Rick and Morty will be returning for season 4 in just a couple of months, and fans have already been able to enjoy the first glimpse of what’s to come thanks to a clip revealed at SDCC this year. The hit animated sci-fi show, created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, will be returning in November for another ten episodes, with a total of seventy more episodes on the way. Of course, there’s no way of knowing quite how long it will take to get all 70 out there, but Rick and Morty fansare used to waiting a while to get the good stuff.
The clip doesn’t just include some alien-centric goodness, it also sees Taika Waititi (director of Thor: Ragnarok) appear as a guest star, voicing an alien who has been helping Morty and Jerry develop some kind of app. Rick and Morty has a long history of amazing celebrity voice cameos, of course, and Waititi isn’t going to be the only famous face (or should that be voice?) joining the cast in the upcoming season.
For those who have forgotten (or never realized) just how many big names have been part of the animated madness, here’s every celebrity guest who has lent their voice to Rick and Morty so far - and a few confirmed to be in the new episodes.
Season One
The first season of Rick and Morty was the one to hook fans, to introduce them to the incomparable madness of Rick and his wonderfully weird inventions, and to convince everyone that this would be the show to watch. This is also the season with the fewest big-name guest stars, as the world hadn’t quite yet figured out just how huge this series would be.
- John Oliver as Dr Xenon Bloom: In Episode 3, ‘Anatomy Park’, Dr Xenon Bloom is an amoeba and the co-founder (along with Rick) of Anatomy Park, a theme park built inside a human. Like Jurassic Park, though, this was an enterprise doomed to failure. Dana Carvey as Leonard Smith: Leonard Smith also appears in ‘Anatomy Park’, although as part of the other storyline. Leonard is Jerry’s father, and this episode explores Jerry’s discomfort with Leonard’s happy relationship with his wife… and her boyfriend. David Cross as Prince Nebulon: Cross voices Prince Nebulon in Episode 4, ‘M. Night Shaym-Aliens!’. Nebulon is the leader of the Zigerions, and so desperate to get his hands on the recipe for dark matter (from Rick) that he creates a massive, multi-layered simulation to try and trick it out of him. Claudia Black as Ma-Sha: The seventh episode ‘Raising Gazorpazorp’ introduces Ma-Sha, the ruler of the planet Gazorpazorp, where men are subservient and women rule. Rich Fulcher as King Flippy Nips: King Flippy Nips makes his first appearance in Episode 9 ‘Something Ricked This Way Comes’, as the king of Pluto - and the kidnapper of Jerry, who he uses as a puppet to try and prove to his people that Pluto is still a planet. Alfred Molina as The Devil/Lucius Needful: Another Episode 9 appearance is that of the Devil. While Jerry is on Pluto, Lucius Needful sets up shop, giving away cursed items (and becoming an enemy of Rick, who sets up a curse-removal shop in retaliation).
Season Two
With Rick and Morty now wildly popular, it’s no surprise that the second season saw even more stars hop on board to voice some weird and wonderful characters.
- Keegan Michael-Key and Jordan Peele as Fourth-Dimensional Being: The first episode of the second season, ‘A Rickle In Time’ sees time fracture as Rick fails to mend it… and a Fourth-Dimensional Being appears to arrest Rick for his use of a time crystal. Alan Tudyk as Chris: Also in ‘A Rickle In Time’ is the Fourth Dimensional Being’s ‘gun’, Chris, who is a little slug-like alien. Jemaine Clement as Fart: In Episode 2 of the season, ‘Mortynight Run’, Fart is a seemingly friendly gaseous alien… whose smooth voice and kind words mask the fact that he actually wants to destroy all carbon based life. Patton Oswalt as Beta Seven: Beta Seven appears in Episode 3 ‘Auto Erotic Assimilation’ - a hive-mind alien (and parody of the Borg), who is a competitor of Rick’s (in his own mind) for Unity’s affections. Christina Hendricks as Unity: Also appearing in the third episode is Unity. Another hivemind who controls an entire planet, Unity is also an ex of Rick’s. Matt Walsh as Sleepy Gary: Episode 4 ‘Total Rickall’ sees the appearance of Sleepy Gary, a friendly man in a nightshirt and cap. He seems to be a part of the family, beloved by all, but turns out to actually be an alien parasite living in the house. Stephen Colbert as Zeep Xanflorp: Episode 6 of the second season, ‘The Ricks Must Be Crazy’ introduces a miniature universe inside Rick’s car battery. Zeep is a scientist within this universe whose own power source causes problems for Rick. Jim Rash as Glexo Slimslom: Episode 7, ‘Big Trouble In Little Sanchez’, sees Jerry and Beth head to alien marriage counseling (and screw it up royally), where Glexo is the counsellor. Werner Herzog as Shrimply Pibbles: Episode 8, ‘Interdimensional Cable 2: Tempting Fate’, sees Jerry given the chance to be a hero… by giving up his penis to Shrimply Pibbles, the most influential civil rights leader in the galaxy. Tricia Helfer as Donna Gueterman: The tenth and final episode ‘The Wedding Squanchers’ sees the family going to Birdman and Tammy’s strange wedding - and meeting Donna Gueterman, Tammy’s mother.
Season Three
By the third season, Rick and Morty was thoroughly entrenched in the pop culture world, and filled with familiar voices:
- Nathan Fillion as Cornvelious Daniel: In Episode 1 ‘The Rickshank Redemption’, Cornvelious Daniel is an alien Federal Agent, sent into Rick’s brain in order to try and gain information about the Portal Gun. Joel McHale as Hemorrhage: In Episdoe s ‘Rickmancing The Stone’, Rick and Morty takes a trip into a post-apocalyptic universe where Morty and Summer try and deal with Jerry and Beth’s divorce - in Summer’s case, marrying the violent leader Hemorrhage. Tony Hale as Death Stalker Eli: A celebrity also voices one of the other Death Stalkers in ‘Rickmancing The Stone’ - Eli, who is a neighbor of sorts to Summer and Hemorrhage. Danny Trejo as Jaguar: Episode 3, ‘Pickle Rick’, has become one of the best-known in the entire show, and Trejo appears here as Jaguar, the tough-as-nails freedom fighter looking to kill Rick in exchange for his daughter, Katarina. Peter Serafinowicz as Agency Director: Also in episode 3 is Agency Director, the head of the Russian agency that had captured Jaguar, and who set him against Pickle Rick. Susan Sarandon as Dr. Wong: The other major celebrity appearance in ‘Pickle Rick’ is that of Dr Wong, the family therapist that the Smiths visit. Christian Slater as Vance Maximus: Episode 4, ‘Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender’ is a parody of the usual superhero antics, as Rick and Morty team up with the Vindicators, a group of heroes led by the charismatic Vance Maximus. Gillian Jacobs as Supernova: Another Vindicator from Episode 4 is Supernova, a cosmic entity that goes from heroism to total rage and vengeance by the end of the episode. Logic as Logic: The only guest star to appear as themselves is also in the fourth episode, as rapper Logic voices himself, hired by Rick to perform for Noob-Noob. Clancy Brown as Risotto Groupon: Episode 5 ‘The Whirly Dirly Conspiracy’ is set in a theme park within an immortality field, where Jerry meets Risotto Groupon, an alien enemy of Rick’s who wants Jerry’s help to kill him. Keith David as Mr. President: The season finale ‘The Rickchurian Mortydate’ is actually the second time that the President appears on the show (the first is in season two’s ‘Get Schwifty’), but the first time it’s as a major character.
Season Four
The upcoming season of Rick and Morty is sure to be packed with even more famous voices, and few actors have already been confirmed. Thanks to that SDCC clip, fans know who at least one will be voicing: Taika Waititi as a pink alien called Glootie. It appears that Glootie has joined forces with Jerry to create some kind of app - but, in Rick and Morty style, something has gone horribly wrong, and now Morty is giving into some rage and trying to take the app down.
In addition to Waititi, Paul Giamatti, Sam Neill, and Kathleen Turner have also been announced for the upcoming season. All that is known about those additions so far, though, is that Neill’s character is the same species as Glootie. As for the rest, fans will just have to wait till November to find out.