The multiverse was vast and uncaring, filled with infinite worlds and endless possibilities, but none of that mattered to Jerry Smith as he wandered aimlessly through the ruins of his shattered life. He had left his family after Beth's death, unable to cope with the grief, the guilt, and the overwhelming sense of uselessness that seemed to define his existence.
Jerry had always been the outsider in his own family. He was the one who didn't belong, the one who could never quite keep up with Rick's genius or his children's bravery. But after Beth was gone—erased by a collapse in reality that he didn't even fully understand—something inside him had broken. It was like he had finally reached the edge of his usefulness, the point where he could no longer pretend to be strong for anyone, not even himself.
He had walked into that portal years ago with no destination in mind, just a desperate need to get away from the wreckage of the life he'd known. He hadn't told Morty or Summer where he was going, hadn't even looked back. In his mind, he'd convinced himself that leaving was the only way to keep from dragging them down with him. They were better off without him—without his constant failures, his endless disappointments.
The first world he landed on was nothing special—a barren wasteland where the sky was always gray, and the wind carried the echoes of a civilization long gone. Jerry spent days there, maybe weeks, wandering through the empty streets of a forgotten city, the silence pressing in on him like a weight he couldn't lift. He thought about Beth constantly, about her smile, her laugh, the way she used to look at him with a mix of frustration and affection that no one else ever seemed to have for him.
He thought about the last argument they'd had, just before she was taken from them—how he'd accused her of always putting Rick and the multiverse ahead of their family, how he'd said things he couldn't take back. And then she was gone, erased from existence, and all he had left were the words he wished he'd never spoken.
After a while, Jerry started hopping between dimensions, aimlessly drifting from one world to another. He tried to lose himself in the noise, in the chaos of new realities, but no matter where he went, he was always haunted by the same thoughts, the same regrets. He tried to find distractions—mundane jobs in random dimensions, short-lived friendships with people who had no idea who he really was—but nothing could fill the void that Beth's absence had left in his heart.
In one dimension, he took up work as a waiter in a small diner that served travelers from across the galaxy. He kept his head down, poured coffee, and listened to the chatter of customers who spoke of worlds he would never see, adventures he would never have. He was nobody there, just another face in the crowd, and for a while, that was exactly what he wanted.
But even then, in the quiet moments when the diner was empty, Jerry's thoughts would drift back to his family. To Morty, growing up too fast, forced to shoulder responsibilities that no child should ever have to bear. To Summer, becoming a hardened fighter, stronger and braver than Jerry ever could be. And to Rick, the man who had always belittled him, always looked down on him—but who, deep down, Jerry knew was grieving too.
He wondered if they even noticed he was gone, if they missed him at all, or if they were relieved that they didn't have to deal with his constant screw-ups anymore. Part of him was sure that they were better off, that they had found a way to move on without him. But another part of him—a part he could never quite silence—hoped that they hadn't forgotten him entirely.
One night, sitting alone in the empty diner, Jerry found himself talking to Beth as if she were still there. He told her how much he missed her, how sorry he was that he hadn't been strong enough to keep the family together after she was gone. He poured his heart out into the void, confessing all the things he'd never said when she was alive. The words spilled out of him like a wound he couldn't close, and when he was done, he felt emptier than ever.
It was in that moment, as he sat there in the dim light of the diner, that Jerry realized something. He was grieving—not just for Beth, but for himself, for the man he used to be before the universe shattered around him. He was grieving for the life he thought he would have, the future he had lost the moment he stepped into Rick's world of chaos and endless possibilities.
Jerry left the diner soon after that, driven by a need to find something more—something that might give his life meaning again. He started seeking out dimensions that had been touched by the same kind of chaos that had destroyed his home. He listened for rumors, whispers of timelines that were crumbling, realities that were being torn apart by forces they couldn't understand.
He heard stories about Evil Morty—tales of a twisted version of his grandson who was waging war against the multiverse, manipulating timelines for his own gain. The more Jerry learned, the more he felt a mix of fear and anger boiling up inside him. This wasn't the Morty he knew, the boy who had once looked up to his father and wanted to be a hero. This was something else, something corrupted by power and ambition.
Jerry knew he wasn't a fighter. He knew he wasn't a genius like Rick or a warrior like Summer. But he also knew he couldn't keep running forever. He couldn't keep hiding from the reality that his family was out there, still fighting, still struggling to hold the multiverse together without him. And he couldn't ignore the part of him that wanted to do something—anything—to make things right.
So, Jerry made a decision. He would find a way to help, even if it meant starting from the bottom, even if it meant stumbling and failing along the way. He couldn't save Beth, and he couldn't undo the mistakes he'd made, but maybe he could still do something that mattered. Maybe he could find a way to be more than just the screw-up who walked away.
In his search for answers, Jerry found himself drawn to the same clues that Morty and the rebellion were chasing—hints of a shadowy council, a hidden network of allies who were working with Evil Morty. He didn't know what he would do if he found them, didn't know if he could even make a difference. But he had to try.
As Jerry looked up at the swirling sky of yet another unfamiliar dimension, he felt something he hadn't felt in a long time—a flicker of determination, a spark of hope. He wasn't just running away anymore. He was running toward something, toward a chance to make things right, to prove to himself that he wasn't as useless as he'd always believed.
For the first time since he left his family, Jerry felt like he had a purpose. And he wasn't going to stop until he found a way to help bring Evil Morty and his hidden allies to justice. Not just for Beth, not just for Morty or Summer, but for himself—for the man he hoped he could still become.
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