Justin Roiland Butter Robert Didn't Just Pass Butter But Reflected Life's Reality

After more than five years since the creation of the Rick and Morty, Justin Roiland's name is synonymous with the number of memorable characters he has created in the series, including main characters such as Rick, Morty, Summer, Jerry, and Beth.

Out of numerous popular characters, one character we should remember that made us think deeply about our existence is a little sentient butter robot from season one episode "Something Ricked This Way Comes." After all, the robot humorously resonated with viewers all around on a deeper level since it portrayed the futility of existence upon the realization that its sole purpose was to pass cheese for Rick.

Interestingly, it turns out that the idea for this character came out while Roiland was working as a voice actor on an equally famous show called Adventure Time (2011-2018). 

Who is Justin Roiland?

Justin Roiland is celebrated as a pop culture icon for co-creating the animated comedy, Rick and Morty. The show is known for its quirky and absurdist humor presented in a vast plotline involving elements of philosophy, meta-commentary, science-fiction, and pop culture.

He derived the show from his earlier satirical animated shorts called The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti. The webisodes featured parodies of the characters Marty McFly and Doc Brown from 80s classic Back To The Future.  

Born and raised in Stockton, California, Roiland struggles with dyslexia, a learning disorder that severely impacts an individual's ability to read and interpret words, speech. However, he has used the condition to his artistic advantage on Rick and Morty. He proudly voices the gullible and stuttering character of Morty and drunk genius Rick without trying to hide the effects of dyslexia on his voice. 

Speaking to Hollywoodreporter in 2015, Roiland accepted his shortcomings and explained his dyslexia benefited his characters on Rick and Morty in an "oddly" unique way.

I have a dyslexic mind, so certain words come out in the wrong order or in a really weird, oddly specific way that works really great for the characters, that is almost impossible to script.

How Was Butter Robot Conceived?

On Cartoon Network's Adventure Time, Roiland voiced the character of the obnoxious and messed up Earl Of Lemongrab. He got the role because the show's creator, Pendelton Ward, was a fan of his The Grandma's Virginity Podcast.

But the role took a big toll on Roiland's vocal cords. He had to scream a lot the portray the character who was on the verge of mental breakdown.

During an interview with Vanity fair in 2020, Justin disclosed that his vocal cords became extremely swollen at a point that his doctor strictly advised him not to talk for two weeks. 

Also, the actor had no choice but to communicate through a text to speech conversion app called Talkbot, which had a "depressing text to speech voice."

Justin Roiland voices Earl Of Lemongrab (left) on Adventure Time and Butter Robot(right) on Rick and Morty. 

So, as per the creator, the same method was used to record the voice of the butter robot and voila!: the existentialism of Butter Robot was perfectly displayed. In its short-lived performance, the tiny robot asks Rick about the purpose of his creation. But after Rick repeatedly implies that he was made to "pass the butter," the small bot gets annoyed and says, "Oh my god."

Was Butter Robert Discontinued?

During an Old Spice crossover sponsored advertisement content, several cans of the deodorant storm Morty's room, spray fragrance, and try to destroy everything. In the process, the Butter Robot gets eaten by one of the Old Spice cans.

This plotline of the Butter Robot's satirical death has been perceived as a reflection of the corporate culture we have created today. The tiny robot with an existential crisis, thus, met his fate in a meaningful way. 

Did the Butter Bot Return In Rick and Morty Fourth Season?

The memorable short-lived character—the trash can robot with an existential crisis—is still alive in countless memes on the internet. 

On the show, the conscious robot also made a return in the fourth season but not really in a way fan had hoped.

Viewers were finally able to see a small glimpse of the Butter Robot in the second episode of the new fourth season of Rick and Morty.

The robotic bot appeared inside Jerry's fridge during the after-credits scene of the episode.

Butter Robot could be seen inside Jerry's fridge (Photo Source: gamespot.com)

Also, the robot appeared more stagnant and wasn't seen in the subsequent episodes. After all, it hadn't made a comeback in the show's second and third season either.

But the fans of the robot saw him in the show's mobile game titled Pocket Mortys released in 2016.