The Big Bang Theory Universe expands with its newest upcoming spin-off, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe. In the new series, comic book store owner Stuart Bloom (Kevin Sussman) returns from The Big Bang Theory, and he and his friends embark on a quest to save the multiverse. The best news to come out of the spin-off’s announcement was that it provided an update on the status of Dr. Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki). When we last saw Leonard in the series finale of Big Bang, he and Penny were happily married and expecting their first child. However, when the series finale happened for the first Big Bang spin-off, Young Sheldon, it made fans fear the worst had happened to the good Dr. Hofstadter. It’s time to explore the fate of Leonard and his role in Stuart Fails to Save the Universe!
Is Leonard Dead After ‘The Big Bang Theory’?
Johnny Glaecki’s Leonard talking to Kaley Cuoco’s Penny by the elevator in ‘The Big Bang Theory.’Image via CBS
The Young Sheldon series finale, “Memoir,” features the return of Jim Parsons as adult Sheldon, and Mayim Bialik reprising her role as Sheldon’s wife, Amy Farrah Fowler. A narrative framing sequence reveals that Sheldon has been writing a memoir about his life, hence Parsons’ narration throughout all seven seasons of the show. Some years later, Sheldon and Amy are still together and happily married with two children: a son, whom they named after Leonard, and a daughter, whom Penny (Kaley Cuoco) routinely babysits. Although not officially recognized as canon, fans theorized that Leonard might have tragically died off-screen during the time between The Big Bang Theory series finale, “The Stockholm Syndrome,” and the new flash-forward sequence in “Memoir.”
It’s great to see that Sheldon and Amy are still together, sharing a lovely home and two kids. However, in a case of ironic cosmic karma, it appears that Sheldon and Amy are not raising two scientists, as their son Leonard loves hockey, and their daughter wants to start taking acting classes, which Sheldon blames on Penny’s influence. But what about Sheldon’s best friend, Dr. Leonard Hofstadter? It’s somewhat worrisome that Sheldon never mentions his friend Leonard in the present timeline in the scene. True, it probably makes more sense for Sheldon to reference Penny, as the dialogue exchange in the scene references when she first met the guys after moving to California to pursue an acting career. Yet, while it is mere speculation, fans also feared that Amy and Sheldon named their son after Leonard as a way to possibly honor their late friend.
What Is Leonard’s Role in ‘Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’?
The good news is that the official synopsis for Stuart Fails to Save the Universe reveals that Leonard is thankfully still alive in the present main timeline. Per the show’s logline, “Comic book store owner Stuart Bloom is tasked with restoring reality after he breaks a device built by Sheldon and Leonard, accidentally bringing about a multiverse Armageddon.” That indicates that when the show picks up, Sheldon and Leonard are working together on their multiverse project. At the very least, Leonard has not passed away and is still alive in the new series, which hopefully means that Galecki will be back in action for his iconic character.
At the moment, Galecki has not been officially confirmed to return as Leonard in Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, and the only confirmed actors who are reprising their roles from the original series are Sussman, Lauren Lapkus as Denise, Brian Posehn as Bert, and John Ross Bowie as Barry Kripke. However, the show’s synopsis states that Stuart and his friends will “meet alternate-universe versions of characters we’ve come to know and love from The Big Bang Theory.” Considering Stuart will explore alternate dimensions across the multiverse, the series should utilize the original cast members to portray their alternate versions, including Galecki.
‘Stuart Fails To Save the Universe’ Should Bring Clarity to the Fates of the Main ‘Big Bang Theory’ Characters
Bernadette (Melissa Rauch), Howard (Simon Helberg), Penny (Kaley Cuoco), and Leonard (Johnny Galecki) watch Sheldon’s Nobel Prize speech in The Big Bang TheoryImage via CBS
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is a significant development because it’s set after the end of The Big Bang Theory, presenting an opportunity for fans to revisit their favorite characters years after their storyline ended. Ideally, fans will want to catch up and see how everyone is doing and how their personal relationships are progressing. Simon Helberg is another actor from the Big Bang cast who reprised his role in Young Sheldon, providing a vocal cameo as co-narrator in the Season 5 episode, “An Introduction to Engineering and a Glob of Hair Gel.” That confirms Howard is still alive and friends with Sheldon when Sheldon starts writing his memoir, and the storyline also provides some humorous insight regarding why Sheldon always had a bias against engineers, which he would frequently take out on Howard.
Ideally, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe should quell the “Leonard is dead” fan theory and also check in with Raj Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar). Regardless, Galecki and Parsons returning as their iconic duo from the original show is the best-case scenario. It would be fantastic to see Galecki and Parsons interact onscreen again, along with revealing more details about Leonard and Penny’s family. Production for Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is well underway, so hopefully, news of Galecki and Parsons’ returns will become official soon, ahead of the show’s pending release at a later date on HBO Max.