Spoilers below for anyone who hasn't yet watched Stuart Fails to Save the Universe's fourth episode via HBO Max subscription, so be warned!
As a spinoff of The Big Bang Theory fully embracing science-fiction story arcs, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe was predispositioned to be among the nerdiest shows on the 2026 TV schedule. (A distinction I use lovingly.) But wowie zowie, the fourth episode delivered a tour de force on that front, with one particular shot pretty much spoiling that bonkers Matrix-infused ending, but only for those viewers who knew what they were looking at. It definitely helps to be a DC Comics fan.
To be sure, "Spoiler: Stuart Makes A Wallet" featured several moments throughout the episode that heavily hinted at something being off about the particular universe Kevin Sussman's character ended up in after the Magic World mayhem with Wil Wheaton and Melissa Rauch's Berna-demon. But none were so mindful and cleverly constructed as the comic shop wall where Stuart found the issue depicting his own story. It had nothing to do with that comic, though, and more to do with every other one.
Seemingly Every Comic On The Wall Is A Direct Reference To The Show And The Twist Ending
I've been an avid comic reader and collector for some years, so this piece of set-dec immediately caught my eye because of how seemingly unorganized and slapped-together it looked. Not only because certain series are represented through multiple issues, but because there are comics with current runs like the gloriously trippy Absolute Martian Manhunter placed next to series that wrapped years ago. So I looked a little closer.
Yes indeed, just about every comic I recognized had an easy correlation to make in regards to Stuart & Co. waking up inside the Matrix. Or outside the Matrix, technically. As much as I'd like to go into detail about every single issue, I'll try to keep it brief...ish. Let's start jumping around from the top-left corner.
- The Dreaming #17 (1996) - This is one of 6 (I believe) issues of The Dreaming's 60-issue run that appear on the wall. Without even going into deeper themes, the series name alone is the nose-tapper.
- Supergirl #2 (1994) - In this case, the comic serves as more of a visual nod to both the ending and multiplicity of the show, with an assortment of Supergirls shown inside various pods.
- DCeased #2 (2019) - This variant cover is based on the poster for A Nightmare on Elm Street.
- A. Bizarro #1 (1999) - While possibly a specific reference to the cloned Bizarro trying to find his place in life, I think it's probably more of a reference to dichotomies.
- Absolute Martian Manhunter #6 (2025) - One of six issues from this particular series, which is essentially about an FBI agent who can't figure out if the green martian taking over his mind is truly real or not. That's not quite it, but for the purposes of this comparison, it is.
Not convinced yet? What about references to these characters and stories?
- Firestorm - one hero comprising two different people, speaking to the duality of things.
- Kismet - DC character who can alter reality
- Psycho Pirate - has the ability to manipulate emotions, and create both duplicates and illusions
- Forever People's Beautiful Dreamer - self-explanatory
- House of Brainiac - The cover for this one is reflective of the Matrix-esque visuals, but also Brainac's clone-specific plotting
- Future's End and Convergence - involves mutliversal stories
And yes, Marvel did pop up a couple of times up there, most notably with the Avengers Forever 's variant featuring all the different Scarlet Witches.
There are a couple of comic books up there that I don't really know what the reference is supposed to be. One is the Super-someone comic up top that I can't recognize. And I'm not sure what's up with that Secret Avengers issue also on the top row. But I'm sure it's all connected.
I can't wait to see what other super-nerdy scenes and situations come up in future episodes, as well as finding out whether or not my theory about Jim Parsons' Sheldon is right or not. See you after the next one!
