Rick Sanchez Analysis (Outdated.. season 5 changes things)
I read the latest issue of Rick and Morty and found this interesting dialogue between the two.
Rick is finally starting to learn that he's only human like everyone else no matter how much he tries to be detached and disclude himself/put himself above others as a sort of God figure (Im aware that this is the comic universe equivalent of Rick but this is a universe directly adjacent to the one we follow in the show so they're relatively similar for the most part).
With Ricks omega level intellect and infinite knowledge of the cosmos and reality itself, to him all existence is meaningless. but that's simply because he's that intelligent and omnipotent enough to see it all. To any ordinary human, existence has meaning in their own respective reality but if they could see everything rick does, they would likely be driven mad...
But for Rick, a person who can literally separate himself from reality itself sees things much differently.
Despite his nihilistic views, on the inside he's extremely lonely and depressed because he feels like there's nobody out there that he can really connect with on a personal level and thus he'll always be alone living a meaningless existence. Nobody really gets Rick and he feels especially alienated around his family and other people with his lack of emotion, social awkwardness and tendency to bring people down because of his cynical and nihilistic input on everything. he wants to experience life like all other sentient organisms but his hyper intelligence combined with his omnipotence and inability to comprehend things emotionally doesn't allow him to. Hes prideful of his magnificent talents but he hates that it seperates him from the rest of the universe in a sense. It's a very powerful gift and a curse.
In the episode "Auto Erotic Assimilation" it is revealed that Rick once dated a planet consuming society assimilating hivemind named unity. Reunited they enjoyed their time together, Unity expressed her surprise that Rick has reconnected with his family and inquired as to why to which he replied "maybe it's a part of getting old..or maybe I missed being with a collective".
Summer ultimately revealed to them both that they were toxic and only brought the worst out of each other. Unity realized this truth whereas Rick of course defiantly blew it off. Afterwards Unity left Rick a note explaining the truth of why they can't be together and Rick returned home depressed. It even drove him to attempting suicide..
Now lets look at Tony, a man that he relentlessly pursued and had the intention of killing simply because he used his private toilet on a beautiful alien planet (that he likely created himself):
Eventually Rick confronts and threatens Tony one final time before Tony reveals to him that he understands why he is so hellbent on keeping this spot private: his desperate desire to protect what he considers sacred. As tony put it "you know what shy pooping is Rick? A pointless bit for control. You want to take the one thing in life that you truly think is yours and you want to protect it from a universe that takes whatever it wants. It took my wife... It clearly took something of yours." This statement really resonated with Rick. For once somebody's words got through to him and he made a connection. This also of course alludes to Ricks own deceased wife, A major factor of Ricks suffering.
Just look at that face...thats not one that Rick makes.
Even after this meaningful encounter between the two, later on Rick In a petty fashion opens a portal and tells Tony this is his last chance to live because rejecting the artificially generated heaven Rick offered after taking pity on him is a big mistake. Amused, Tony jokes to Rick saying he'll be seeing him. offering his hand in friendship even as Rick, ill-tempered and stubborn, pretends otherwise. Tony reminds Rick that he isn't a bastard or a killer, what he's doing is all part of his plan to never let anyone get close to him (as he does) and that it's not a bad thing to open up and let others sympathise with him. Rick thinks this would be a sign of weakness but as Tony points out, he truly is a scared, caring human being after all.
Afterwards Rick does seemingly have a change of heart and eventually arrives at Tonys place of work (with the intention of setting him up for a trap/prank involving his sacred toilet) only to be sadly informed by the receptionist that he died in a tragic accident "living life to the fullest". This seems to devastate Rick as he states "I need to process this.."
Rick even showed up to Tony's funeral. Expressing condolences to his dad and giving him $8 billion in his local currency, a kit to clone a new son even though it wouldn't have the same brain as Tony, and even tries to comfort the dad (ableit in an unemotional and insensitive way). the dad sympathetically puts a hand on Rick's chest, intuitively saying it is hard losing a friend.
Rick has to live with the knowledge that he lost a potential friend whom actually seemed to understand him for once and his final words to him were "You'll be dead".. Its pretty clear that the whole message he left for Tony via holograms was a self projection of his own self hatred and loneliness. "All hail his majesty! The saaaaaddest piece of garbage in the ENTIRE cosmos!"
Bottom line is he needs to learn to embrace his humanity. Like comic Rick said, in an endless number of universes he does care about others which we've all seen proven more times than can be listed here. and he even admits that everyone else has what he lacks: Happiness, through family and companionship/unity.
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