Did You Ever Notice That ‘The Big Bang Theory’ Characters Never Wore Marvel Costumes
The Big Bang Theory was well-known for injecting pop culture references into pretty much every one of its 279 episodes. While the show’s writers were great at seamlessly adding references into the show, and the costume designers were pretty skilled in dressing Sheldon Cooper, Leonard Hofstadter, Howard Wolowitz, and Raj Koothrappali in comic-centric attire, fans noticed that the pals rarely showed up in Marvel merchandise. In fact, no character on the series ever dressed as a Marvel superhero, and there is a reason why.
No character on The Big Bang Theory ever wore a Marvel costume
Comic books were a major part of the lives of Leonard, Howard, Sheldon, and Raj. The gang was so enamored with comics that they spent a large portion of their free time in a comic store or dressing in character for events. However, fans were quick to notice that while the pals often fought over certain characters, they never donned the costume of a character from the Marvel universe.
During the show’s 12-season run, Sheldon and Leonard both regularly wore comic book t-shirts, but never t-shirts that featured Marvel characters. The comic book store rarely featured Marvel posters, nor was Marvel merchandise featured in the store. Why would a group of friends who were basically obsessed with comic books shy away from Marvel? The answer is actually simple and has nothing to do with Sheldon and his friends’ tastes.
There is a good reason for the lack of Marvel merch
There is a very good reason why Marvel merchandise almost never appeared on The Big Bang Theory. While CBS aired the series for all 12 seasons, Warner Bros. owns the show. Warner Bros. also happens to own DC comics.
Warner Bros. has never commented on why Marvel was basically blacklisted from the series. Still, it would be in their best interest to push their own property. It likely would have also been difficult for Warner Bros. to get licensing from Marvel to show its characters. That’s likely why Raj Koothrappali dressed as the Norse version of Thor, instead of the comic version.
The Big Bang Theory didn’t shy away from mentioning Marvel, though
While the characters never donned a Marvel costume and were never seen wearing Marvel apparel, that doesn’t mean the comic book giant was never mentioned. It would be nearly impossible for a show that relied so heavily on relevant pop culture, never to mention such a massive part of nerd culture.
Marvel characters were referenced fairly regularly, and Marvel memorabilia did sneak into the series every so often. Reddit fans also note that Stan Lee made a cameo on the show. For the most part, though, the characters from its comics were avoided. DC references and apparel were subbed in instead.
