Is Leonard dead in The Big Bang Theory (Photo Credit – Instagram)
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The Big Bang Theory’s spinoff series, The Young Sheldon concluded with a theory that the original show’s Leonard Hofstadter might be dead, which could hugely impact the franchise’s future. CBS’ special one-hour send-off for the Coopers as Sheldon featured the appearance of adult Sheldon and Amy Farrah from the future. However, no other The Big Bang Theory character appeared in the finale, implying that Sheldon’s best friend Leonard may already be gone.
Why Leonard’s Absence in Conversations Fuels the Theory of His Possible Fate?
This theory can be proved as Sheldon and Amy continued to refer to their son as Leonard, the name which was inspired by Sheldon’s love for Leonard Hofstadter and Leonard Nimoy. Moreover, in the finale episode, Sheldon only mentions Leonard’s wife when he and Amy leave his office to attend Leonard’s hockey game in Pasadena.
At the time, Amy states that their daughter wants to take acting classes to which Sheldon said, “This is what happens when we let Penny babysit.” While name-dropping Penny may seem harmless, Sheldon and Amy could’ve easily brought up Leonard’s name in their conversation. However, Leonard wasn’t acknowledged in any of their or Penny’s conversation.
The Young Sheldon’s finale doesn’t clearly confirm that Leonard is dead or how far into the future was adult Sheldon and Amy are from. But given that their son is in his early teenage while their daughter is a few years younger than him, it must have been a decade since they won the Nobel Prize in Physics. Moreover, considering Leonard’s health issues including asthma and sleep apnea, it could be possible that he may have died by then.
Furthermore, if Leonard is dead, it could hugely impact Big Bang Theory’s universe as it would disrupt Penny’s arc on the show. She will be left a single mother, given she never wanted to have children in the first place but eventually compromised for Leonard.
Penny ending up as a single mother contradicts her original desires and presents a bleak future for her character. Moreover, Leonard’s death would affect other key characters, including Sheldon himself. It would also devastate Beverly, who just reconciled with her son in the TBBT finale. Considering these impacts on characters and fans alike, Leonard being dead might not be the ideal narrative choice.
