The One Big Bang Theory Character Who Single-Handedly Destroyed Leonard's Life

And that is surprisingly true of sitcoms. Many viewers do not consider this, feeling that sitcoms have the sole purpose of making us laugh, and therefore there is no need for genuine angst.

But the truth is, the best sitcoms have a hefty amount of tension and brilliant villains as part of their cast.

TBBT is no exception, offering some of the most entertaining unlikeable characters to ever appear on our TV. But one has stood out above all others, claiming the crown of ultimate TBBT villain. And that is Leonard's mother, Beverley Hofstadter.

When we first meet Beverley, she is cold, and impersonal, and makes Penny cry within mere moments of their first meeting.

Her first words to her son in person in what is likely months are a suggestion on how to sexually pursue Penny, based on her short and brutal analysis of Penny's relationship with her father.

Subsequent appearances of Beverley do nothing to improve her in the eyes of the audience. It is revealed that she experimented on her own children, denied them a real Christmas, and published their most intimate developmental details in her books for all the world to see.

She freely admitted that her parenting style was aloof and even seemed proud of this.

Beverley conceals family information from Leonard, including at least two deaths, and her having surgery, yet makes it obvious that she shares these with Sheldon.

And as if this was not all bad enough, she comes to visit Leonard under the guise of wanting a better relationship with him, but it turns out that she is simply conducting another experiment on him for her next book.

This incident prompts Leonard to finally lose his temper with his mother and tell her that he feels she did a bad job raising him and he no longer cares about wanting to obtain her approval.

But this also leads to Leonard reconciling all this rage and forgiving her for everything. The scene ends with a touching hug between mother and son, and very few dry eyes within the audience.

Fans feel that Beverley is the ultimate villain because she essentially destroyed Leonard's life. The impact she has had on him far outweighs anything else that any other potential villain has done on the show.

And it is ultimately Leonard that makes the peace with her. The child is the bigger person to forgive his mother. So it is clear that Beverley Hofstadter is the ultimate TBBT villain.