Raj Koothrappali Killed in Stuart Fails Premiere

In the premiere episode of the HBO Max series "Stuart Fails to Save the Universe," a major character from "The Big Bang Theory" made a shocking return and an even more shocking exit. Actor Kunal Nayyar reprised his role as astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali, only for the character to be fatally shot by a villainous version of Barry Kripke before the episode concluded.

The series, which debuted on July 23, 2026, follows Stuart Bloom, played by Kevin Sussman, after a multiverse-shattering event. A "vary-state quantum entanglement device" built by Leonard Hofstadter, Sheldon Cooper, and Howard Wolowitz malfunctioned, fracturing reality into countless unstable alternate universes. In the premiere's primary setting, a post-apocalyptic Pasadena overrun by giant moths, a version of Stuart is tasked by a visitor from the original timeline with repairing the device to restore reality.

During his mission, Stuart, joined by geologist Bert Kibbler (Brian Posehn) and his former girlfriend Denise (Lauren Lapkus), is captured and imprisoned at Caltech. There, they discover Raj, who has been held captive for years by a tyrannical ruler who has declared himself the Grand Caliph of the region. That...