For those who have not seen “Rick and Morty,” Mr. Poopybutthole is a recurring character who enjoys flagrantly abusing the fourth wall. He frequently converses with the audience rather than with other characters in the show. In “How Poopy Got His Poop Back,” he specifically takes a moment to introduce Season 7 as a new batch of episodes.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Mr. Poopybutthole is not his real name. No, his real name is Wayne, but in Season 1, he admits he prefers the longer, grosser title. No further explanation is ever given for why that might be the case. He reveals that he used to be Professor Poopybutthole, but that didn’t stick.
Lastly, don’t ask what Mr. Poopybutthole is because there isn’t an answer. Some theorize that he’s a version of Morty himself. In 2017, Dan Harmon told Cinema Blend that he preferred to let fans theorize about the character rather than provide a definitive response. “He subsists on lives like the way that hermit crabs steal other shells,” said Harmon cryptically. “Maybe Mr. Poopybutthole takes advantage of the holes put in your memory and kind of burrows into those pre-existing holes. So he shows up where those parasites are, and he’s more of a fourth-dimensional phantom species that isn’t bound by space, and only appears in concentrations of temporal malfunction or misperception and breakdown.”
Mr. Poopybutthole appears in “Rick and Morty” sparingly, never more than two or three times per season. Based on Scott Marder’s comments to the Hollywood Reporter about the character’s increased screen time, that might be about to change.
“Rick and Morty” Season 7 is now available to watch, with new episodes released every Sunday until December 17.
