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For other uses, see Vindicator (disambiguation).
The Vindicators
Created bySarah Carbiener
Erica Rosbe
Original work"Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender" (Rick and Morty S. 3)
OwnersCartoon Network
(Warner Bros. Entertainment)
Years2017–present
Based onRick and Morty by Justin Roiland, Dan Harmon
Print publications
ComicsHero Mix Vol. 1 (2018)
Origin of the Vindicators (2018)
Films and television
Animated series
Games
Video game(s)Pocket Mortys Season 3 (2017)
Official website
The Vindicators

The Vindicators is an American animated superhero comedy spin-off of the Rick and Morty franchise, owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, whose primary eponymous team consists of Vance Maximus, Supernova, Alan Rails, Crocubot, Million Ants, and Noob Noob, and were created by Sarah Carbiener and Erica Rosbe for the 2017 third season of Rick and Morty, premiering in "Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender". Following the publication of a comic book sequel and prequel by Oni Press in 2018, the characters were revived after five years with Vindicators 2: Last Stand Between Earth and Doom, a ten-episode miniseries released to the Adult Swim YouTube channel in 2022 as the second television series in the franchise,[1] with Carbiener serving as showrunner, and expressing interest in further seasons of the series being produced.[2]

The series centers on the misadventures of the Vindicators, a team of galaxy-faring superheroes who protect planets from threats across the universe, with the characters traveling to other planets and dimensions via spaceships while slowly becoming disillusioned with the universe and their place in it, in a dark satire of the superhero genre. The Vindicators series has received critical praise.

Background

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Creation

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Main article: Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender

In 1996, Matt Selman wrote a The Vindicators television pilot script for Comedy Central, revolving around "a team of super heroes with real-life problems". In 1998, the network agreed to produce a pilot from Selman's script, which on completion, was immediately shelved from release due to poor quality, never to be aired.[3]

On the beginning of development of a third season of the adult animated science-fiction sitcom Rick and Morty in November 2015,[4] Selman's The Vindicators was re-pitched as a spec script from Sarah Carbiener and Erica Rosbe, inspired by the superhero genre and Saw franchise.[5][6][7][8] Carbiener stated that she managed to learn many things from her experience as a member of the writing team on the episode, stating that a story that for other shows would have been an entire episode, for Rick and Morty would only be its first few minutes, and as such, the team had to write a large amount of story in a very short time.[7] The first Vindicators episode, "Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender", premiered on August 13, 2017, as the fourth episode of the season.

Main characters

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Main article: List of Rick and Morty characters

The first line of defense against evil. The guardians of the unguarded. Writers of their own press releases. Vance Maximus! Supernova! Alan Rails! Million Ants! Crocubot! They are… the Vindicators!

J. Torres — Rick and Morty Presents: The Vindicators: Hero Mix Vol. 1 establishing text.[9]

The main characters of the spin-off are the members of the superhero team the Vindicators, who band together to fight evil when it threatens to destroy the world, which consists of Vance Maximus, Supernova, Alan Rails Crocubot, and Million Ants, former members Lady Katana, Calypso, and Diablo Verde, and interns Noob Noob, Rick Sanchez, and Morty Smith. The team is inspired by the Marvel Comics teams Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Scrapped members included Dr. Reach, a man with stretching powers; conjoined twins, one fit and attractive, and the other not; a knitting grandmother, and Ventriloquiver, a character later incorporated into the fourth season episode "One Crew over the Crewcoo's Morty", voiced by Claudia Black.

Television series

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SeasonEpisodesOriginally releasedNetwork
"Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender"August 13, 2017 (2017-08-13)Adult Swim
Vindicators 210July 23, 2022 (2022-07-23)YouTube

"Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender" (2017)

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Main article: Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender

Depicting the third adventure of the Vindicators, "Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender" follows Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith as they join the Vindicators again (following a previous offscreen adventure with the superhero team) to defeat a returned Worldender. However, a blackout Drunk Rick defeats Worldender alone the night before and sets up a series of Saw-inspired challenges for the Vindicators and his sober self to complete the next day, slowly turning the team against one another.

Written by Sarah Carbiener and Erica Rosbe and directed by Bryan Newton, "Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender" premiered on August 13, 2017, as the fourth episode of the third season of the American adult animated science-fiction sitcom Rick and Morty.[13][14][15]

Vindicators 2: Last Stand Between Earth and Doom (2022)

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Depicting the second adventure of the Vindicators, the slice of life series explores the Vindicators (including a pregnant Supernova) as they protect the galaxy at large, while preparing to prevent the planet devourer Doom-Nomitron from destroying Earth.

On May 20, 2021, Adult Swim announced a short spin-off series entitled The Vindicators was in development, alongside spin-offs from other Adult Swim shows like Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Robot Chicken, and Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell. The ten-episode series, now entitled Vindicators 2: Last Stand Between Earth and Doom, or simply Vindicators 2, premiered on Adult Swim's YouTube channel on July 23, 2022, with each episode being between two and three minutes, and character co-creator Carbiener serving as showrunner.[16] The series centers on the Vindicators on their adventure before the events of "Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender", along with original members Diablo Verde, Lady Katana and Calypso, the former Vindicators first mentioned in the episode Vindicators 1: Origin of the Vindicators.[17] Carbiener and Rosbe told io9 that the short format of Vindicators 2 allowed them to explore non-standard plots and slice of life depictions of superheroes. Production took place over the videoconferencing software Zoom,[18] with the main voice actors from the original Rick and Morty episode reprising their roles.[19]

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Rick Can Handle It"Maite GarciaSarah Carbiener and Erica RosbeJuly 23, 2022 (2022-07-23)
The Vindicators try to come up with plan to defeat the monster Doom-Nomitron approaching Earth. However, with Supernova unable to utilize her full powers due to being pregnant, the other Vindicators vote to leave the protection of Earth to Rick rather than risk their own lives for a planet they don't care for.
2"Pro-Nouns"Maite GarciaSarah Carbiener and Erica RosbeJuly 23, 2022 (2022-07-23)
During a party, Alan suggests to Million Ants that he start dating. Million Ants tries to register to a dating site, but when it asks him what pronouns he identifies himself by, Million Ants is at a loss since he considers himself male, but is controlled by a female queen ant, and consists of a million individual ants.
3"The Dance"Maite GarciaSarah Carbiener and Erica RosbeJuly 23, 2022 (2022-07-23)
After the Vindicators are sent reeling after a particularly violent battle, Crocubot secretly takes his leave to seclude himself in some ancient ruins so he can dance to relieve his stress.
4"Out of Gas"Maite GarciaSarah Carbiener and Erica RosbeJuly 23, 2022 (2022-07-23)
When the Vindicators' ship runs out of fuel, Alan offers to summon a ghost train to tow the ship to safety. However, the train he summons instead breaches a hole in the hull, threatening to suck the Vindicators out into space.
5"First Love"Maite GarciaSarah Carbiener and Erica RosbeJuly 23, 2022 (2022-07-23)
When the Vindicators' ship crash lands on an alien planet, Noob Noob rescues an alien girl named Drizz and they quickly befriend each other. Noob Noob bemoans that he had a plan to save Earth, but the other Vindicators don't take him seriously. However, he grows uncomfortable when he realizes Drizz may be underage by her species' standards and he flees.
6"Mercy Kill"Maite GarciaSarah Carbiener and Erica RosbeJuly 23, 2022 (2022-07-23)
Vance and Supernova slaughter an alien species invading another planet. They then contemplate mercy killing a mortally wounded alien but it dies before they can actually mercy kill it. Supernova then suffers a miscarriage, resulting in an explosion that destroys the planet they just saved.
7"Girls Night"Maite GarciaSarah Carbiener and Erica RosbeJuly 23, 2022 (2022-07-23)
Supernova goes to a nightclub with Calypso, Lady Katana, and Diablo Verde. However, she gets drunk and ends up inadvertently killing the other three Vindicators and the entire nightclub. Alan tries to comfort the emotionally distraught Supernova while Vance murders the bartender to silence him.
8"Kintsugi"Maite GarciaSarah Carbiener and Erica RosbeJuly 23, 2022 (2022-07-23)
Alan repairs a vase, and then summons a train that drives by and shatters it. Alan then picks up the pieces of the vase and begins to reassemble it again.
9"Little Trains"Maite GarciaSarah Carbiener and Erica RosbeJuly 23, 2022 (2022-07-23)
As Doom-Nomitron approaches Earth, it is easily killed by one of Rick's inventions. Supernova is ecstatic since they can take credit for Doom-Nomitron's death, cover up Calpyso, Lady Katana, and Diablo Verde's deaths as heroic sacrifices fighting the monster, and cover up the destruction of Dorian-5 as one of Doom-Nomitron's targets. However, Alan is disillusioned due to a combination of the team's mistakes, Supernova's miscarriage, and his own sexual impotence. Supernova then suggests they visit a healer that can help Alan forget his pain.
10"Heroes"Maite GarciaSarah Carbiener and Erica RosbeJuly 23, 2022 (2022-07-23)
The Vindicators attend an awards ceremony to honor them for Doom-Nomitron's defeat. Alan still has second thoughts due to stealing credit from Rick as well as their many other mistakes, but Vance insists that the villains are whoever they kill. As the ceremony goes underway, the Vindicators are hailed as heroes.

Future

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Following the series premiere of Vindicators 2 in July 2022, series showrunner Sarah Carbiener expressed interest in further seasons of the series being produced.[2] In January 2023, following Justin Roiland's firing from the franchise, it was announced that his voice roles (including the Vindicator Noob Noob in any future seasons of The Vindicators) would be recast.[20][21]

Comic books

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Main article: Rick and Morty (comics)
No. Title Release date ISBN
Rick and Morty Presents Vol. 1Rick and Morty Presents: The Vindicators: Hero Mix Vol. 1March 7, 2018[9]978-1-6201-0552-8
Rick and Morty Vol. 9Rick and Morty: Origin of the Vindicators (Vindicators 1)November 28, 2018[22]978-1-6201-0641-9

The Vindicators: Hero Mix Vol. 1 (2018)

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Using the franchise's established premise of alternate timelines, the first issue of the spin-off anthology series Rick and Morty Presents, written by J. Torres and titled The Vindicators: Hero Mix Vol. 1, features Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith encountering the "All-New All-Different" Vindicators sometime after their deaths, revived by Supernova, who now has a cyborg arm as a result of using her powers to resurrect them, and who reluctantly recruit Rick and Morty again to assist them in saving the multiverse against Boon, a corrupted evil version of Noob Noob,[9] recruiting Scary Terry / Scarepool and an alternate reality Pickle Rick to the team. Primarily illustrated by CJ Cannon, the front cover was designed by Jen Bartel.[23][24]

Vindicators 1: Origin of the Vindicators (2018)

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In November 2018, the ninth volume of the Oni Press comic book series Rick and Morty, written by Kyle Starks, featured Vindicators 1: The Origin of the Vindicators, adapted as the series' forty-fifth issue overall.[25] Characters from the comic were later adapted to the animated miniseries Vindicators 2.

Short films

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Vindicators, a short film written, directed, and animated solely by animator Paul Robertson, in the style of a 16-bit video game, aired on Adult Swim as promotion for the fourth season of Rick and Morty in May 2020, before being uploaded to Robertson's own YouTube channel later that August.[26]

On April 30, 2021, a 17-minute pixel art-animated short film, titled Rick + Morty in the Eternal Nightmare Machine, was aired on Adult Swim (and uploaded to YouTube) to promote the then-upcoming fifth season of Rick and Morty. The film, featuring characters from The Vindicators in supporting roles, was also written, directed, and animated by Robertson.[27]

Video games

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In September 2017, the Vindicators Noob Noob and Vindicator Morty were added as playable characters to the Pokémon-inspired free-to-play role-playing video game Pocket Mortys for iOS and Android.[28][29]

Merchandise

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Several licensed Funko Pops and Mystery Minis have been made based on characters of the Rick and Morty franchise,[30] including the Vindicators.[31][32]

Reception

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Reviewing the episode "Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender", Jesse Schedeen of IGN complimented the "fun twists" and "bleaker tone" of the titular team,[33] with Greene of IndieWire praised the vocal performance of the Vindicators, approving of the "nice bit of misdirection" their characterisation.[14] Jack Shepherd of The Independent similarly praised the episode as "one of their funniest, most deranged adventures [of Rick and Morty] yet", praising its use of superhero tropes.[34]

Reviewing the miniseries Vindicators 2: Last Stand Between Earth and Doom, Rafael Motamayor of /Film described the series as "far from groundbreaking or even that surprising", initially criticising the short length of each episode and how each episode would "mostly [amount] to a single visual joke", before ultimately finding the series as a whole to be a "fun and harmless" way to "revisit these characters, make fun superhero stories, and expand on the implications of the heroes' wild powers".[35]

References

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  1. ^ Schneider, Michael (June 17, 2021). "As 'Rick and Morty' Returns for Season 5, So Does the Adult Swim Hit's Merchandise Juggernaut". Variety. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Dubey, Shivani; Pie, David (July 26, 2022). "Rick and Morty spin-off boss shares genius idea for next official spin-off". Digital Spy. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  3. ^ Russell, Bradley (March 2, 2020). "The Simpsons writer reveals the origin behind *that* Rick and Morty joke". GamesRadar. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  4. ^ Roiland, Justin [@JustinRoiland] (November 1, 2015). "Great. Going to be hungover for first day of season three writing tomorrow" (Tweet). Archived from the original on April 26, 2018 – via Twitter.
  5. ^ Gajewski, Ryan (October 3, 2015). "'Rick and Morty' Co-Creators on Finale's Challenges, Hiring Female Writers, 'Community' Lessons". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 15, 2018. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
  6. ^ Shanley, Patrick (August 11, 2017). "Meet the Women Behind 'Rick and Morty's' Third Season". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 9, 2018. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  7. ^ a b Whalen, Andrew (October 11, 2016). "'Rick And Morty' Season 3 Writers Describe Completing New Episodes". Player.One. Archived from the original on February 26, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  8. ^ Hibberd, James (September 21, 2017). "'Rick and Morty' Co-Creator Slams Trolls Attacking Their Female Writers". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 11, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  9. ^ a b c Matar, Joe (December 13, 2017). "Rick and Morty Spinoff Comic Series Coming from Oni Press". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  10. ^ a b Adult Swim (July 29, 2013). SDCC 2013 – Rick and Morty – Adult Swim (YouTube).
  11. ^ a b Adult Swim (July 29, 2013). SDCC 2013 – Rick and Morty – Adult Swim (YouTube).
  12. ^ Topel, Fred (December 2, 2013). "Exclusive Interview: Dan Harmon & Justin Roiland on 'Rick and Morty'". CraveOnline. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  13. ^ Yeoman, Kevin (August 13, 2017). "Rick and Morty: Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender Review". Screen Rant. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  14. ^ a b Greene, Steve (August 14, 2017). "'Rick and Morty' Review: 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Gets a Deadly Twist in 'Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender'". IndieWire. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  15. ^ Mylrea, Hannah (August 16, 2017). "Rick and Morty: who are the show's cosmic superheroes The Vindicators?". NME. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  16. ^ Valdez, Nick (July 24, 2022). "Rick and Morty's Vindicators Spin-Off is Now Streaming All Episodes: Watch". Comic Book/Anime. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  17. ^ Bankhurst, Adam (May 19, 2021). "Rick & Morty and Three Other Adult Swim Shows are Getting Spin-Off Digital Shorts". IGN. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  18. ^ Graves, Sabina (July 20, 2022). "Vindicators Creators Sarah Carbiener and Erica Rosbe on Their Rick and Morty Spin-Off". i09. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  19. ^ Velasquez, Raul (July 25, 2022). "Rick And Morty Spinoff The Vindicators 2 Is Out On Adult Swim". GameRant. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  20. ^ Kilkenie, Katie (January 24, 2023). "Adult Swim Cuts Ties With Justin Roiland Following Domestic Abuse Charges". The Hollywood Reporter.
  21. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 24, 2023). "Adult Swim Severs Ties With 'Rick And Morty' Co-Creator Justin Roiland After Domestic Violence Charges Against Him Became Public". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  22. ^ Johnston, Rich (August 22, 2018). "Pickle Rick Gets His Own Comic in Oni Press November 2018 Solicits". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  23. ^ Plante, Corey (February 13, 2018). "'Rick and Morty' Season 4: New Comic Brings Back the Vindicators". Inverse. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  24. ^ Silliman, Brian (April 29, 2019). "Exclusive: First look at Rick and Morty Presents: The Vindicators comic". Syfy. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  25. ^ Varnham, Scott (November 8, 2019). "Rick and Morty Comics Are Worth Your Time Too". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on August 15, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  26. ^ Robertson, Paul (August 31, 2020). Vindicators. Adult Swim. Retrieved August 31, 2020 – via YouTube.
  27. ^ Lederer, Donnie (May 1, 2021). "Rick and Morty Venture Into the Eternal Nightmare Machine to Prepare for Season 5 Premiere". Syfy Wire. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  28. ^ Mufson, Beckett (January 6, 2016). "Wubba Lubba Dub Dub! 'Rick and Morty' Becomes a Pokémon-Style Game". The Creators Project. Archived from the original on September 19, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  29. ^ Arthur, Ty (August 14, 2016). "Pocket Mortys Season 3 Weekly Update 4: Noob Noob And Prisoner Mortys". Game Skinny. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  30. ^ "FUNKO POP FIGURES OF RICK AND MORTY". July 31, 2021. Archived from the original on October 21, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  31. ^ Yo Go Ee (June 1, 2018). "Rick and Morty Mystery Minis – The Vindicators". OAFE. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  32. ^ Treutel, Trey (May 16, 2018). "2018 Funko Rick and Morty Mystery Minis Series 2". The Cardboard Connection. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
  33. ^ Schedeen, Jesse (August 14, 2017). "Rick and Morty: "Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender" Review". IGN. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  34. ^ Shepherd, Jack (August 14, 2017). "Rick and Morty Season 3 Episode 4 Review: Guardians of the Galaxy meets Saw in Vindicators 3". The Independent. Archived from the original on August 17, 2022. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  35. ^ Motamayor, Rafael (July 25, 2022). "How To Watch Every Episode Of The Rick And Morty Spin-Off, The Vindicators". /Film. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
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