Mind you, this is nothing like the "Beth Space" and "Beth Domestic" situation—we saw in Season 6, Episode 3 that Rick has been with other Ricks, and Jerry has been with other Jerrys; the writers often make these "selfcest" jokes. The relationship between Morty and Evil Morty isn't like that—well, hopefully not, because that would be too predictable. Evil Morty wants Morty to be like him—an equal—and seeks his validation. In the Season 5 finale, "Rickmurai Jack," during the dinner at the Citadel, Evil Morty explains his plan to Morty in detail and implicitly invites him to leave the Ricks behind once and for all. No other Morty was given such consideration; to him, most are just manipulated idiots, but he sees our Morty as someone who "almost" gets it. Evil Morty offers for Morty to come along, but our Morty chooses to save Rick C-137 from the wreckage instead. Evil Morty then remarks, "Good thing I lied—the second seat is actually a toilet"—though that was likely a lie, too. In Season 7, when they go after Rick Prime, Evil Morty opens a portal and acts indifferent, saying, "Come if you want, or don't—I don't care." When the portal closes, Evil Morty returns and asks, "I thought you were coming?" In other words, Evil Morty is always the one taking the initiative—like in Season 9, when he greets Morty upon arriving at the garage with a "Hey, Morty." Morty doesn't even respond, just giving him a cold stare. Furthermore, during the fight with Rick C-137, Evil Morty uses telekinesis to nudge Morty out of the way—he doesn't lay a finger on him, despite all the other Ricks and Mortys he has killed. Evil Morty represents absolute nihilism. Upon escaping the Central Finite Curve, he achieved "total freedom," only to discover that being completely alone... The infinite multiverse is meaningless if you have no one with whom to share or validate it. • Existential void: Evil Morty has no real family, nor does he have an "equal." He harbors resentment because our Morty Prime possesses the same intellectual capacity for rebellion, yet chose to use it to remain within the family unit. (In Season 1, Morty led the kidnapped Mortys—this is likely what caught Evil Morty’s attention.) Evil Morty uses the Omega Device—stolen from Rick Prime—to coerce Rick C-137 into carrying out missions and secretly exchanging messages. This stems from the failure of the idea that Rick C-137 was somehow "different" in his treatment of Morty; this season confirms that, at his core, Evil Morty remains a Morty. He employed a new version of the Omega Device to threaten Rick C-137: if Rick failed to complete his weekly interdimensional assignments, Evil Morty would erase every version of the Smith family across the multiverse. Rick was left with no choice but to comply. • Instilling distrust: Evil Morty deliberately left clues so that Morty Prime would discover the messages. He wanted our Morty to feel betrayed, worthless, and "replaced" by a more intelligent version of himself.
• The mockery at the restaurant: During the scene in the café, Evil Morty openly taunts Morty Prime, claiming he is "not good enough for Rick." He even takes a direct jab at him, suggesting he could steal Rick away if he truly wanted to. He says this not out of love for Rick, but because he knows how much Morty Prime loves his grandfather—he wanted to pay him back in kind for the rejection he himself experienced in Season 5.