Creators Discuss Raj's Death in 'Stuart Fails To Save the Universe' Premiere

The first episode of HBO Max’s "Stuart Fails To Save the Universe" opens with Stuart (Kevin Sussman) in a post-apocalyptic Pasadena who must retrieve a quantum device from CalTech. While on the mission, Stuart, Bert (Brian Posehn) and Denise (Lauren Lapkus) are captured and imprisoned alongside Raj (Kunal Nayyar), a legacy character from The Big Bang Theory. Raj is killed by Barry Kripke (John Ross Bowie) just moments before he can repair the device.

When Deadline asked creators Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady and Zak Penn about the decision, Lorre and Prady said the death occurs only in the episode’s universe, while Penn added, "We liked the idea, I think we all thought it would be fun to do because we knew that we could bring them back. But I think it’ll be fun for people watching the first episode, don’t you? That there’ll be this moment of like, oh my God, they killed Raj!"

During a Comic-Con panel, Prady hinted that additional Big Bang characters will appear in future episodes, stating, "You saw one wonderful member of the The Big Bang Theory family in that first episode. There are more."

Bowie, speaking in character as Kripke, acknowledged the impact of the murder, saying, "I would be very curious as to how America reacts to that. It moves the plot forward, and in the very next episode, I make the point that maybe that universe doesn’t exist anymore, in which case I did not kill Raj, or I killed one of an infinite number of Rajes."

Bowie also noted that Kripke’s villainous actions would lead to consequences later in the series, describing a subsequent fight scene as "the most extended fight scene either of us has ever done."

The creators indicated that Kripke was introduced as an antagonist similar to Dr. Zachary Smith from Lost in Space and that the character will have an arc over the ten-episode season, eventually learning to work with others.