Rick and Morty Season 9 Finale Field of Dreams Airs July 26

The ninth season of the animated series "Rick and Morty" concluded on Sunday, July 26, 2026, with a finale that left viewers grappling with its dark and existential themes. The episode, titled "Field of Dreams," aired on Adult Swim and marked the end of a critically acclaimed season.

In the episode, Morty becomes trapped in an alternate reality where a version of himself, named Mort, has died. The grieving Smith family in that universe destroys his portal device to keep him from leaving. Desperate to return home, Morty seeks out that reality's version of Rick, a sober and content physics professor who had abandoned his pursuit of transdimensional technology to build a stable life, including a remarriage. Morty manipulates this "sober Rick" into resuming his portal research, a process that ultimately drives Rick back to alcoholism, destroys his marriage, and culminates in a violent confrontation that kills the entire alternate Smith family. Morty returns to his original universe with a portal gun, but is left emotionally devastated by the carnage he caused.

Series co-creator Dan Harmon explained that such dark outcomes are central to the show, stating that Morty must suffer to...