Leonard's Reaction To Joe Manganiello's Big Bang Theory Cameo Makes No Sense
A stunning cast of original characters and plenty of appearances from some of the most well-known names in pop culture. That's the fun "The Big Bang Theory" served throughout its 12 seasons. And Season 12 helped the series go out with a bang by showing Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki) playing "Dungeons & Dragons" with "Star Trek: The Original Series" star William Shatner, basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, filmmaker Kevin Smith, "Star Trek: The Next Generation" star Wil Wheaton, and actor Joe Manganiello during Episode 16, "The D & D Vortex." But Manganiello's appearance may not live up to expectations, and it's all because of Leonard's reaction.
After game night, Leonard returns home to Penny (Kaley Cuoco), excitedly telling her about the big names he played with. That is until he starts talking about Manganiello, who he seems to only recognize as the werewolf Alcide Herveaux from "True Blood." But his roots in nerd culture run much deeper than that, which is why Leonard's reaction makes no sense, given his passion for superhero properties. Fans of Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" trilogy will recognize Manganiello for his role as Flash Thompson in the first and third films. DC fans will also recall his appearance as Slade Wilson — aka Deathstroke – in 2017's "Justice League," a role he also portrays in Zack Snyder's 2021 cut of the film. But "The Big Bang Theory" gives a nice nod to one well-known fact about the actor.
Manganiello's appearance pays homage to his love for D&D
Finding Joe Manganiello in a "Dungeons & Dragons" campaign is nothing new to fans of the actor whose love for the role-playing game has been well-documented. It's even become a part of his career. He told Variety that he has had the opportunity to do gaming design for Hasbro and "D&D," and sharing his enjoyment for such properties has changed his career. "I think publicly letting people know that I'm into that stuff, it's probably turned off a lot of women and men who follow me on Instagram because they wanted shirtless photos ... It's let the people who matter know I do understand these properties. I am one of those people who is a writer, a content creator and I get them," he said.
And it's all the more reason why his game night appearance on "The Big Bang Theory" is so perfect, despite Leonard Hofstadter's lackluster reaction. This contrasts with Penny's overly excited reaction, which is later shared by fellow "Magic Mike" fan Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik). These reactions could be little jokes in and of themselves. While Leonard is unsure about Manganiello's star power, he also doesn't know who Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is, which shocks Penny. And over-mentioning "Magic Mike" could be a way to acknowledge Manganiello's physique, which he discussed in an interview promoting the episode (via the Young Sheldon YouTube channel). "I was the 8-year-old kid or the 10-year-old kid playing a barbarian who just went to a weight room for the next 30 years to try to become the barbarian," he said.