Having finished its 12 year run in 2019, The Big Bang Theory still remains popular to this day, with new fans streaming the series every day. Part of the show's appeal lies within the core cast of colorful characters, with each individual bringing something unique to the long-running sitcom.

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Admittedly, it took a while for fans to get used certain characters. For example, at the beginning of the comedy, Howard Wolowitz was not everybody's cup of tea. Fortunately, Howard soon underwent one of the best character transformations of the series, proving that he changed a lot throughout the 12 seasons.

His Friendship With Amy

Amy and Howard smiling in her lab

Although Amy and Penny had the best Big Bang Theory friendship, the bond between Amy and Howard was surprisingly sweet. Before Season 7, most of Amy's storylines featured Sheldon, Penny, and Howard's wife, Bernadette. The few times she and Howard had a storyline of their own, sparks flew as they sang along to Neil Diamond.

Amy had even admitted that Penny warned her never to be alone with Howard. And Howard wasn't exactly enjoyable to be around for the first couple of seasons. However, he and Amy began to bond in Seasons 7 and 11, and honestly, their friendship was delightful.

His Maturity

Bernadette and Howard in The Big Bang Theory

Howard's emotional maturity was a major sore spot for many fans. Often occurring more prominently in the earlier seasons, Howard refused to act like a grown adult man. Rather, he chose to act like a sex deprived teenager, which was disturbing to view.

He had no respect for women, and was completely dependent on his mother with whom he lived. Thankfully, he began to grow up fast after he met Bernadette. Unbelievably, Howard was the first one out of the guys to get married and start a family, which was a massive accomplishment.

His Relationship With Bernadette

Raj, Leonard, Bernadette, Howard, Penny, Sheldon and Amy at Bernadette and Howard's wedding

Although Sheldon might be the best boyfriend, Howard and Bernadette have arguably the most stable relationship in The Big Bang Theory. However, like most sitcom couples, they had a rocky start. Howard was still fairly immature when they started dating, and although he and Bernadette had a lot in common, he was still rather disgusting.

Howard soon realised what he was missing and Bernadette gave him one last chance. Wisely, Howard didn't waste it. He stopped living with his mom, got married to the love of his life and even had two beautiful children with Bernadette.

His Friendship With Sheldon

The Big Bang Theory Howard Sheldon

Howard and Sheldon probably shared the most fractious friendship out of all the main characters. For the first few seasons, all these two ever seemed to do was to take cheap shots at each other. Sheldon would continuously mock Howard's career, and Howard would take every opportunity to highlight Sheldon's lack of social awareness.

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Just as viewers were beginning to question how these two were ever considered friends, the situation began to change. Sheldon and Howard started to gradually respect each other more. They comforted each other when they were upset, and began to display a more selfless side to their friendship.

His Career

Split image showing Howard Wolowitz smiling at Leonard and Sheldon's apartment, and posing for his official NASA portrait in The Big Bang Theory

Some fans could argue that Howard didn't really advance in his career since the start of the series. Indeed, Howard never did get his doctorate, but that is not to say that his career didn't evolve. In Season 1, Howard was simply another engineer at Caltech.

Since then though, he has achieved an awful lot. In Seasons 5 and 6, he went to space. In Seasons 9 and 10, he, Sheldon and Leonard designed and built a guidance system which the military were extremely interested in. These are massive accomplishments, which show how much Howard had changed.

His Self-Esteem

Howard Wolowitz sitting in Leonard and Sheldon's living room in The Big Bang Theory

Despite his bravado, Howard actually lacked an awful lot of confidence. This explains his behavior towards women but does not excuse it. By making extremely lewd remarks to and about the opposite sex, it's possible that Howard thought he was compensating for his low self-esteem.

In Season 2, Penny called him out on his behavior which led to him having a depressive episode. From then on, Howard tried to become better. He opened up about his feelings (usually with Raj) and this helped him to partly overcome his insecurities.

His Family

Howard and Bernadette in bed together smiling

For most of his time on The Big Bang Theory, Howard's family consisted of himself and his mother, Debbie Wolowitz. They had a very strange mother/son relationship but it was clear that they loved each other. In later seasons however, Howard began to make his own family, starting with Bernadette.

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In Season 9, fans were shocked to learn that Bernadette was in fact pregnant. This forced Howard to grow up real fast. Surprisingly, Bernadette became pregnant again in Season 11, with the couple now parents to 2 young children, a massive change for Howard.

His Relationship With His Mother

Bernadette talking to Howard and Howard sitting in an armchair looking upset

Mrs Wolowitz was an iconic side character in The Big Bang Theory for the first 8 seasons. Although she never appeared on screen, her voice and her quirky personality will be remembered for years to come. What will also be remembered is her relationship with her son.

Howard clearly loved his mother dearly, but they had a slightly unhealthy relationship. In the earlier seasons, Howard depended on her way too much. When Howard started dating Bernadette, his relationship with his mom became much more normal.

His Relationship With His In-Laws

Bernadettes dad stands with pen and notepad in hand

Despite Howard and Bernadette having a beautiful and healthy relationship, Howard's relationship with Bernadette's parents was not quite as smooth. Mike Rostenkowski was never a fan of Howard's and actually managed to bond with Sheldon of all people in one of The Big Bang Theory's best episodes.

Despite this setback, Howard persisted. He joined his father-in-law for a fishing trip in Season 6 which won him slight favor. Howard's relationship with Mr Rostenkowski further increased in Season 9, when they discovered Bernadette had been lying to them both about wanting children.

His Relationship With Women

Penny standing with Howard after she punched him in TBBT

By far the most important change in Howard's character development is how he treated women. In the first few seasons it was horrible watching him make crude remarks to every single lady he met. Even after Penny put him in his place, he still continued.

Gradually over time, Howard became more sensitive and aware of how he was behaving. Dating Bernadette was a huge step for Howard, even though he almost ruined it because again, he was being disgusting. By the series finale, Howard had settled down completely and had become a loving husband and father.

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