TBBT's Jim Parsons Was Cast as a Marvel Villain You Probably Completely Forgot About
Why would Sheldon become a villain?
Summary:
- Jim Parsons, known for portraying Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory, voiced a villain, not a hero, in a cartoon for kids.
- Nightmare almost debuted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a Doctor Strange villain.
- Jim Parsons isn’t the only TBBT star to have Marvel experience.
We all know and love Jim Parsons for his portrayal of Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory, especially for Sheldon's unwavering enthusiasm for comic books and superheroes. Surprisingly, Parsons once jumped right off Sheldon's comic book pages into the Marvel Universe — not as a hero, but as a villain.
Parsons Voiced a Bad Guy in a Marvel Cartoon for Kids
Before we got drowned in the intensity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Loki, Thanos, or Kang the Conqueror, there was a quirky animated series named The Super Hero Squad Show.
The show was a lighter, more humorous take on the Marvel universe, and it was primarily aimed at younger audiences. Yet, it had its share of Easter eggs and cameos that older fans could appreciate.
And in this colorful, chibi-esque world of superheroes and villains, Jim Parsons voiced none other than Nightmare. Yep, Sheldon was a villain.
Who Is Nightmare and Did He Appear in the MCU?
If you're not a die-hard comic fan, you might be wondering who Nightmare is. In Marvel comics, Nightmare is a fear lord and ruler of the Dream Dimension.
He’s one of Doctor Strange’s oldest foes and represents all that is dark and fearful in our dreams. It’s sort of ironic when you think of how Sheldon had his issues with sleep and nightmares on The Big Bang Theory. The villain hasn’t appeared in the MCU yet, but apparently, he was really close.
Nightmare Was Going to Become Antagonist for Doctor Strange 2
There were whispers about Nightmare possibly making a grand entry in the MCU. The rumor mills were particularly active around the time Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was in the making.
Speculations were rife that Nightmare might make an appearance in this sequel, especially given his significant role as a major Doctor Strange villain in the comic books. However, as it turned out, Nightmare's anticipated arrival in the MCU was more of a dream than reality.
The original idea was indeed to have Nightmare as the villain in the Doctor Strange sequel. The original director Scott Derrickson and writer C. Robert Cargill were keen on this idea, but alas, it didn't make it into any existing script. Scott Derrickson eventually stepped down due to creative differences.
Early concept art and set designs revealed that at least one scene was initially planned showing Nightmare meddling with the Sorcerer Supreme. Nightmare was depicted in medieval armor, galloping on a horse.
Artist Ryan De Silva, who worked on the artwork when Scott Derrickson was still pinned to the project, shared it online.
Other Big Bang Theory Stars with Marvel Experience
Jim Parsons is probably the biggest star of TBBT who had something to do with Marvel, but he isn’t the only one. Melissa Rauch, who portrayed Bernadette Rostenkowski, lent her voice to the character of the Wasp in the Ant-Man animated series (2017).
Mayim Bialik, whom we all know as Amy, voiced a superhero Lady Lightning in Stan Lee's Mighty 7, a 2014 animated film.
Source: Ryan De Silva’s Website