Batman Villain Officially Crossing Over To New HBO Max Series

Published Jul 23, 2026, 6:12 PM EDT Nick Bythrow is a Lead Writer for ScreenRant. He has been writing for the site since September 2022. He graduated from Hampshire College in 2022, where he triple majored in Journalism, Communications, and Media Studies. When he's not writing about TV and movies for ScreenRant and his blog, Frayed Branches, Nick is penning speculative fiction and poetry on Amazon. He lives outside Boston, Massachusetts. A Batman villain is officially crossing over into an upcoming HBO Max show, as revealed at San Diego Comic-Con. It's been confirmed that a Batman villain will be crossing over into Stuart Saves the Universe season 1, tying the two franchises together as Stuart travels the multiverse. Stuart Fails to Save the Universe follows Stuart Bloom who inadvertently causes rifts between realities after breaking a machine made by Sheldon and Leonard. Across the 10-episode season, he and his friends meet multiverse variants of themselves as they travel to different worlds, intent on setting things right to prevent a multiversal apocalypse scenario. During a panel for Stuart Saves the Universe at SDCC, for which ScreenRant's Brennen Klein was in attendance, Jim Lee, CCO of DC Comics, confirmed Mr. Freeze will appear in The Big Bang Theory spinoff. Comparing the story of the spinoff to Gulliver's Travels, he confirmed that Mr. Freeze will be showing up as Stuart and his friends travel across dimensions. He also teased more DC character variants, too, indicating the Batman villain is only the beginning. Check out what Lee had to say below: It's like nerds going through Gulliver’s Travels… some of the DC characters they have in it are, I think, some of the best versions of those characters. In addition, co-creator Bill Prady teased that "there are more [Big Bang Theory cameos coming after episode 1.] There are also some wonderful minor characters that are coming back." As of writing, the only returning characters in The Big Bang Theory are Stuart, Bert Kibbler, Denise, and Barry Kripke in the main cast, while Wil Wheaton is also returning as a fictional version of himself. The inclusion of DC characters means the show will be going beyond its limits as a franchise spinoff, propelling its world to a very different place. Although it's unclear what Mr. Freeze's inclusion means for the show, it does indicate any number of surprises could transpire, even during the very first episode. The series is produced by Warner Bros. Television, which owns the movie and TV rights to DC Comics characters, and is streaming on HBO Max, where plenty of DC TV shows have reigned supreme. Although the Batman villain is the only confirmed appearance so far, there appears to be no limit to who else might show up. The series is one of two ongoing The Big Bang Theory spinoffs, the other being the prequel show Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage, which will return on CBS for season 3 later this year. Stuart Fails to Save the Universe reviews have been generally positive so far, the show touting a 70% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 27 reviews as of writing. The inclusion of DC characters will only continue to enhance the wild elements of the show, while making it clear nothing in the series can be expected in advance. With the show premiering tonight, July 23 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO Max, it won't be long until even more is revealed about what to anticipate. It seems like episode 1 doesn't include Mr. Freeze, but his arrival alongside other DC Comics characters makes Stuart Fails to Save the Universe an even more unique installment as The Big Bang Theory franchise continues its expansion. Release Date July 23, 2026 Network HBO Max Directors Kyle Newacheck Writers Bill Prady, Chuck Lorre, Zak Penn Creator(s) Chuck Lorre, Zak Penn, Bill Prady