'Rick and Morty' Needs This 'Back to the Future' Cameo in Season 4
Doc Brown is totally down.
The man who played Dr. Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future movies wants to fly his DeLorean right into the multiverse of Rick and Morty. Considering Adult Swim’s beloved animated comedy began as an unlicensed Back to the Future parody, who wouldn’t want to see that?
In an interview with the Phoenix New Times published on Saturday, actor Christopher Lloyd — the OG “Doc” himself — revealed that he’s well aware of Rick and Morty’s status and how much it owes to his portrayal of the quirky mad scientist obsessed with time travel. “I don’t follow it closely,” Lloyd admitted. “But I’ve seen a few episodes and I gotta tell you, I think it’s a lot of fun. I know it’s some kind of parody of Doc and Marty.”
Lloyd is spot-on with that assessment.
In 2017, The Film Theorists published a great video detailing the early history of Rick and Morty, including the early days when it was called The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti and was created to troll the production studio behind Back to the Future:
When asked directly if he’d ever guest star on Rick and Morty, Lloyd said yes, adding, “I think [the show is] really fun.” His interviewer suggested that Lloyd voice Rick’s father, which is actually a great idea, even more so if Rick’s father was just a copy Dr. Emmett Brown. Maybe name him Dr. Emmett Sanchez?
Lloyd could just perform a character identical to his Back to the Future persona, including the fascination with time travel. Considering how old Rick is, his father would basically have to time travel to interact with his son. Maybe Rick is so aversive to time travel, instead focusing on interdimensional travel, because he resented his father’s obsession with it?
Rick and Morty co-creators Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland have said before that they have a “no time travel stories” rule. That’s why there’s a cardboard box in Rick’s garage workshop that says “Time Travel Stuff.” These things have figuratively and literally been shelved as narrative devices:
Rick's had that "Time Travel Stuff" since the beginning of 'Rick and Morty'.
But introducing Rick’s father as a time-obsessed mad scientist at odds with his son’s own scientific principles would make for a fun, fresh way to engage with time travel, especially considering how often the show breaks its own rules.
There’s no better actor to voice a character like this than Christopher Lloyd, and as great as that would be to see in Season 4, who knows if it’ll actually happen.
