Warning: Spoilers for Rick and Morty Finals Week: Brawlher #1!It’s finally official: a standout character is making their shocking return to theRick and Mortyuniverse. A character unseen since their first and only appearance in a singular episode of the show in 2014. However, thanks tothe questionably canonical comic books, he’s making a comeback.
Rick and Morty Finals Week: Brawlher#1 by Christof Bogacs and Beck Kubrick featuresthe unexpected return of Mr. Needful,now bulked up to take revenge on Summer and Rick.Mr. Lucius Needful first makes his presence known in “Something Ricked This Way Comes,” the ninth episode ofRick and Morty’sfirst season.
In theparody of Stephen King’sNeedful Things, Summer takes up a part-time job at a seemingly harmless thrift store conveniently called Needful Things, and run by Mr. Needful himself.
Mr. Needful Returns To Face Rick and Morty A Changed Man
Rick and Morty Finals Week: Brawlher#1, Written by Christof Bogacs with Art by Beck Kubrick
Rick immediately suspects that Mr. Needful is The Devil in disguise(much like the King tale), making himself an enemy out of Lucius. They soon become competitive rivals when Rick opens his own store across the street called “Curse Purge Plus” upon learning that Needful’s items indeed have dire ramifications for its buyers.
Curious as to what Mr. Needful was selling in his store? Readers need to read this guide ontevery cursed item in Needful Things!
Mr. Needful ultimately moves on to selling his items online at n33dful.com, which proves to be a hit. That lasts until a jacked, steroid-fueled Rick and Summer catch up with the Satanic figure and use their newfound post-workout strength to beat him up. After more than a decade, audiences assumed they had seen the last of him.
But now, theRick and Mortycomics managed to disprove those same skeptical fans by bringing Mr. Needful to the page. This time, the comics have become more overt with Mr. Needful’s demonic implications,showing his Devilish form and re-establishing him as an evil Mephisto-esque figure, even afterthe Undevil took his place.
Rick and Morty’s Comics Once Again Breathe New Life into Forgotten Characters
Mr. Needful Gets the Second Chance the Show Never Gave Him
Mr. Needful’s persona and devilish standing gave him every opportunity to become a recurring antagonist inRick and Morty, especially given his feud with Rick. Rick hadno sympathy for the devil, but apparently, neither did the showrunners, because Mr. Needful would never appear onscreen again.
But it’s here where the beauty ofRick and Mortycomics come into play.Storylines that fall by the wayside and characters who were wasted always have a chance to resurface in the comics. Mr. Needful is but one recent example, but one that shows how useful the rule can be.
However, the comic books serve as an additional, new avenue to tell old stories in new ways. While Mr. Needful failed to be further explored in television form, the comics offer new opportunities to do just that, not only with this latest comic issue, but with future issues to come.
Mr. Needful can have his full potential as an archnemesis to Rick fully explored without time constraints, censorship, or any kind of drawback related to television getting in the way.
For all intents and purposes, expand their world in comic book form is the best decision that the creators behindRick and Mortycould have come up with, and it just helped bolster Mr. Needful’s legacy.
Rick and Morty Finals Week: Brawlher#1is on sale now from Oni Press.
Rick and Morty
Cast
Rick and Morty is an animated science fiction series that follows the eccentric scientist Rick Sanchez and his impressionable grandson Morty Smith as they embark on perilous adventures across space and alternate dimensions. The show explores the impact of these exploits on Morty’s tumultuous family life and personal challenges.
