Six Adult Animated Series That Pay Homage To Classic Cartoons
Rick and Morty Give a Subtle Nod to Black Butler
Sometimes a nod can be so subtle only fans of the referenced property will get it—and sometimes not even them. The Speed Racer and Sailor Moon shout outs were so over-the-top people who are merely aware of those properties would at least understand the joke. But for a show like Rick and Morty, subtlety is king… as are over-the-top references, which they never shy away from.
In the season two episode “Total Rickall,” the family inexplicably has a butler (and a few dozen other mysterious friends). After “remembering” a time Mr. Beauregard saved their lives, Summer says, “If he wasn’t our butler, it’s safe to say the family would be in a Hell of a lot of trouble.” The way she emphasized Hell was indicative to the way Sebastian from Black Butler does because he is actually a demon sent from Hell. It’s not a funny line in and of itself, so the family’s laughter wouldn’t make sense unless they were familiar with the anime/manga and they subconsciously knew something was up with Mr.Beauregard.
"There are also other characters that come and go (also owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery conglomerate media company)."
Huh. Is that just referring to other characters from the show itself, or is this implying that the new season is going to have cameos from other WBD IPs