Rick and Morty Season 8 Can End 1 Hilarious Character’s Disappointing 7-Year Trend

Summary Rick and Morty consistently underuses The President as a supporting character, missing opportunities for stronger storylines.

Keith David's character hasn't had a good episode since season 3, highlighting a need for a new dynamic in season 8.

Changing the dynamic between Rick and The President could reignite interest in the President's character in upcoming episodes.

While Rick and Morty has brought back The President in every season of the series, it has been a while since the show did this hilarious supporting star justice. Rick and Morty’s cast of characters is massive, but the show usually relies on its titular duo and the rest of the Smith family to anchor most episodes. Although characters like Dr. Wong and Birdperson have played pivotal roles in some great outings, they only appear once or twice in a given season and are always supporting stars in a story centered around Rick, Morty, Summer, Beth, and Jerry.

This system typically works, since these supporting characters don’t need an entire episode devoted to them. On the rare occasions that Rick and Morty does center on a recurring character, like Mr. Poopybutthole, the resulting episodes can be particularly strong thanks to this subversion of expectations. Messing with the established formula of the series gives Rick and Morty room to experiment, something Rick and Morty season 8 should lean into more often. This upcoming outing must ensure that one terminally short-changed character gets a stronger storyline, and Rick and Morty’s season 7 finale should make this easier.

Rick and Morty Wasted The President In Seasons 4, 5, 6, And 7

Keith David’s Supporting Character Was Under-Utilized

Close

Even though Keith David’s character is a consistently funny scene-stealer, Rick and Morty hasn’t given The President a good episode since season 3’s finale. Outings like season 5, episode 6, ”Rick & Morty's Thanksploitation Spectacular,” season 6, episode 10, ”Ricktional Mortpoon's Rickmas Mortcation,” and season 7, episode 3, ”Air Force Wong” all fell short of expectations, using the President as a plot device without exploring his zany character. In the show’s early seasons, the President acted as an effective foil for Rick. Both characters were egotistical, amoral, and prone to megalomania. The difference is that Rick was comparatively sympathetic.

Although Rick and Morty season 8 could remind viewers that Rick could easily end up like the amoral President, the show’s last few seasons haven’t offered anything this insightful. Instead, David’s recurring guest character existed solely to facilitate storylines like Rick reuniting with his ex, the hive mind Unity, or helping Morty retrieve a lightsaber that he dropped before it reached the Earth’s core. Rick has consistently been pitted against the President in episodes like “Rick & Morty's Thanksploitation Spectacular,” but their rivalry lacks any urgency as it is always clear that Rick has the upper hand over him.

Rick and Morty Season 8’s President Return Needs A New Dynamic

The Series Has Repeatedly Pitted Rick Against The President

The best way for Rick and Morty season 8 to reignite interest in the President’s limited supporting role is to change his dynamic with Rick. If the pair worked together, which “Air Force Wong” appeared to promise, this could be much more interesting after years of animosity between them. Although “Air Force Wong” did set up Rick and Morty season 7’s best character comeback with Unity’s return, the episode missed a trick by not keeping Rick and the President on the same side. Rick and Morty season 8 can make up for this by challenging them to finally work together.