Warning! Spoilers for Rick and Morty vs Cthulhu #4 ahead!Rick and Morty‘s titular Morty Smith has not always had the greatest luck with father figures. His own father, Jerry, leaves something to be desired and his grandfather Rick is not much better, but now it seems that Morty may finally have found his true mentor.
In Rick and Morty vs Cthulhu #4, by Jim Zub, Leonardo Ito, and Crank!, Morty finds an amazing new caretaker in the form of the Lovecraftian god, Dagon. This Great Old One actually turns out to be a surprisingly good father figure to Morty, though in fairness there was never much competition in that realm. This role also fits with mythos around Dagon too and makes a bit of sense.
Morty Bonds With An Ancient God
Before H.P. Lovecraft, Dagon was a Mesopotamian god who was worshiped in parts of Syria. He is even listed in the Bible as the deity of the Philistines, but he was incorporated into Cthulhu mythology with Lovecraft’s short story, “Dagon.” In this story and subsequent depictions he presides over the Deep Ones, which may be his offspring. Though he is one of the old gods, his motivations seem to be to protect the amphibious Deep Ones, which is why he is also often referred to as Father Dagon. Now, in this most recent issue of Oni Press’ Rick and Morty series he lives up to that name by affording that same sort of fatherly care to none other than Morty.
Dagon Supports Morty Like Rick Never Has
The Old One actually shows genuine concern and protectiveness for Morty Smith, unlike Rick Sanchez who often takes every chance to insult, denigrate and exploit his grandson. It has been documented on more than one occasion how Ricks across the multiverse treat Morties as interchangeable and disposable assistants. Despite the special relationship that the Rick whom readers know best has with his Morty, he is still not depicted as being much better of a friend or mentor. In fact, Rick has ditched Morty a few times for new sidekicks, most famously for his two crows. However, now the tables are turned, and it turns out Morty has an objectively better thing with another mentor.
Morty Smith is living under the tutelage of a capricious and unpredictable god figure who can literally rewrite the laws of the universe to suit their own needs, or at least he was before he left his grandfather to follow Dagon. This Lovecraftian Old One is not objectively more dangerous than Rick, and it actually looks like Father Dagon might be a far more caring and positive presence for Morty than Rick has ever been in a Rick and Morty adventure.
Rick and Morty vs Cthulhu #4 is on sale now from Oni Press.
