The President (Rick and Morty)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

President Curtis, often simply referred to as The President, is a recurring
fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...
al
character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...
in the American
animated television series An animated series is a set of Animation, animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can ...
''
Rick and Morty {{Infobox television , image = Rick and Morty title card (cropped).png , alt = , caption = , genre = {{Plainlist, * Animated sitcom * Adult animation * Science fiction * Black comedy * ...
''. Voiced by
Keith David Keith David Williams (born June 4, 1956) is an American actor. He is known for his signature deep voice and commanding screen presence in over 300 roles across film, stage, television, and interactive media. He has starred in such films as '' T ...
and created by Wes Archer and
Tom Kauffman ''IKEA Heights'' is a 2009 comedic melodrama web series created by Dave Seger, Paul Bartunek, Delbert Shoopman, Spencer Strauss, and Tom Kauffman for Channel 101. A spoof of soap operas, the series was filmed covertly inside the IKEA store in B ...
, based on then-sitting
Presidents of the United States The president of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States, indirectly elected to a four-year term via the Electoral College. The officeholder leads the executive branch of the federal government and ...
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
and
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
in his first two appearances, the President shares a
love–hate relationship A love–hate relationship is an interpersonal relationship involving simultaneous or alternating emotions of love and hate—something particularly common when emotions are intense. The term is used frequently in psychology, popular writing and ...
with
Rick Sanchez Rick Sanchez is one of the two eponymous characters from the Adult Swim animated television series ''Rick and Morty'' and resulting franchise. Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon and voiced by the former, Sanchez is a misanthropic alcohol ...
, often alternating between calling upon him and his grandson
Morty Smith Mortimer Chauncey "Morty" Smith, Sr. is one of the eponymous characters from the American animated television series ''Rick and Morty''. Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, and voiced by the former, Morty is a 14-year-old boy loosely ins ...
to protect
America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
from various threats, to attempting to have him arrested or killed. In " Edge of Tomorty: Rick Die Rickpeat", an alternate reality version of the President's name is stated to be M. Romney (in reference to
Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts f ...
) while in all of his later appearances, is addressed as Curtis. Known for his brash and abrasive personality, the character has received a positive critical reception.


Biography

In the first season episode "
M. Night Shaym-Aliens! "M. Night Shaym-Aliens!" is the fourth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series ''Rick and Morty''. Directed by Jeff Myers and written by Tom Kauffman, the episode was aired on January 13, 2014. It stars Justi ...
", while
Rick Sanchez Rick Sanchez is one of the two eponymous characters from the Adult Swim animated television series ''Rick and Morty'' and resulting franchise. Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon and voiced by the former, Sanchez is a misanthropic alcohol ...
is trapped inside of a holographic projection, an ambulance pulls up with some paramedics yelling out that the President of the United States is inside having a stroke, and that they need "10 CCs of concentrated dark matter" to save his life, as part of a plan by Zigerion scammers to steal its recipe from Rick. Under a sheet, only the President's (simulated) hand is seen.


Season 2 and comic series

In the second season episode " Get Schwifty", the President meets Rick and his grandson
Morty Smith Mortimer Chauncey "Morty" Smith, Sr. is one of the eponymous characters from the American animated television series ''Rick and Morty''. Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, and voiced by the former, Morty is a 14-year-old boy loosely ins ...
in
the Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metony ...
after the pair teleport in to inform the U.S. government as to the identity of the massive alien head which has appeared over the Earth, interfering with its gravity and spawning several global disasters: a Cromulon, seeking a live performance of a catchy new song lest the planet be destroyed. The President orders Rick and Morty to compose a song to save them. After they save Earth, the President declares the pair heroes. In "
Lawnmower Dog "Lawnmower Dog" is the second episode of ''Rick and Morty''. It premiered on Adult Swim on December 9, 2013, was written by Ryan Ridley, and directed by John Rice. In the episode, Rick gives Jerry a device to enhance the dog's intelligence while Ri ...
" and " A Rickconvenient Mort",
Summer Smith Summer Smith is one of the Protagonist, main characters of the American animated television series ''Rick and Morty''. Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon and voiced by Spencer Grammer, Summer is a conventional and often superficial 17-year-o ...
references both
Barack Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
and
Michelle Obama Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She was the first African-American woman to serve in this position. She is married t ...
as existing, indicating them as having been the President's predecessors in office, and the President having been elected in place of
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
, the Obamas having served one term in-office. In the
comic series This page provides lists of best-selling comic book series to date. It includes Japanese manga, American comic books, and European comics. This list includes comic books that have sold at least 100million copies. There are three separate lists, ...
issue " Close Rick-counters of the Drippy Kind", set on May 31, 2017, the President arrives at the Smith household to get Rick's advice on how to deal with the "space racists" Spatio 5 Culus, whose armada have been cleared to invade Earth by the Galactic Federation. The President instead takes the advice of Rick's son-in-law Jerry Smith, who ends up in an argument with the aliens' leader within ten minutes. After being told that Congress was unable to prevent him from making the bad decision of having Jerry help because they were at Capitol Hill, the President sends Jerry home; Rick subsequently destroys the alien race. With the situation resolved, the President returns to the Smith household to thank Rick, telling him that "We owe you one, baby!" before leaving once again.


Seasons 3–5

In the third season finale "
The Rickchurian Mortydate "The Rickchurian Mortydate" is the tenth and final episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series ''Rick and Morty'' follows the titular grandson and grandfather duo as they feud with the President of the United St ...
", having since called on Rick and Morty countless times, the President calls upon the duo once again to exterminate "some kind of alien googa" from the Kennedy Sex Tunnels under the White House. After Rick and Morty refuse and separate themselves from the President, he has the pair arrested as they attempt to make first contact with a miniature civilization discovered in the Amazon rainforest. Upon shrinking himself to meet with them, he finds the aliens have been dealt with; the President declares war on Rick and Morty. Rick promises to leave their reality for good in exchange for another one on the condition that Morty gets a
selfie A selfie () is a self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a digital camera or smartphone, which may be held in the hand or supported by a selfie stick. Selfies are often shared on social media, via social networking services such as F ...
with the President. Rick indirectly kills most of the Secret Service agents surrounding him, culminating in a lengthy brawl with the President. The conflict ends with a truce. In the fourth season premiere " Edge of Tomorty: Rick Die Rickpeat", upon finding himself in a cloned body in a fascist dimension, Rick briefly sees a signed photograph of his counterpart shaking hands with the President's own counterpart, signed "M. Romney". In the fifth season episode "
Mortyplicity "Mortyplicity" is the second episode of the fifth season of the Adult Swim animated television series ''Rick and Morty''. It is the 43rd episode of the series overall. Written by Albro Lundy and directed by Lucas Gray, the episode was broadcast o ...
", the President is alerted by his staff as to the decoys of the Smith family killing each other across America. In "
Rickdependence Spray "Rickdependence Spray" is the fourth episode of the fifth season of the American television series ''Rick and Morty''. It premiered in the United States on July 11, 2021. In the episode, Morty notices the hospital's horse breeding program at Beth ...
", the Smith family is airlifted to the Pentagon's war room by the President, where Morty agrees to lie for Rick and tells the President that they know nothing about the outbreak of Sperm Monsters, claiming them to be from space. At Morty's suggestion, the President sends Rick, Morty, and a helicopter full of marines and nuclear weapons to the
Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a m ...
to destroy the sperm. Summer volunteers an egg as a solution, and soldiers plan to shoot it into space after all the sperm enter the egg. After the sperm and their queen are killed, one sperm manages to fertilizes the egg himself out of instinct. Summer attempts to destroy her egg, but the President intervenes because he cannot be publicly seen condoning
abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...
. Sometime later, before the events of "
Gotron Jerrysis Rickvangelion The fifth season of the animated television series ''Rick and Morty'' consisted of 10 episodes, part of the 70 episodes ordered by Adult Swim after they renewed the series in 2018. The series stars Justin Roiland as both titular characters. The ...
", the President has Summer brought to her "Giant Incest Baby" on Mars by the military. In " Rick & Morty's Thanksploitation Spectacular", the President attempts to have Rick and Morty arrested after Morty accidentally unleashes a giant robotic assassin from inside the
Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; French: ''La Liberté éclairant le monde'') is a List of colossal sculpture in situ, colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City, in the U ...
. The President has sent out multiple armored trucks, only one of which contains the presidential turkeys and will be guarded by turkey marines. Rick plans to sneak aboard by turning himself into a turkey. The President has himself also turned into a turkey to identify Rick. The marines pull out the wrong turkey and inject it with the President's DNA. While Rick and Morty return home and restore the President to human form, the Turkey President begins turning turkeys into large, muscular turkey-human soldiers. Observing on the news that the Turkey President plans to turn every turkey in America into soldiers, the President frees a group of previously warring alien species united by their hatred of turkeys. The President fights his turkey counterpart in hand-to-hand combat, ultimately defeating him. The President gives Rick a true pardon afterwards.


Seasons 6–present

In ''Rick and Morty: Wormageddon'', a "living episode" aired ahead of and set simultaneously with the sixth season premiere "
Solaricks "Solaricks" is the premiere episode of the sixth season of the Adult Swim animated television series ''Rick and Morty''. It is the 52nd episode of the series overall. Written by Albro Lundy and directed by Jacob Hair, the episode was broadcast o ...
", an alternate version of the President tag-team defeats one of the invading worms alongside his Rick. Following the Smith family switching realities at the end of "Solaricks" to a near-identical one where "
parmesan Parmesan ( it, Parmigiano Reggiano; ) is an Italian hard, granular cheese produced from cows’ milk and aged at least 12 months. It is named after two of the areas which produce it, the provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia (''Parmigiano'' is ...
" is pronounced differently, after everyone on their previous reality's Earth (including the President) is absorbed by Mr. Frundles, Rick tricks the new reality's President into pardoning him as a turkey again offscreen in "
Bethic Twinstinct The sixth season of the American adult animated television series ''Rick and Morty'' premiered on September 4, 2022. Starring Justin Roiland as both titular characters, Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith, and their inter-dimensional counterparts, the s ...
" by turning himself into a "Turkey
Dracula ''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking ...
". The new reality's President is formally introduced in "
Juricksic Mort The sixth season of the American adult animated television series ''Rick and Morty'' premiered on September 4, 2022. Starring Justin Roiland as both titular characters, Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith, and their inter-dimensional counterparts, the s ...
", where the President's full name is confirmed to be "Curtis Curtis", as he seeks Rick's help in ridding the world of the technologically advanced
dinosaurs Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...
who have peacefully (re)taken over the planet (a takeover the President had initially allowed out of fear of "the poor" killing him and the other world leaders should they tell the dinosaurs to leave), an offer Rick accepts in exchange for the President arranging for him to host
the Oscars The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
; while insulted that Rick wouldn't consider taking him as his plus one, the President is calmed once Rick provides him with his specialised "molly".


Development

The character was created by Wes Archer and
Tom Kauffman ''IKEA Heights'' is a 2009 comedic melodrama web series created by Dave Seger, Paul Bartunek, Delbert Shoopman, Spencer Strauss, and Tom Kauffman for Channel 101. A spoof of soap operas, the series was filmed covertly inside the IKEA store in B ...
for the 2015 ''
Rick and Morty {{Infobox television , image = Rick and Morty title card (cropped).png , alt = , caption = , genre = {{Plainlist, * Animated sitcom * Adult animation * Science fiction * Black comedy * ...
'' second season episode " Get Schwifty", initially written as a generic unnamed
stand-in A stand-in for film and television is a person who substitutes for the actor before filming, for technical purposes such as lighting and camera setup. Stand-ins are helpful in the initial processes of film and television production. Stand-ins a ...
for then-sitting
President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
. In September 2017,
Dan Harmon Daniel James Harmon (born January 3, 1973) is an American writer, producer, and actor. He is best known as the creator and producer of the NBC/Yahoo! Screen sitcom ''Community'' (2009–2015), creator and host of the comedy podcast ''Harmontown ...
confirmed that the writing for the tail-end of the series' third season had occurred during
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
's then-ongoing
presidential campaign President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
was inspired by "the idea of a cartoonishly bad president" for the character's appearance in "
The Rickchurian Mortydate "The Rickchurian Mortydate" is the tenth and final episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series ''Rick and Morty'' follows the titular grandson and grandfather duo as they feud with the President of the United St ...
" in contrast to their original depiction, following "how out of control presidential power has gotten"; by the time the episode aired in October 2017, Trump had been elected and serving in the office for almost a year.
Keith David Keith David Williams (born June 4, 1956) is an American actor. He is known for his signature deep voice and commanding screen presence in over 300 roles across film, stage, television, and interactive media. He has starred in such films as '' T ...
, who voices the character, previously voiced a fictionalised version of himself as
Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...
in the 2013 video game ''
Saints Row IV ''Saints Row IV'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Volition and published by Deep Silver. It is the sequel to 2011's '' Saints Row: The Third'', the fourth installment of the ''Saints Row'' series, and the final main installment i ...
'', and Reverse Giraffe in "
Total Rickall "Total Rickall" is the fourth episode of the second season of the Adult Swim animated television series ''Rick and Morty''. Written by Mike McMahan and directed by Juan Meza-León, the episode premiered on August 16, 2015. It shows the Smith famil ...
".


Reception

The character has received positive reception. ''Inverse'' praised the President's depiction in "
The Rickchurian Mortydate "The Rickchurian Mortydate" is the tenth and final episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series ''Rick and Morty'' follows the titular grandson and grandfather duo as they feud with the President of the United St ...
" as "a petulant manbaby who can’t take criticism or disobedience" and
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
stand-in A stand-in for film and television is a person who substitutes for the actor before filming, for technical purposes such as lighting and camera setup. Stand-ins are helpful in the initial processes of film and television production. Stand-ins a ...
compared to his " Get Schwifty" depiction, describing the character's final fight with
Rick Sanchez Rick Sanchez is one of the two eponymous characters from the Adult Swim animated television series ''Rick and Morty'' and resulting franchise. Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon and voiced by the former, Sanchez is a misanthropic alcohol ...
as "the single greatest action sequence in ''Rick and Morty'' history". ''Vulture'' described the character as "feel ng€¦ anachronistic", with
IndieWire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Hollyw ...
complimenting "it mak ngsense that the main issue powering this President/Rick feud is that each of them think they’re too good at their job" and describing "interactions with The President sfeel nglike a subtle jab at the rest of the TV world" before praising how
Keith David Keith David Williams (born June 4, 1956) is an American actor. He is known for his signature deep voice and commanding screen presence in over 300 roles across film, stage, television, and interactive media. He has starred in such films as '' T ...
's vocal performance "handling the presidential shame list with the shame joyful enthusiasm as digging into shouting "You suck!" makes him a legend in the show's annals, even if The President has only popped up twice." ''Reason'' lauded the political commentary of the character and the concepts of "imperial presidency" and "how out of control presidential power has gotten", commenting on how the series' decision "not to model its president on any specific real-life equivalent
voids Void may refer to: Science, engineering, and technology * Void (astronomy), the spaces between galaxy filaments that contain no galaxies * Void (composites), a pore that remains unoccupied in a composite material * Void, synonym for vacuum, a s ...
being a commentary on any nespecific officeholder and instead becomes a stinging commentary on the office itself", while ''
Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and film theories. ''Screen Rant'' was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. ''Scr ...
'' described the President as "a welcome addition as a great antagonist for
Rick Rick may refer to: People *Rick (given name), a list of people with the given name *Alan Rick (born 1976), Brazilian politician, journalist, pastor and television personality *Johannes Rick (1869–1946), Austrian-born Brazilian priest and mycol ...
and sometimes ally", expressing hope that "their rivalry and back and forth will continue" to be expanded upon throughout the series. Contrastingly, ''Variety'' criticized the President's increased role in the series' fifth season, stating the "Rick and the President messarounds ohave never actually been the most interesting or exciting plots of the series", although expressing interest in a future appearance by the character exploring a romantic connection between the pair.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:President, The Fictional African-American people Fictional candidates for President of the United States Fictional characters based on real people Fictional Democrats (United States) Fictional members of the United States House of Representatives Fictional presidents of the United States Fictional United States Marine Corps personnel Fictional Republicans (United States) Fictional state governors of the United States Male characters in animated series Rick and Morty characters Television characters introduced in 2015 Animated characters introduced in 2015