Rick and Morty Is Ready to Revisit a Season 3 Villain and Their Dark Backstory

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Rick and Morty: Maximum Coda! There is no shortage of memorable villains in Rick and Morty, even when only considering villains from a single season, as the two portal-hopping adventurers never cease to piss people/aliens/demons off across the multiverse. And now, one of those villains has had his backstory completely fleshed-out, revealing his close tie to Rick Sanchez - and it’s incredibly dark.

In Rick and Morty: Maximum Coda by Brockton McKinney and Jarrett Williams, Rick and Morty are tricked into going to a concert held by a villain Rick and Morty season 3 fans should recognize: Concerto. Concerto lured the duo to an underwater venue, as he planned to murder them in some convoluted way involving musical instruments. While Rick saw right through Concerto’s plan, and had a counter-attack of his own, he and Morty still went to Concerto’s ‘death concert’, where they learned the truth about who this villain actually is, and why he wants Rick and Morty - mostly Rick - dead.

Throughout this storyline, Rick and Morty had been wondering why Concerto was trying to kill them, and Concerto was stringing them along with an unrelated anecdote about the fate of an old friend, which only made Rick and Morty - mostly Morty - want to know his backstory even more. Eventually, Concerto finally tells the two of them the truth. Concerto was once a human music teacher who was cast down to hell by one of his students for the simple reason that the student didn’t want to learn the piano. That student was Rick Sanchez.

Rick Sanchez Created Concerto By Sending Him to Hell

Rick Almost Got Himself & Morty Killed Because of His Cruelty as a Child

Rick and Morty's Concerto sitting at his piano, pointing a finger in the air, smiling.

When Rick was a boy, he decided to explore the forbidden sciences of demonic black magic rather than learn how to play the piano. In fact, to ensure he’d never have to learn the piano, Rick used his newfound knowledge of occult spells to cast his music teacher - the man who would become the music-demon Concerto - to hell. Rick has always been portrayed as apathetic and cruel, but the fact that he has always been this way since he was a boy is just next-level.

Not only that, but this one instance of immense cruelty nearly killed him - and his grandson. When fans first met Concerto back in Rick and Morty season 3 “Pickle Rick”, the villain attempted to crush Rick and Morty’s heads with the giant hammers of a piano-deathtrap. If it hadn’t been for Jaguar, they would have been killed. And now, fans know that the only reason Rick and Morty were so close to death was due to the cruelty of Rick’s own past, as he sent his music teacher to hell rather than just take piano lessons.

Concerto’s Backstory Almost Makes Fans Root for Him Over Rick and Morty

Rick Sanchez Deserves to Pay for What He Did to Concerto

Rick and Morty's Rick about to get his head crushed by Concerto's giant piano.

While it is a good thing that Concerto was unsuccessful in the villain's attempt to kill Rick and Morty (as that would have meant the end of a hit adult animated series), knowing Concerto’s backstory almost makes fans want to root for him. Concerto was just a regular guy who taught children how to play the piano, and Rick sent him to a cosmic pit of eternal torture where he was permanently transformed into a demon - and he did it for no reason. Rick deserves to pay for that, and it’s almost a shame that Concerto was robbed of his revenge.

Even though Concerto wasn’t able to enact murderous vengeance upon Rick, and was instead killed by Jaguar, he has at least become immortalized as a standout Rick and Morty villain. Not only did he almost kill Rick and Morty in season 3, but Concerto was also featured in the opening credits for that entire season. And now, Concerto has become an even more interesting Rick and Morty antagonist, as his dark backstory - and tragic connection to Rick - has finally been revealed.

Rick and Morty: Maximum Coda by Oni Press is available now.