WARNING: This post will contain spoilers for both "Rick and Morty" and "Gravity Falls". If you have not watched one, the other, or both, stop reading now.
While only making two canonical episode appearances, "Rick and Morty" fans have speculated much about the backstory and plans of Evil Morty, while also anticipating his return. With the release of a recent "Rick and Morty" animation though, it's possible this character may have some connections to the main villain from one of Disney's best modern animated series, "Gravity Falls" (which I highly recommend checking out on Disney+ if you've never watched it).
In this callback to classic video games, "Rick and Morty in the Eternal Nightmare Machine" features our eponymous duo battle through various characters and easter eggs from the series to fix the corrupted simulation they're in, eventually coming head to head with the final boss, Evil Morty. Throughout this animation, there is a symbol that keeps popping up, that of the eye in the triangle, particularly when it came down to Evil Morty. For fans of "Gravity Falls", it'd be hard for Bill Cipher not to come to mind.
For those unfamiliar with "Gravity Falls", Bill Cipher was the main villain of that show, being a demon from the Nightmare Realm that was bent on taking over the real world. Conniving and manipulative, Bill would trick others into accepting deals, even going so far as to possess people, furthering his own goals under the guise of helping his pawns. He was essentially a shifty salesman with an upbeat personality and demented delights.
While the "Eye of Providence" dates back to 1782, connecting the short to Bill Cipher is easy to do when "Rick and Morty" has made multiple hidden connections to "Gravity Falls". This is due to the fact that "Rick and Morty" co-creator Justin Roiland and "Gravity Falls" creator Alex Hirsch are good friends. Roiland also worked on "Gravity Falls", even providing character voices including the time travelling Blendin Blenjamin Blandin.
Throughout "Rick and Morty", there have been many 'blink-and-you-miss-it" connections to "Gravity Falls". The most prominent example comes in the episode "Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind", where a pen, notepad, and coffee mug fall through a portal; these same items were also lost by Stan Pines in the "Gravity Falls" episode, "Society of the Blind Eye" as he was working on a secret portal machine. When it comes to Bill Cipher, imagery reminiscent of Bill and hidden references to him can be spotted in "Rick and Morty" episodes such as "Big Trouble in Little Sanchez", "Rickmancing the Stone", and "Morty's Mind Blowers". Even the "Eternal Nightmare Machine" short that sparked this post (despite its non-canonicity) features similar symbols that appeared in the "Gravity Falls" episode, "Into the Bunker". Hirsch has also returned these references in kind with the physical copy of Journal 3 from the show published by Disney, with silhouettes of a plumbus and a Zigerian from "M. Night Shaym-Aliens!" featured, as well as a hidden message that when deciphered references Rick. Given the interdimensional aspects of both shows, it's also a popular fan theory that Rick and the character Ford Pines have encountered one another.
So given these connections and the imagery that came to mind in "Eternal Nightmare Machine", could there be a connection between Evil Morty and Bill Cipher, or even that they're one and the same?
While the two shows did air concurrently for a time before the end of "Gravity Falls" in 2016 and some plot points may not line up perfectly, there's very much left a mystery when it comes to characters from both shows. Rick's and Ford's own adventures through the multiverse come to mind, but for this post specifically, we'll focus on Bill Cipher's machinations. Though Bill had his eye set on Ford's home dimension, it's very possible Bill had back-up plans. After all, when Bill appears to be dying in the "Gravity Falls" series finale, reversing his dialogue reveals a hidden message that could hint at his possible return (and future "Gravity Falls" content at that"):
Now if Ford had met with Rick on his travels, who's to say that Bill couldn't have as well? Or in this case, maybe Bill came across a Morty. Another theory regarding Evil Morty is that he's the original Morty of the main Rick on the show, having been abandoned and most likely left to die. This Morty could have encountered Bill and made a deal, with Bill taking advantage of Morty's situation and stoking a hatred so strong for Rick that he wants to take it out on all Ricks across the multiverse.
When you think about it, there are many similarities between Bill Cipher and Evil Morty. To get the obvious one out of the way, both have yellow in their designs. For real though, when we first meet Evil Morty in "Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind", he is shown wearing an eye patch, giving him one eye to see, much like Bill. However, the eye patch is a device this Morty was using to control the Rick he had at his side to take the fall had his plans go sideways. This is very akin to Bill who can possess the body of a person he makes a deal with. Sometime later in "The Ricklantis Mix-Up", Evil Morty is able to win the presidential election of the Citadel of Ricks, where Ricks and Mortys of the multiverse can visit or live in. As it seems, Evil Morty was able to win by just means and won the Citadel's heart with his message of hope, but the end of the episode shows he has nefarious plans in mind. Playing to the people in order to further their own goals is classic Bill Cipher as well, as he must offer his potential pawns something they want in order for a deal to happen and use them afterwards.
Despite Bill's defeat in the "Gravity Falls" finale, if he had made a deal with Evil Morty, it could be possible that said deal could keep a flicker of his spirit alive to come back at some point. While we can only speculate on the terms of their deal, it's possible Morty could have given Bill permission to enter his mind as he pleased like we've seen with other characters on "Gravity Falls". My belief is if this kind of deal isn't broken, Bill can retain a tether to his "partners". His connection to Evil Morty could still be in tact and they may actually be working together given their similar mindsets. Whatever Evil Morty's plans are for the Citadel, it could be what Bill wants too, as he only makes deals with people if it serves his whims as well.
Of course, this is all speculation that will never come to fruition. Despite the hidden connections and references between two creative friends, a full-on Rick and Morty/Gravity Falls crossover is almost impossible since they're owned by different companies. But it's fun to think about though, isn't it?
