“She just wants to be treated equal to Sheldon”: Young Sheldon Fans Will Always Relate to Raegan Revord’s Missy, What the Writers Did to Her Was Unforgivable

The Big Bang Theory casts a big shadow over its prequel series, Young Sheldon. So does Jim Parsons’ IP over Iain Armitage’s impressive portrayal of the former’s younger counterpart. But that hardly took away from the rest of the cast who did an astounding job at bringing alive the childhood of the beloved character that became an integral part of the fans’ lives for 12 years.

However, with the arrival of a new cast came new problems. With the Cooper family exposed to the spotlight, it was not only Sheldon but the remainder of the cast who also deserved a fully fleshed-out arc for their individual characters. And one particular arc became caught in the crosshairs of Sheldon’s shenanigans and the Cooper family’s dysfunction.

Young Sheldon Finds Fault With Its Characters

While The Big Bang Theory taught us to love and grow with its characters, its prequel spin-off Young Sheldon has, unfortunately, had quite the opposite reaction among the fans. While most veteran viewers of the show stepped into the series with high expectations, some aspects of its storyline left them frazzled and at their wit’s end regarding its titular character, Sheldon Cooper.

While the same sentiments might be echoed by the in-universe characters, certain things become clearer over time after a thorough re-watching of the series. Primarily, it was the increasing audience hostility toward Raegan Revord’s Missy Cooper. And while it may be somewhat related to Iain Armitage’s version of Sheldon Cooper, it seems as though most of the time, the character landed herself in muddy waters.

A sub-section of the Young Sheldon fandom has maintained that Missy’s bratty personality is the reason behind incurring the audience’s wrath. While that may be true, there is another side to that argument that also holds up as equally reasonable. Some fans have cited a more personal and emotional reason behind her characterization in the series.

Fans Respond to Missy Cooper & Her Arc in the Series

Raegan Revord’s portrayal of Missy Cooper in Young Sheldon is an integral part of what shapes the IP who we grew to love on The Big Bang Theory. However, ironically, it is she who invoked the ire of many fans rather than our resident neurodivergent kid who makes it his daily business to rile up the Cooper household like his life depended on it.

In defense of her “bratty” attitude, fans on Reddit have come up with several plausible theories. One user, ali2688, states:

She just wants to be treated equal to Sheldon I think. She’s not hoping for a miracle and be showered with love and affection. But Missy got to pick where they ate ONE TIME and Sheldon’s response suggests he’s never not picked. Combine that with her being a teenage girl.

Other fans have expressed somewhat similar sentiments. Most claim that it is not her mother’s attention that Missy seeks but simultaneously feels unfairly sidelined by the attention showered on Sheldon. One Reddit user, jaharmes, aptly cites another justification for her personality:

I want to point out the change in Mary during the trip to Germany with Sheldon. After sharing close quarters with him 24/7, you begin to see her become frazzled and she even starts to become sarcastic towards him. She is so worn down by him that she didn’t want to tell him about Mandy and Georgie taking his room because she didn’t want to deal with the backlash.

Now imagine being Missy who had to share a room with him for 12(?) yrs. Close quarters, dealing with his quirks and demands, and knowing whatever you do will be snitched to your mother. I’m surprised Missy behaved as well as she did.

While spending her whole childhood in Sheldon’s constant company might not provide sufficient justification for her behavior, The Big Bang Theory fans can only recall the 10+ seasons of ire and annoyance that even the grown-ups (Penny, Leonard, etc.) had to put up with before warming up to Sheldon’s eccentricities.

Young Sheldon is streaming now on Max.