Although the main characters of All 12 seasons of The Big Bang Theory include countless superhero references, especially after Stuart's (Kevin Sussman) introduction in season 2 made the comic book store a more regular set piece.

It's such a constant on the show that the series might not feel the same without it. Stuart's Max series notwithstanding, The Big Bang Theory's spinoffs have largely avoided the subject of comic books thus far. In fact, the first two Big Bang spinoffs don't feature much in the way of nerd culture, although Young Sheldon does introduce Sheldon Cooper's (Jim Parsons) love for the Flash. And perhaps this was the correct choice, because The Big Bang Theory never quite landed its comic book references, sometimes in particularly notable ways.

Sheldon Got A Fact About Wonder Woman's Hair Color Wrong

He Should Definitely Know She Can Be Blonde

In The Big Bang Theory season 4, episode 11, "The Justice League Recombination," the guys attend a New Year's Eve costume contest as the Justice League. The gang takes advantage of Penny (Kaley Cuoco) dating Zack (Brian Thomas Smith) to rope him in as their Superman, and they badger Penny into ing as Wonder Woman despite her clear lack of enthusiasm. But when Penny refuses to put on the wig that came with the costume, Sheldon criticizes her on the basis that Wonder Woman isn't blonde. None of the guys correct him, and Sheldon himself should know better.

There have actually been multiple blonde versions of Wonder Woman. A prominent example from comic books is Young Justice's Cassie Sandsmark who, although technically designated as "Wonder Girl" rather than "Wonder Woman," shares many of Diana Prince's powers as a fellow descendant of Zeus. Interestingly, this version of Wonder Girl actually does wear a black wig in her early comic appearances, but that disguise wears out its use once her secret identity is revealed. Given her involvement in major DC events such as Countdown and Infinite Crisis, she seems very much like a character with whom Sheldon would be familiar.

This Episode Misunderstands Nerd & Cosplay Culture – Which Is The Biggest Criticism Of The Show

No Real Nerd Would Have Beef With Penny Going Blonde

Putting aside issues such as sidekicks, alternate universe versions of Wonder Woman, and the 1974 version played by Cathy Lee Crosby, Sheldon's argument about hair color still doesn't quite fit the culture that the series often tries to depict. Although Sheldon is known for being persnickety, the cosplay community in general typically s alternate takes on popular characters. This is something that the guys would know as frequent convention attendees, and at least one of them would have corrected Sheldon in just about any other conversation.

The Unfair Treatment Of Penny Is An Even Bigger Issue

She Didn't Even Really Want To Be There

Because virtually every comic book lover in The Big Bang Theory who doesn't work at Caltech is a moist-skinned, sweatpants-wearing recluse, the series often treats Penny as something of an exotic creature. Leonard predicts they will win the costume contest based solely on the inclusion of a girl in their group, despite the visible presence of multiple women at Stuart's party. But the bigger issue is the general lack of respect for the fact that Penny never wanted to attend the party at all until the guys convinced Zack to go.

Their bond might not have developed quite to the point that it reaches by the end of the series, but this episode takes place long after Sheldon's friendship with Penny has started teaching him mildly acceptable social behaviors. Yet neither he nor seemingly the rest of the gang seem to care much that Penny is ultimately doing them a favor. And, unlike her counterpart in the unaired Big Bang Theory pilot, this version of Penny is beyond patient with them.

Penny already lets her own personality fade into the background quite often when hanging out with the guys, so it's unseemly to watch them talk down to her for disliking one part of a costume that she never wanted to wear at all. There are men in nerd circles who do treat women this way, but they aren't typically the sort of people viewers enjoy watching a sitcom about. The Big Bang Theory had a chance to portray nerd culture in a relatable and even somewhat flattering way, but the series unfortunately missed that mark more often than not.

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