Stuart Fails creators explain Raj death in spinoff premiere
HBO Max’s Big Bang Theory spinoff kills a legacy character in its premiere, but the creators say the multiverse changes the stakes.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
3 min read
Raj death in Stuart Fails To Save the Universe arrives early in the HBO Max spinoff, as the Big Bang Theory offshoot sends Kunal Nayyar’s character into a deadly multiverse mess.
The premiere follows Stuart, played by Kevin Sussman, in a ruined version of Pasadena after he breaks a quantum interference device created by Sheldon and Leonard. An alternate Stuart tells him he must restore reality, sending him and Bert, played by Brian Posehn, toward CalTech to recover the machine.
Along the way, Stuart and Bert run into Denise, played by Lauren Lapkus, who is now stealing to survive, and her boyfriend Gary, played by Tommy Walker. Gary is killed in the opening sequence, but the episode saves its bigger blow for Raj.
Does Raj die in Stuart Fails To Save the Universe?
Yes, in the premiere’s universe. According to Deadline’s account of the episode, Stuart, Bert and Denise are captured and jailed with Raj, who has been held for years on orders from the Great Khalif of South Pasadena.
That ruler is revealed to be Barry Kripke, the returning Big Bang Theory character played by John Ross Bowie. After the group reaches the device, Raj is close to repairing it when Kripke shoots him in the back to preserve his own power.
Creators Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady and Zak Penn told Deadline that the multiverse setup means Raj’s fate is not as final as it first appears. Lorre and Prady said Raj is gone only from that specific universe, a point Kripke raises in the next one.
Penn said the team liked the idea because the story still allowed original Big Bang Theory characters to return. He told Deadline the premiere was designed to give viewers a sudden “oh my God, they killed Raj” moment.
Why did Kripke kill Raj?
In the premiere, Kripke kills Raj while trying to keep control of his post-apocalyptic domain. Bowie told Deadline the act pushes the story ahead, while Kripke later argues that the destroyed universe may not exist anymore, or that he killed only one Raj among endless versions.
Bowie also said filming the scene was uncomfortable because of Nayyar. He described the actor as exceptionally sweet and noted that Kripke shooting Raj in the back made the moment worse.
The episode gives Kripke an immediate beating afterward. Bowie said Bert’s extended fight with Kripke was apparently Penn’s idea, so the villain gets punished right after the shooting.
The killing followed the cast to Comic-Con, where the premiere was screened before a Thursday panel. Deadline reported that Bowie took heat from fans and castmates for what Kripke did to Raj.
At the panel, Bowie compared the act to shooting Fonzie because he sees Raj as such a beloved TV character. He also reassured the crowd that Kripke only does it once, and later asked whether the audience saw that Raj comes back.
Deadline also reported that Penn has said Prady added Kripke to the spinoff as an antagonist modeled after Dr. Zachary Smith from Lost in Space. Bowie said at Comic-Con that Kripke remains the show’s in-house villain, but over the 10 episodes he has to learn how to work with others.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.