If you havent seen it then turn on TBS. It's probably on right now
Considering that the show features nerds as the lead characters they reference a lot of different comic books, sci fi shows/movies, books, and all that stuff. The show is currently in its 8th season and is consistently one of the most popular shows on television. They’ve had many “geeky” guest stars like James Earl Jones, George Takei, Stan Lee, Wil Wheaton, Summer Glau, as well as actual, notable geeks such as Stephen Hawking, Steve Wozniak, and Dr. George Smoot. I think it’s fair to say that one of the highlights of the series was the Stan Lee episode. It demonstrated the show’s commitment to the characters being true comic book geeks as well as playing on Lee’s real life celebrity status.
He's lived a full life
This got me thinking, why don’t they do more of these types of cameos? Stan Lee is definitely the world's most popular comic book writer but there are current writers that are producing best selling comic books that the guys are buying on a weekly basis. Why not have those guys guest star and promote the comics? Why not have actors from the superhero films show up to greet the guys and have some sort of misadventure? Here are my TOP 10 SUGGESTIONS FOR CAMEOS FOR THE BIG BANG THEORY:
GEOFF JOHNS AND JIM LEE:
It’s no secret on the show that one of Sheldon’s favorite characters is Green Lantern. Most episodes see him wearing a Green Lantern or other Lantern Corps shirt.
There he is with his trademark smile
Johns is responsible for giving Green Lantern and the Green Lantern Corps their current popular status in the comic book world. Johns helped create most of the new colored Lantern Corps and even wrote the Green Lantern comic book for a landmark 9 year run including spin offs like "Blackest Night" and "Brightest Day." The guys would have read his stuff and would likely be huge fans. Given Johns’s role as DC Entertainment Chief Creative Officer it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch for him to go to the Warner Bros lot and film a cameo. Heck, Johns could even guest write an episode or two! As for Jim Lee, he is one of the most popular artists with a career spanning over 20 years. His credits include revitalizing the X-Men, revitalizing Batman, and revitalizing the Justice League. Dang, this dude has revitalized a lot of shit! The guys would also be big fans of his and given his status as an industry legend, it would be great to see him show up on the show. Or maybe just his artwork . . . That works too . . .
That's so cool!
These two creators are still producing best selling work at DC right now, so it wouldn't be odd for them to show up on The Big Bang Theory. In fact, I'm surprised it hasn't happened already!
ROBERT DOWNEY JR:
The guys are big fans of comic books and discuss Marvel Comics and movies on a regular basis. Downey is pretty much Marvel Studio's mascot and it would be great to have him show up in an episode. He could be annoyed by all the fan attention or maybe he’d embrace it (like James Earl Jones did in his episode). Downey is a funny guy in real life and it would be great to see him branch out and do more comedic roles. Given his very busy Marvel schedule it might be difficult to put him into an episode. However, an appearance by Downey would boost ratings (not that the show needs it). They could even bring on another Avenger or two and do a whole Marvel themed episode. This is unlikely given that the show is produced by Warner Bros (Marvel is owned by Disney) but it could still be a fun way to promote Avengers: Age of Ultron or next year's Captain America: Civil War. They devoted an entire episode to Star Wars so it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility. Hey I can dream right?
SCOTT SNYDER AND GREG CAPULLO:
When it comes to record breaking, character defining runs on Batman, Snyder and Capullo are this generation’s Dennis O’Neill and Neal Adams. They’ve collaborated on the current best selling run of Batman comic books that have not only broken records but consistently remained in the top of the sales charts. When I’ve attended New York Comic Con these guys are a big deal. People literally run to meet them. They are Comic Con celebrities so it makes sense for them to meet the guys on Big Bang at some point. Sheldon could talk about their work on the Joker or how they reinvented the Batman origin with “Zero Year.” I think this is a cameo that should definitely happen. They are genuinely nice guys that love interacting with their fans. It would be great to have an episode where Sheldon pushes their buttons with his constant badgering and questioning. Sheldon's been known to make nice guys go a little crazy, usually without him noticing. It would be funny to see them react to a "passionate" fan like Sheldon. Plus, on a personal note, I love these guys. I've met them at NYCC a couple of times and loved chatting with them. And even if they never come on the show, they should still pop up somewhere. Hey maybe they can cameo on Gotham! Let's make this happen Warner Bros!
EMMA WATSON:
This one might be a bit of an odd choice, but hear me out. In the film This Is The End she showed us that she has some comedy chops. Let’s see her branch out a little more and give the guys a reason to revert back to their socially awkward days (shouldn’t be too hard). The guys are big fans of Harry Potter and it's probably safe to say that the girls are too, so it would be fun to have an episode where Watson showed up and let them all have "geek out" moments. It's also fun to see actors play against type, and I think Watson's cameo could have her break out of her "good girl" phase. Granted she's done some films where she showed a little bit more of a bad girl side, but let's show her on Big Bang where it's revealed that she is actually like that in real life. Maybe not so much in a seductress kind of way, but just a genuinely mean person. Something like that. I don't know, I just want to see Emma Watson in more things!
STEPHEN AMELL:
Given the popularity of both Arrow and The Big Bang Theory plus Amell’s presence at Comic Cons all over the country, it’s not a stretch to think that he should be considered for a guest spot on Big Bang. There are already talks of crossing over the eventual Supergirl TV show with Arrow and the Flash, why not start that now with Stephen Amell himself guest starring or making a cameo on Big Bang? It would also be a great plug for whatever new charity Amell is sponsoring. The episode could deal with Amell promoting his new charity and convincing the guys to help him out. Or maybe the guys have a debate about the Flash and Arrow crossover episodes and then Amell and or Grant Gustin show up to monitor the debate.
Damn those are some good looking men!
It's also a well known fact that Stephen Amell is a very handsome man. Like I said, it would be fun to see the guys act awkward around Emma Watson, it would also be fun to see the girls (and Raj) be awkward around Amell. Yeah, those jokes are a little cheesy but the actors have proven time and again that they can make water into wine (so to speak) with a good joke. Plus, having Amell show up on a comedy and show a little range would just be beneficial to his career. Ya know since Oliver got stabbed and all that . . .
BILL MURRAY:
Murray is infamous for being difficult to get a hold of but when he does show up he always brings his A game. It would be fantastic to see him guest star on the Big Bang Theory. Whether he plays himself, another scientist (Peter Venkman, anyone?), or some other random character it would be awesome to see him on the show. Maybe he could put those Ghostbusters 3 comments to bed once and for all. And I won't lie, I would like to see him on the show somewhat along the lines of his Zombieland cameo. That's how I imagine Bill Murray in real life. He's welcoming, funny, and forgiving.
Not to mention honest
I'd love to see the guys throw a huge party and Bill Murray show up and crash it. It's been documented that Murray has done that in real life, so why not let him do it on The Big Bang Theory? Naturally all eyes would be on him which would only drive Sheldon crazy (assuming he's the one that threw the party). Plus, look at the picture of him in the Ghostbuster uniform. Wouldn't it be great if he brought spares for the guys? Sheldon would have to forgive him for ruining his party.
MICHAEL KEATON:
Given Keaton’s popularity as Batman and his recent Oscar nomination it can be easy to forget that he got his start as a comedic actor. His most famous role other than Batman is definitely Beetlejuice. No doubt the guys will be big fans of both, so it would be great to see them meet him and try to talk to him about both of those characters.
Mostly Batman
It would be great to have a scene where the guys are debating who is the best Batman - Keaton, Bale, Kilmer, Affleck, or Clooney. The guys could get Keaton on it and it would be funny to see him offer his input whether he's all for one of the other actors, talking himself up, or just trying to get out of the conversation all together. A lively Batman debate featuring one of the actors that played Batman would be a fun way to promote Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice next year. Actually, that would be amazing!
SAMUEL L. JACKSON:
Jackson is famous for being cool. I mean the guy’s reputation is pretty much built on the fact that he’s awesome. He’s a great actor (with several Oscar nominations to prove it) but he’s also just one hell of a slick cat. It would be great to juxtapose that with the guys and their very “uncool” way of life. Maybe it could be revealed that Jackson is just as uncool as they are in real life, or maybe he gives them lessons on how to be bad ass mother-effers. Even better, Jackson could play Nick Fury and recruit the guys to be agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or Avengers. That would obviously be a dream sequence or fantasy, but it would still be cool to have Jackson show up. Maybe he and Downey could do their cameo together!
This could just as easily be a table at the Cheesecake Factory
Jackson has a very busy schedule and appears in just about everything, so a Big Bang cameo isn't too much of a stretch. It's probably a long shot, but it could be really funny and memorable.
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS:
Bendis is another famous comic book writer that has consistently put out great comics over the last few years. Bendis is responsible for the creation of Ultimate Spider-Man (both Ultimate Peter and Miles Morales), the Avengers disassembling and then reassembling several times, Secret Invasion, and critically acclaimed runs on Daredevil, X-Men, plus his own creator owned work. He is to Marvel what Geoff Johns is for DC Comics. He's an award winning writer and it's believable that the guys would be big fans of his work. Maybe the guys could meet him and then be shocked by his graphic creator owned comics. Or maybe they know about it and prefer it to his mainstream Marvel work. Either way, it would be great to get more comic book creators on the show. Referencing the movies is great, and it makes sense given their popularity, but it would be great to see more of the actual comic books sneak their way onto the series. Bendis has a knack for changing the status quo of the stuff he works on. From killing off Ultimate Peter Parker to revealing Matt Murdock as Daredevil to putting the original five X-Men in present day, there is nothing that Bendis seems to love more than shaking and breaking Marvel's most famous heroes. Why not have him guest star on Big Bang and do the same thing with the guys? It's a bit of an old trope, having a new character come on the show and split up the main characters for an episode or two, but like I said before, Big Bang is very good at making old sitcom tropes seem fresh and funny with its wonderful actors. Or, maybe Bendis is just signing autographs at the local comic book store . . . Whatever comes first . . .
SUPERGIRL:
With all this talk about Supergirl crossing over on Arrow and the Flash it’s interesting to me that no one has mentioned a possible guest spot on Big Bang. It’s not that crazy when you think about it.
Just don't think about this!
Both shows are on CBS, produced by Warner Bros, and the main characters of Big Bang will no doubt be big fans of the new Supergirl series. It would be a great way to promote Supergirl to a large audience as well as give the actress that plays her a chance to shine outside of what will probably become a famous role for her. Obviously, there wouldn’t be a big crossover like Supergirl vs The Guys or anything like that but maybe an episode devoted to Penny recalling how she auditioned for that show, or maybe Supergirl shows up in a dream sequence (like Bob Newhart as a Jedi). It would definitely be a memorable episode and a cool way to cross these two “geeky” shows. I know this is probably my strangest suggestion but I think out of all of these it actually makes the most sense. It might be a long shot, but it would still be awesome to see these two shows support each other.
Ok so is it just me or am I coming up with awesome ideas for episodes here? Haha . . . Yeah . . . Anyway, I'm a huge fan of the Big Bang Theory. It's one of the few comedy shows where I genuinely laugh out loud at almost every episode. Like I said, seeing Stan Lee on the show was a highlight for me as a comic book fan and I would love to see more moments like that. The show has changed a lot, but there are still frequent visits to the comic book store and lively debates on famous comic book characters. CBS and Warner Bros, I hope you're listening! You've signed on to do three more seasons! Let's make them unforgettable!
But unforgettable in a good way. Not like this . . .
Till next time!
JJ - The Comic Junkie
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