going to be able to paper over the change in Rick and Morty’s voices, as the two characters are the show’s central heroes. However, the series could have avoided overwhelming viewers by waiting at least a few episodes before bringing back minor characters that Roiland used to voice. However, Rick and Morty’s Roiland recasting decision is still proven right in “How Poopy Got His Poop Back,” as the episode manages to smooth over the actor’s absence with replacement voices that are uncannily similar to the original incarnations of these characters. If anything, bringing back Mr. Poopybutthole might have helped.

Rick & Morty Season 7 Episode 1’s Roiland Replacement Worked

By bringing back Poopybutthole, Rick and Morty finds an excuse to sideline Morty for the premiere. As such, viewers have a chance to get used to Rick’s new voice without also noticing Morty’s replacement. This is a clever gambit, as Mr. Poopybutthole’s bizarre voice was always annoying. Even when Mr. Poopybutthole’s original voice actor provided the character’s voice, viewers were guaranteed to find it irritating. By contrast, if viewers hated Rick and Morty season 7’s Morty voice reveal, the show would have been in trouble. Thus, Mr. Poopybutthole’s return secretly helps Rick and Morty replace Roiland.