Wil Wheaton plays a fictionalized version of himself in The Big Bang Theory. He first appears in season 3 and acts as a rival to Sheldon. Eventually, he outgrows his antagonistic persona and becomes one of Sheldon's best friends and one of the few people that can stand him.
Throughout his time on the show, Wil has plenty of memorable scenes with the gang and even stars in some of the show's most iconic moments. Whether he's beating Sheldon at his own game or organizing an all-star group to play Dungeons & Dragons, Wil is one of Big Bang's best recurring characters.
Wil, Podcast Star
In season 8, Wil comes by to interview Penny for his podcast. The conversation deals with several topics, including the movie they starred in together, Serial Ape-Ist 2: Monkey See, Monkey Kill. Things go south when Kevin Smith pops by to say hello and offers Penny an audition for his new movie, causing a rift between her and Leonard.
Wil plays a primarily passive role during the episode. He addresses his podcast's audience several times, providing funny commentary while Penny and Leonard fight on-air. Even though he doesn't get to do much, Wil's biting humor and often cruel remarks are on point, as always.
Making Amends
After playing a largely antagonistic role during his first appearances, Wil suffers a complete 180 in season 5. He becomes less vile and even invites Sheldon to a party at his house. When Sheldon arrives, Wil surprises everyone by giving him an autographed Wesley Crusher action figure with the words, "To Sheldon, Sorry it took so long. Your friend, Wil Wheaton."
Seeing Wil let go of his villainous ways was somewhat disappointing. However, his newfound friendship with Sheldon would pave the way for plenty of shenanigans to come. A cameo from Brent Spiner brings the whole thing together, making this one of the best Wil Wheaton episodes on The Big Bang Theory.
A Trekkie In A Galaxy Far, Far Away
The Opening Night Excitation is one of the most crucial Big Bang episodes. It features a milestone in Amy and Sheldon's relationship on The Big Bang Theory set against The Force Awakens' upcoming premiere. When Sheldon opts not to attend the premiere, Leonard invites Wil, who attends dressed as Mr. Spock. The fans at the theater boo him, but Wil doesn't care, and he even provides some sage wisdom to Leonard, Raj and Howard.
The sight of Wil as Mr. Spock is more than enough to make the scene iconic. However, he then delivers some constructive words to the gang, making his appearance all the more memorable.
Raiders Of The Lost 21 Seconds
Season 4 would be the last time Wil acted as Sheldon's nemesis. However, his final devious act is one for the ages. While Sheldon and the gang wait in line for a showing of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Wil cuts the line after mocking them. When Sheldon steals the film reel and runs away with it, Wil summons an angry horde of fanatics to chase Sheldon down the street.
Wil speaks like Jar-Jar Binks at one point in the episode, which is pretty funny. However, his summoning of a horde of angry "nerds" that include Lonely Larry and Captain Sweatpants is nothing short of hilarious, making it one of the best scenes in season five.
Wil Vs. Amy
In season 6, Wil acts as a guest in Sheldon Cooper Presents, Fun with Flags. He is enthusiastic, but an exasperated Amy keeps shutting him down and offering snarky comments. Wil finally gets fed up and declares that he won't be part of the show if Amy keeps being "a pain in the ass."
This is one of those Amy Big Bang Theory storylines that make no sense, and it's pretty easy to side with Wil on this one. Amy acts necessarily rude towards him, and even though he could've handled things better, he was in his right to be angry. Sheldon and Amy seldomly get called out for their rude behavior, so seeing Wil doing it is incredibly satisfying.
Wesley Crushes Sheldon (And Leonard And Penny)
During his second appearance, Wil faces Sheldon in a bowling tournament. He then commits what is arguably his most vile act on the show and manipulates Penny into breaking up with Leonard, resulting in Sheldon's team losing the match.
In truth, Leonard and Penny's relationship on The Big Bang Theory already had problems, and they would've broken up with or without Wil's intervention. However, seeing him in full villain mode poisoning Penny's ear is very entertaining. There's also a hilarious pun about Sheldon naming his team "The Wesley Crushers," making the bowling sequence all the more humorous.
All-Star D&D
Wil has his last appearance on season twelve's sixteenth episode, The D&D Vortex. After inviting Leonard to play D&D with his celebrity friends and then regretting it, Wil ends up asking Penny, Amy, and Bernadette into the game. The group includes Joe Manganiello, Kevin Smith, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and William Shatner.
The entire episode is great, but the final scene, in which the girls play with the all-star group, is the best by far. Wil even suggests taking a picture together and send it to the guys to spite them. It's nice when the show remembers and respects Wil's status as a celebrity.
Professor (Wil) Proton
Throughout season 11, Wil makes several appearances after taking over the role of Professor Proton on the show's reboot. He has several guests on his show, including Howard and Amy. To the surprise of everyone, he actually does a great job in the role, and even Sheldon admits it.
Wil's scenes as Professor Proton are short but memorable. His banter with Sheldon and Amy when they guest star after discovering Super Assimetry is hilarious. It even includes a cameo by William Shatner, making the whole thing even better.
The Serial Ape-Ist Saga
Within the world of Big Bang, Wil isn't the best actor. His career is going so badly that he even has to take a role opposite Penny in Serial Ape-Ist 2: Monkey See, Monkey Kill. He plays the scientist who experiments on her, turning her into a half-gorilla woman. Serial Ape-Ist turns out to be one of Penny's best career decisions on The Big Bang Theory, but the filming experience was everything but pleasant.
During the saga's most memorable scene, Will appears dressed as an orange gorilla in a bikini and expresses excitement at the prospect of working with Penny. Her shocked and slightly disgusted face are the cherries on top of the shame cake.
Game Over, Moonpie
Wil's debut appearance is by far his most memorable. He competes in the comic book store's Mystic Warlords of Ka'a tournament alongside Stuart. Sheldon desperately wants to get revenge on Wil for not attending a convention years before, but Wil plays him like a violin. He manipulates Sheldon's fondness for grandmothers by claiming his grandma died, and that's why he couldn't attend the convention. After Sheldon throws the game, Wil mocks him and reveals his deceit.
It's not often that fans see Sheldon losing, so Wil's victory means even more. The show introduced him as an archnemesis to Sheldon, and even though he didn't stay in that role for long, fans never forgot his deliciously evil first appearance.