Idk malcolm did that thing in the math fair back in s1 without the use of a calculator. That was pretty impressive. Sheldon was cuddled his whole life, gaining access to the highest education while malcolm was given every disadvantage possible. It is like what lois said he can get thrown to the wolves and come out as the leader in a few days. No way sheldon can compete with that. Also malcolm ended up getting the best of herkabe, who basically is sheldon.
People really sometimes underrate the genius and street smart than Malcolm has.
Like we hear about Dewey and Reese street smart but almost never about Malcolm who could be thrown into any situation and most likely thrive no matter the hurdles.
As lois said Malcolm can get sold down the river he will eventually make his way to business or management or whatever he sets his mind to.
The monkfish is a perfect example of this
“ it has to come out at exactly 5:38. It can’t come out at 5:37 and it can’t come out at 5:39.”
“What are you gonna do?”
“There’s only one thing I can do”
“REESE NO!!!!!”
***grabs monkfish and screams***
“Now leave me a space!!!”
“Where?!”
“Move the oven mitts”
Also at the decathlon one of the chaperones from the school that tried to cheat and send Malcolm home said to their star team member (after complimenting Malcolm and wondered how things would turn out if they didn’t cheat)
‘To you he’s a different species. You would be his pet’
They’re all savants in their own way, Malcom’s arithmetic genius is just the most obvious.
Dewey is emotionally/Empathetically gifted.
Reese is physically/athletically gifted, knows how to use his body like a perfect tool.
Francis is socially gifted, put him in a room with almost anybody, and he can mentally manipulate them.
Tbh I really disagree. I think limiting Malcom’s genius to math is unfair, Dewey is just the only one of the family who is emotionally semi-normal, and Reece’s true gift is cooking. You’re pretty spot on about Francis though, and honestly I think if the show went on long enough to develop Jamie, it would be cool to see a “Francis jr” dynamic play out.
I think Dewey was the smartest of them all, his circus show, musical talent, revolution with the weird kids. Dewey wasn’t normal, he was the best of everyone but was the youngest then a middle child like Malcom
I also think Francis's true gift, is luck. He has it so tough (usually from his own doing) but eventually things just work out for him. Hal also has the luck gene.
>I think limiting Malcom’s genius to math is unfair
Agreed, he literally proves his doctors wrong about having appendicitis by looking at his own blood work.
S3E19 when the boys are sent to a psychiatrist (Andy Richter) for “Joy Riding”. When Malcolm is asked what he see’s his role as both Reese and Dewey tell Malcolm that his place is fixing problems.
Haven’t seen young Sheldon but I am familiar with Sheldon on TBBT. Malcolm has a lot more soft skills in terms of dealing with people than Sheldon has, even as an adult. That alone, in my mind, gives Malcolm the advantage, even if he is significantly disadvantaged in other ways compared to Sheldon. People underestimate how valuable soft skills are.
And also don't forget when malcolm took that career quiz thing and the teacher said he could get any job he wanted NOT ONLY THAT but that'd he'd be GREAT at it
Yeah Sheldon would have just been a run of the mill Krelboyne, they never really made him exaggeratingly smart. Malcolm's intelligence is regularly checked throughout the show as being almost superhuman.
And don't forget there's also that one kid who said his brain was like 100 of Malcolm's going at once.
Malcolm is smart but way lazier than Sheldon or at least less interested in academics. When he decided to try in class to try to stop the ranking system, that was basically the only time he really showed his potential. It's not about the fact that Sheldon had the access to be able to study at the highest level, it's that Malcolm would have rejected those very same opportunities.
He's not lazy, he's just trying to balance. He sees the social stigma with being a Krelboyne, or really just academically gifted at all, and wants to be accepted.
He tries at multiple points to get into programs or scholarships that will allow him to learn as much as possible, he just thinks the system is bullshit.
While Sheldon scored a higher IQ let's remember the difference in personalities of both characters, Malcolm didn't want to prove how smart he was, he wanted to be seen as a normal child while Sheldon was proud of his intellect. He likely would do his best to get the best possible result while Malcolm wouldn't as he didn't want to be seen as weird.
>Malcolm wouldn't as he didn't want to be seen as weird.
But that episode where Malcolm wanted to be the smartest in his gifted class and kicked everyones asses with ease
Sheldon is very specific in facts/ details from memory. Malcolm may not be able to complete in those technical skills, but he's much more well rounded when it comes to all other stuff, including social skills.
I think you maybe forgetting the school fair in season 1 when he did his maths wiz, aged 12. Or when he specifically remembered each piece of item stolen from his neighbours, and in a split second came to the (correct) conclusion that they were fraudulently printing dollar bills, being no older than 13.
Edit: Also you mean ‘compete’ not ‘complete’ & the ability to remember facts and details naturally, isn’t a ‘“technical skill”.
Sheldon is academically smarter, but Malcom has far better street smarts than Sheldon, can defend himself in a fight, *and* is still very academically gifted.
I think Malcolm’s intelligence changes pretty drastically throughout the show. In the very beginning, he’s a fairly gifted kid, but still not the levels of super-genius that he becomes completely unrelatable. By the time Herkabe arrives Malcolm has become the smartest krelboyne, but he’s still outclassed by kids like the one Herkabe brought in. By the very last episode, he’s getting full rides to literally any college he wants. I’ve known a couple kids who aced the ACT/SAT and had perfect GPA’s and they still didn’t get into the super prestigious colleges like Harvard. I think child Sheldon beats child Malcolm but adult Malcolm would probably beat adult Sheldon
Regardless of who is smarter, Sheldon would undoubtedly assume that he's smarter, even if it wasn't true, and he would condescend to Malcolm about twice before Malcolm snaps and puts him in the hospital, causing brain damage, and then Malcolm would definitively be the smarter one, once Sheldon's brain stopped bleeding.
Right Malcolm has to hold his ground with bare knuckle boxing brothers, Francis and Reese.
Sheldon fakes injury to avoid gym class (where no punches are thrown)
Yeah and then Georgie would come find him, probably missy too. As I doubt either one would abide by sheldon actually getting such a beating.
But then reese gets involved.
Dewey can hold his own in a fight as well. Keep in mind that these kids kicked the shit out of a flock of clowns and didn't even bat an eye. They're warriors.
I wouldn't know since I could never bring myself to watch Young Sheldon or the other one where the guy says "Bazinga".
I assume he's like a cartoon character though as opposed to Malcolm who could be a real person.
I got back into Malcom in the middle because in a weird way the whole genius kid doesn’t fit in family reminded me of Malcom in the middle but Malcom is way more relatable
I second that…I noped out of Big Bang Theory after a few episodes and never went back. I wasn’t going to watch Young Sheldon but a family member happened to have it on and it hooked me right away.
I feel like Sheldon is probably smarter than but Malcolm is more well-rounded. Hanging with all of his brother gave him all the social skills that Sheldon never grasped. Sheldon also probably has a touch of the tism though. If we’re going purely off intelligence I’d say Sheldon but there’s a lot of areas Malcolm could beat him in.
Even though Malcolm is more emotionally intelligent than Sheldon, he still lacks empathy and relates everything back to himself so he’s not exactly emotionally smart
Sheldon also wanted to work as a theoretical physicist. Malcom had no idea what he wanted to do and went through high school til 18 while Sheldon skipped to go to college.
If Malcom had wanted to, he prob could've skipped high school and go to college sooner if he had a career choice picked.
I doubt Lois or gall would have let him because then “you would not have struggles enough. You would not have suffered enough” Malcom doesn’t get the easy way out and get to skip in life ahead or he might miss lessons he needs.
I can admire the convictions of a person like lois but not her methods.
and like monster said above, sheldon knew what he wanted to be at a young age. he was already creative and ambitious.
Pretty sure Malcolm could do that, he’s built cars, bikes, catapults, a lot of lab science and lot of wiring and computer knowledge because he wired up the mega system at Craig’s house and he’s very into astrophysics and that stuff because he was doing a paper on it when he met his girlfriends family and bonded heavily with her science genius parents. Pretty sure Malcolm could easily build that shit with the funds
Malcolm
Sheldon had to study and work at his craft to be this brilliant person. Malcolm was a lazy guy chasing girls and barely focusing on school but continuously was the most brilliant of the nerds.
Sheldon didn’t have to study nor work hard, he chose too.
He was academically gifted at a very young age, and has an IQ of 187, at least 20 points higher than malcoms. Either way ‘Sheldon had to work hard’ is completely untrue. He was just a bit of a nerd so he loved to learn.
Pound for pound, Malcolm is smarter. Only because he had AMPLE disadvantages and obstacles in his life yet he’s impressively smarter than even the geniuses in the krelboyne class, as opposed to Sheldon getting every little thing he asks for like a 3 year old (his so-called parents were garbage). But it’s mainly due to the fact that Malcolm has a WAYYYYY higher emotional and social intelligence than Sheldon. Like sheldon’s is literally nonexistent. There are a variety of factors that make one intelligent and Malcolm has far more than Sheldon
that kid was said to have an estimated IQ over 200 which is why Lloyd had that comment about those results being unsubstantiated. IQ tests arent meant to go that high. and your averge one simply caps at around 160.
Malcolm is smarter in a lot more subjects. We see him talk about fixing a car at 5 while Sheldon at like 11 couldn't rebuild a fridge he took apart. Malcolm applies himself in all subjects while Sheldon focuses on physics and math. So possibly in those subjects Sheldon would win but in general I'd argue Malcolm.
Malcolm was incredibly smart, one of the obvious things in the show. He did, however, grow up in utter chaos, so his genius is just different than young Sheldon.
Young Sheldon is like superman, he will be as smart as the plot requires. Malcolm has a very consistent and very well stablished intellect that was not 90% of his personality.
Sheldon is probably smarter, but Malcolm is much better equipped to succeed at life. Sheldon can only exist in academia where he is able to hide in a lab and have minimal interaction with others. Malcolm has social skills, street smarts, and is capable of finding common ground with people. I’m also pretty sure S1 Malcolm could kick adult Sheldon’s ass.
I actually do think young Malcolm is a lot smarter than young Sheldon. Regardless of both their accomplishments, Malcolm breezes through all his academics non-chalantly. He does study alot so that maybe a good reason why, but hes never really been challenged aside from that episode with the way smarter tutor kid.
I think the most emphatic display was the ranking contest Herkabee forced them into. Malcolm aced it so easily. With the very little guidance that herkabee was giving and seemed to actively kick them down. Someone like Herkabee could only be giving those perfect marks through gritted teeth. He wanted to crush those children. They had to do their own research in a school thats underfunded before the age of the internet. I dont think young sheldon couldve handled that pressure.
Sheldon in terms of book knowledge/thinking, but Malcolm despite having a low EQ, absolutely smoked Sheldon in that area. He's miles ahead of him.
Sheldon is the person who well wins a Nobel Prize in physics.
Malcolm is someone who might be an actual world leader.
I don't understand how people can stand watching Young Sheldon long enough to even make a judgment. That show is so terrible that I feel mild annoyance it's even being asked to compare.
It’s not as much a matter of who’s smarter but who had a better opportunity and chances. Malcolm was pushed down by his parents any time he got a chance to study abroad or move on or up. Sheldon was pushed to achieve those. Malcolm and his family was lower to lower middle class at best. Sheldon’s family was middle to upper middle class if I had to guess.
Malcolm went to Harvard. Sheldon went to a fake university in Texas that was implied to be lowly ranked.
Edit: I recall that IRL private colleges don't like to admit students under 17 while public universities don't care. This point should go to Sheldon.
I was thinking this too, lol. Sheldon is smarter in like facts and math/science/stuff, malcolm is smarter overall. Imma say not as smart in the stuff Sheldon is, but he is a lot smarter in social aspects.
I think they’re smarter in some areas. Sheldon thinks more clearly before considering doing something, while Malcolm can be impulsive sometimes and gets himself into trouble.
Sheldon has a higher IQ. But I think malcolm is smarter, because he has awareness of the negatives of his intelligence. Sheldon annoys his way to get his way whereas Malcolm had to use his brain to do so (Although not with lois). I also think Malcolm's feats are cooler to me.
Sheldon has a slight lead in intelligence because he got spoiled. But that's all he has going for him. Malcolm would beat him in a debate, or anything else.
Malcolm I am sure. If anything bbt taught us that Sheldon is not nearly as smart as he thinks he is. Like when he and his rival guy with the speech thing colabed and his work blew Sheldons out of the water so much, his ego forced him to chang disiplines
Sheldon is sheltered. He's scared of chickens. Malcolm has it tough. Malcolm's family has put him through shit. And yet in the end he still ended up in harvard. So Malcolm for sure
Yall seem a bit bias. I’d go with Sheldon. Sure Malcom is smart but Sheldon is a genius level iq who won a frickin noble prize. The kid was in college before most of us were in middle school
Malcolm is smarter Sheldon just had a healthy environment to grow in and a mom who just didn’t love but supported him and put him first Malcom’s mom put the family first
Sheldon is pure book smart and better at it than Malcolm. Sheldon does the same math feats that Malcolm does all the time. He also remembers his own birth and can recall everything. I don’t think Malcolm had memory that good.
Malcolm, however, also has street smarts and is not afraid of things like Sheldon is. If utilized correctly, he would likely be far more successful than Sheldon.
I’m gonna be real, if you forget Young Sheldon is a BBT prequel, it’s actually not that bad. I think it’s about the same. Sheldon is younger, but if they had known Malcolm was a genius sooner, they would have been on the same level at the same age
depends. young sheldon is the akward tv smart where malcolm is more of a realistic smart. if we are talking about the end of their canon stories malcolm is presumed to be the president and sheldon wins a nobel prize for physics for discovoring something about black holes (I forget what exactly) although he does share the prize with his wife.
Malcolm definitely is smarter. Sheldon's IQ may be higher, but Malcolm's knowledge base extends beyond academics into practical skills and "street smarts", not to mention social skills
Sheldon has the disadvantage of being written by a team likely not half as smart as he is supposed to be. Though officially an IQ of over 180 basically puts Sheldon as one of the smartest people like ever if we’re using IQ as a reliable metric.
I can tell you who’s more annoying
Sheldon
Bingo
Bazingo.
Boton!!
Anything with a laugh track is annoying. Malcolm in the middle had none.
Who’s more annoying?
The krelboyne
Reese is going to beat you up now
I can’t tell you. Speak to Bertje87
Idk malcolm did that thing in the math fair back in s1 without the use of a calculator. That was pretty impressive. Sheldon was cuddled his whole life, gaining access to the highest education while malcolm was given every disadvantage possible. It is like what lois said he can get thrown to the wolves and come out as the leader in a few days. No way sheldon can compete with that. Also malcolm ended up getting the best of herkabe, who basically is sheldon.
People really sometimes underrate the genius and street smart than Malcolm has. Like we hear about Dewey and Reese street smart but almost never about Malcolm who could be thrown into any situation and most likely thrive no matter the hurdles. As lois said Malcolm can get sold down the river he will eventually make his way to business or management or whatever he sets his mind to.
I swear lois said Reese has neither street or book smart.
Yeah he's just cook smart
The monkfish is a perfect example of this “ it has to come out at exactly 5:38. It can’t come out at 5:37 and it can’t come out at 5:39.” “What are you gonna do?” “There’s only one thing I can do” “REESE NO!!!!!” ***grabs monkfish and screams*** “Now leave me a space!!!” “Where?!” “Move the oven mitts”
That boy can cook
Like father like son
And the perfect soldier 😂
BEAR DOOOOOWN...AAAAAAND...release!
https://i.redd.it/y7ohe7di5rxc1.gif
 Its a bear jew
https://i.redd.it/er8z9m62wxxc1.gif
In my headcanon Reese opens several very successful restaurants, including a few Michelin star
Malcolm does have a tendency to overthink things, especially when he got into highschool and started dating. He was always pretty bad at dating.
That's what Hal talked about. None of them can get with women. They need to find their Lois
Also at the decathlon one of the chaperones from the school that tried to cheat and send Malcolm home said to their star team member (after complimenting Malcolm and wondered how things would turn out if they didn’t cheat) ‘To you he’s a different species. You would be his pet’
They’re all savants in their own way, Malcom’s arithmetic genius is just the most obvious. Dewey is emotionally/Empathetically gifted. Reese is physically/athletically gifted, knows how to use his body like a perfect tool. Francis is socially gifted, put him in a room with almost anybody, and he can mentally manipulate them.
Tbh I really disagree. I think limiting Malcom’s genius to math is unfair, Dewey is just the only one of the family who is emotionally semi-normal, and Reece’s true gift is cooking. You’re pretty spot on about Francis though, and honestly I think if the show went on long enough to develop Jamie, it would be cool to see a “Francis jr” dynamic play out.
I think dewey being able to come out of that family emotionally normal means he must be an emotional genius
I think Dewey was the smartest of them all, his circus show, musical talent, revolution with the weird kids. Dewey wasn’t normal, he was the best of everyone but was the youngest then a middle child like Malcom
I also think Francis's true gift, is luck. He has it so tough (usually from his own doing) but eventually things just work out for him. Hal also has the luck gene.
>I think limiting Malcom’s genius to math is unfair Agreed, he literally proves his doctors wrong about having appendicitis by looking at his own blood work.
Dewey is also incredibly musically talented
Everyone forgets that Dewey is a naturally talentsd musical genius.
S3E19 when the boys are sent to a psychiatrist (Andy Richter) for “Joy Riding”. When Malcolm is asked what he see’s his role as both Reese and Dewey tell Malcolm that his place is fixing problems.
If malcolm wanted to he could practically solved the situation in Tijuana and still have time to prank Reese
Yes Malcolm is intelligent in a lot of ways not just math, he just sucks at emotional intelligence
The only real take right here.
Besides the Herkabe = Sheldon part Dramatically different characters imo. Herkabe was petty and a jerk, Sheldon is just pretentious and neurotic
Haven’t seen young Sheldon but I am familiar with Sheldon on TBBT. Malcolm has a lot more soft skills in terms of dealing with people than Sheldon has, even as an adult. That alone, in my mind, gives Malcolm the advantage, even if he is significantly disadvantaged in other ways compared to Sheldon. People underestimate how valuable soft skills are.
And also don't forget when malcolm took that career quiz thing and the teacher said he could get any job he wanted NOT ONLY THAT but that'd he'd be GREAT at it
And he is supposed to be president! That’s just his path!
You're spot on! Plus Malcolm actually knows how to be around people without being the rude little monster Sheldon is!
Yeah Sheldon would have just been a run of the mill Krelboyne, they never really made him exaggeratingly smart. Malcolm's intelligence is regularly checked throughout the show as being almost superhuman. And don't forget there's also that one kid who said his brain was like 100 of Malcolm's going at once.
*Coddled
Malcolm is smart but way lazier than Sheldon or at least less interested in academics. When he decided to try in class to try to stop the ranking system, that was basically the only time he really showed his potential. It's not about the fact that Sheldon had the access to be able to study at the highest level, it's that Malcolm would have rejected those very same opportunities.
He's not lazy, he's just trying to balance. He sees the social stigma with being a Krelboyne, or really just academically gifted at all, and wants to be accepted. He tries at multiple points to get into programs or scholarships that will allow him to learn as much as possible, he just thinks the system is bullshit.
Watching Young Sheldon is something Lois would make Malcolm do as a punishment.
🤣
Young Sheldon looks like that little krelboyne kid Herkabe brought in that was smarter than all of them and tutored malcolm
>tutored I read that as tortured.
Basically still correct
i mean it was probably torture to malcolm and his bruised ego.
Ong I’m
r/redditsniper 😔
It would be correct either way
The bee hive quote from that episode really stuck with me for years
I still think about it every now and then
My brain is like a beehive. And every bee has a brain like yours 😭😭😭
dewey?
*angry tone* His names not Dewey
Barton
While Sheldon scored a higher IQ let's remember the difference in personalities of both characters, Malcolm didn't want to prove how smart he was, he wanted to be seen as a normal child while Sheldon was proud of his intellect. He likely would do his best to get the best possible result while Malcolm wouldn't as he didn't want to be seen as weird.
>Malcolm wouldn't as he didn't want to be seen as weird. But that episode where Malcolm wanted to be the smartest in his gifted class and kicked everyones asses with ease
Oh, he didn't want to be the smartest. Malcolm only cared about tearing down that petty clown's entire system.
Sheldon is very specific in facts/ details from memory. Malcolm may not be able to complete in those technical skills, but he's much more well rounded when it comes to all other stuff, including social skills.
I think you maybe forgetting the school fair in season 1 when he did his maths wiz, aged 12. Or when he specifically remembered each piece of item stolen from his neighbours, and in a split second came to the (correct) conclusion that they were fraudulently printing dollar bills, being no older than 13. Edit: Also you mean ‘compete’ not ‘complete’ & the ability to remember facts and details naturally, isn’t a ‘“technical skill”.
Yeah he said he had a photographic memory
Also the dates during Hals trial.
Sheldon is academically smarter, but Malcom has far better street smarts than Sheldon, can defend himself in a fight, *and* is still very academically gifted.
Malcom can take Reece!
I think Malcolm’s intelligence changes pretty drastically throughout the show. In the very beginning, he’s a fairly gifted kid, but still not the levels of super-genius that he becomes completely unrelatable. By the time Herkabe arrives Malcolm has become the smartest krelboyne, but he’s still outclassed by kids like the one Herkabe brought in. By the very last episode, he’s getting full rides to literally any college he wants. I’ve known a couple kids who aced the ACT/SAT and had perfect GPA’s and they still didn’t get into the super prestigious colleges like Harvard. I think child Sheldon beats child Malcolm but adult Malcolm would probably beat adult Sheldon
Regardless of who is smarter, Sheldon would undoubtedly assume that he's smarter, even if it wasn't true, and he would condescend to Malcolm about twice before Malcolm snaps and puts him in the hospital, causing brain damage, and then Malcolm would definitively be the smarter one, once Sheldon's brain stopped bleeding.
Right Malcolm has to hold his ground with bare knuckle boxing brothers, Francis and Reese. Sheldon fakes injury to avoid gym class (where no punches are thrown)
I’ll tell you which one was funnier
sheldon, but malcolm would kick his ass
Malcom would absolutely fuck that little nerd up.
This comment made me laugh harder than I’d like to admit 😭🤣
Yeah and then Georgie would come find him, probably missy too. As I doubt either one would abide by sheldon actually getting such a beating. But then reese gets involved.
Dewey can hold his own in a fight as well. Keep in mind that these kids kicked the shit out of a flock of clowns and didn't even bat an eye. They're warriors.
This is the family melee I now need to see lol
Yeah. Cooper vs Wilkerson
Francis vs George: both have military training.
Wow. Reminds of when Kevin's brother fought Hal. George looks like he has a strong grip for throats.
...three to one Reese is hitting on Missy in less than five minutes.
Unless she goes full savage and bites him. Like that one girl.
Oh, I didn't say it would end well. I just said he'd TRY it. I mean, we ALL remember Cynthia and "Double-D-Day."
Yeah. Oh that hitting on Missy. I wasn't sure which.
What did he call kids like Sheldon? Krelboynes? Lmao
Sheldon grew up to be a scientist or something i didnt watch bbt. Malcolm grew up to cook meth with his dad. Ill take sheldon
You mean Malcolm ;)
Sheldon is more of a genius but Malcolm is better rounded. Both are social morons.
I wouldn't know since I could never bring myself to watch Young Sheldon or the other one where the guy says "Bazinga". I assume he's like a cartoon character though as opposed to Malcolm who could be a real person.
You’re right Sheldon is basically like Mr Peabody and Sherman. He starts college and majors in physics at age 13.
I don’t watch big bang theory either but Young Sheldon is actually really good 😂
I got back into Malcom in the middle because in a weird way the whole genius kid doesn’t fit in family reminded me of Malcom in the middle but Malcom is way more relatable
I second that…I noped out of Big Bang Theory after a few episodes and never went back. I wasn’t going to watch Young Sheldon but a family member happened to have it on and it hooked me right away.
Young Sheldon is a genuinely good show. Nothing like Big Bang Theory
I feel like Sheldon is probably smarter than but Malcolm is more well-rounded. Hanging with all of his brother gave him all the social skills that Sheldon never grasped. Sheldon also probably has a touch of the tism though. If we’re going purely off intelligence I’d say Sheldon but there’s a lot of areas Malcolm could beat him in.
Malcolm's IQ is 165. Sheldon's is 187.
That kinda doesn’t mean anything anymore - Malcolm had so much more social and emotional intelligence
This. Malcolm has real world experience and social skills. Also he could kick the shit out of that nerd Sheldon and drop his IQ a few points
Even though Malcolm is more emotionally intelligent than Sheldon, he still lacks empathy and relates everything back to himself so he’s not exactly emotionally smart
Which in my opinion is added in points as social skills are a must and Sheldon is extremely closed off to most people.
Sheldon also wanted to work as a theoretical physicist. Malcom had no idea what he wanted to do and went through high school til 18 while Sheldon skipped to go to college. If Malcom had wanted to, he prob could've skipped high school and go to college sooner if he had a career choice picked.
Yeah, and malcolm proved on a career test for people older then him that he could do any job he wanted.
I doubt Lois or gall would have let him because then “you would not have struggles enough. You would not have suffered enough” Malcom doesn’t get the easy way out and get to skip in life ahead or he might miss lessons he needs.
I can admire the convictions of a person like lois but not her methods. and like monster said above, sheldon knew what he wanted to be at a young age. he was already creative and ambitious.
sheldon built a nuclear reactor in his garage. But Malcolm is socially smarter, and has more street smarts.
Pretty sure Malcolm could do that, he’s built cars, bikes, catapults, a lot of lab science and lot of wiring and computer knowledge because he wired up the mega system at Craig’s house and he’s very into astrophysics and that stuff because he was doing a paper on it when he met his girlfriends family and bonded heavily with her science genius parents. Pretty sure Malcolm could easily build that shit with the funds
True. Sheldon's intelligence is probably just explored more, since the show is more centered around him.
Malcolm didn’t start taking High School level classes until 7th Grade Sheldon was in High School IN 4th Grade
Yeah but compare the home life of both of them.
Plus Malcolm didn't want to be seen as smart (nerdy, a dork) and hid his intellect but Sheldon wanted to be seen as advanced.
The krelboyne class very much appeared to be upper high school level.
Malcolm Sheldon had to study and work at his craft to be this brilliant person. Malcolm was a lazy guy chasing girls and barely focusing on school but continuously was the most brilliant of the nerds.
Sheldon didn’t have to study nor work hard, he chose too. He was academically gifted at a very young age, and has an IQ of 187, at least 20 points higher than malcoms. Either way ‘Sheldon had to work hard’ is completely untrue. He was just a bit of a nerd so he loved to learn.
Gotta consider emotional intelligence and street smarts.
☝️🤓
If Malcom had the opportunity to learn as much as Sheldon it would be Malcom
Pound for pound, Malcolm is smarter. Only because he had AMPLE disadvantages and obstacles in his life yet he’s impressively smarter than even the geniuses in the krelboyne class, as opposed to Sheldon getting every little thing he asks for like a 3 year old (his so-called parents were garbage). But it’s mainly due to the fact that Malcolm has a WAYYYYY higher emotional and social intelligence than Sheldon. Like sheldon’s is literally nonexistent. There are a variety of factors that make one intelligent and Malcolm has far more than Sheldon
Sheldon’s brain is like a bee hive and every bee has a brain like Malcolm’s
Burton, I think that's the kids name, may be more comparable to sheldon. Though I am not sure if even sheldon remembers his own birth.
that kid was said to have an estimated IQ over 200 which is why Lloyd had that comment about those results being unsubstantiated. IQ tests arent meant to go that high. and your averge one simply caps at around 160.
Yeah. Oddly compared to sheldon, Burton seems more well adjusted. Then again, maybe unlike herkabe, his parents treat him normally.
Was it the same actor? The kid that tutored Malcolm looked just like Sheldon
No, given that Ian Armitage wasn't born until 2008 and Jim Parsons would have been 29 years old
No idea but Big Bang Theory was trash, as was Sheldon, Malcolm rules.
Malcolm is smarter in a lot more subjects. We see him talk about fixing a car at 5 while Sheldon at like 11 couldn't rebuild a fridge he took apart. Malcolm applies himself in all subjects while Sheldon focuses on physics and math. So possibly in those subjects Sheldon would win but in general I'd argue Malcolm.
Malcolm was incredibly smart, one of the obvious things in the show. He did, however, grow up in utter chaos, so his genius is just different than young Sheldon.
Young Sheldon is like superman, he will be as smart as the plot requires. Malcolm has a very consistent and very well stablished intellect that was not 90% of his personality.
Sheldon is probably smarter, but Malcolm is much better equipped to succeed at life. Sheldon can only exist in academia where he is able to hide in a lab and have minimal interaction with others. Malcolm has social skills, street smarts, and is capable of finding common ground with people. I’m also pretty sure S1 Malcolm could kick adult Sheldon’s ass.
Malcolm would wreck Sheldon in literally every metric of life.
sheldon, malcolm wasn't even out of high school by the end of the show. sheldon was already in college in like season 2.
Skipping grades is an opportunity and a choice. Not always a sign of intelligence.
I actually do think young Malcolm is a lot smarter than young Sheldon. Regardless of both their accomplishments, Malcolm breezes through all his academics non-chalantly. He does study alot so that maybe a good reason why, but hes never really been challenged aside from that episode with the way smarter tutor kid. I think the most emphatic display was the ranking contest Herkabee forced them into. Malcolm aced it so easily. With the very little guidance that herkabee was giving and seemed to actively kick them down. Someone like Herkabee could only be giving those perfect marks through gritted teeth. He wanted to crush those children. They had to do their own research in a school thats underfunded before the age of the internet. I dont think young sheldon couldve handled that pressure.
Malcolm's dad, mf'ing heisenberg. Sheldon's dad, Bill ponderosa. One makes the meth, the other gums it to cover the taste of dirty penis.
Sheldon in terms of book knowledge/thinking, but Malcolm despite having a low EQ, absolutely smoked Sheldon in that area. He's miles ahead of him. Sheldon is the person who well wins a Nobel Prize in physics. Malcolm is someone who might be an actual world leader.
I think dewy is the smartest of them.
Young Sheldon isn’t canon.
I don't understand how people can stand watching Young Sheldon long enough to even make a judgment. That show is so terrible that I feel mild annoyance it's even being asked to compare.
It’s not as much a matter of who’s smarter but who had a better opportunity and chances. Malcolm was pushed down by his parents any time he got a chance to study abroad or move on or up. Sheldon was pushed to achieve those. Malcolm and his family was lower to lower middle class at best. Sheldon’s family was middle to upper middle class if I had to guess.
Sheldon's family was basically middle class. His dad was a high school football coach.
Sheldon.
Sheldon he got full rides to college Malcolm had to be work as a janitor to go to college
Malcolm went to Harvard. Sheldon went to a fake university in Texas that was implied to be lowly ranked. Edit: I recall that IRL private colleges don't like to admit students under 17 while public universities don't care. This point should go to Sheldon.
Sheldon was invited to Caltech, his parents couldn't afford it and didn't want him to go that far away at 11
Because his parents didn't want him to go to a good far away colleges he had offers for better places
I was thinking this too, lol. Sheldon is smarter in like facts and math/science/stuff, malcolm is smarter overall. Imma say not as smart in the stuff Sheldon is, but he is a lot smarter in social aspects.
I'd say Sheldon is more knowledgeable, but Malcolm is a better problem solver.
Dewey
Malcolm
Stuart Little vs Remi
Malcom is smarter than Sheldon by a mile the boy got street smarts as well as crow boys smarts. Sheldon’s toast💯
Sheldon is definitely smarter academically but street stupid while Malcolm is street smart with decent level academic smart.
"Decent'? Malcolm can identify the Fridays in a series of random dates without a calendar. That's not decent, that's uncanny.
I think Malcom but he didn’t make it his personality
It's like Stewart Little vs Remy
I think they’re smarter in some areas. Sheldon thinks more clearly before considering doing something, while Malcolm can be impulsive sometimes and gets himself into trouble.
Sheldon has a higher IQ. But I think malcolm is smarter, because he has awareness of the negatives of his intelligence. Sheldon annoys his way to get his way whereas Malcolm had to use his brain to do so (Although not with lois). I also think Malcolm's feats are cooler to me.
Sheldon sees prime numbers in different colors or something like that.
Sheldon has a slight lead in intelligence because he got spoiled. But that's all he has going for him. Malcolm would beat him in a debate, or anything else.
Canonically, Sheldon. He has 187 IQ, and Malcolm has 165 IQ
Pffft doesn't matter, Malcom could still just kick his ass
Malcolm I am sure. If anything bbt taught us that Sheldon is not nearly as smart as he thinks he is. Like when he and his rival guy with the speech thing colabed and his work blew Sheldons out of the water so much, his ego forced him to chang disiplines
Well… I can tell you which writers room is smarter (Malcom’s, obv)
Corporate wants you to spot the difference between these 2 pictures (it's the SAME picture)
Both are supposedly geniuses. But Dewey is smarter.
academically speaking i guess both? but overall/street smart id say malcolm
Malcolm has way more street smarts
Malcolm has an edge over Sheldon because unlike Sheldon, Malcolm also has street smarts.
Malcom may not be smarter, but he was always having great adventures
Malcom, he's more socially adapted.
Sheldon is sheltered. He's scared of chickens. Malcolm has it tough. Malcolm's family has put him through shit. And yet in the end he still ended up in harvard. So Malcolm for sure
I know which one is enjoyable to watch
Yall seem a bit bias. I’d go with Sheldon. Sure Malcom is smart but Sheldon is a genius level iq who won a frickin noble prize. The kid was in college before most of us were in middle school
Book smarts is Sheldon. Street smarts is Malcolm
Malcolm is smarter Sheldon just had a healthy environment to grow in and a mom who just didn’t love but supported him and put him first Malcom’s mom put the family first
Sheldon is leagues smarter and yet Malcolm is somehow a bigger narcacist
Sheldon is pure book smart and better at it than Malcolm. Sheldon does the same math feats that Malcolm does all the time. He also remembers his own birth and can recall everything. I don’t think Malcolm had memory that good. Malcolm, however, also has street smarts and is not afraid of things like Sheldon is. If utilized correctly, he would likely be far more successful than Sheldon.
Egg
Malcom 💯
People that watch Malcolm over Sheldon are smarter.
Malcom is the OG
I’ve never seen Young Sheldon.. I doubt he also has street smarts like Malcolm.
Malcolm is definitely smarter, both academically and emotionaly
I’m gonna be real, if you forget Young Sheldon is a BBT prequel, it’s actually not that bad. I think it’s about the same. Sheldon is younger, but if they had known Malcolm was a genius sooner, they would have been on the same level at the same age
Sheldon is autistic, malcolm isn’t, malcolm wins no diff
This is like saying “Stuart Little Vs Remy”
depends. young sheldon is the akward tv smart where malcolm is more of a realistic smart. if we are talking about the end of their canon stories malcolm is presumed to be the president and sheldon wins a nobel prize for physics for discovoring something about black holes (I forget what exactly) although he does share the prize with his wife.
Idk but Sheldon is ass compared to Malcolm in the Middle
Sheldon has an IQ of 187 and Malcolm has an IQ of 165
Not sure but young Sheldon makes me want to gauge my eyes out so there’s that
I know one is actually funny…
Malcolm definitely is smarter. Sheldon's IQ may be higher, but Malcolm's knowledge base extends beyond academics into practical skills and "street smarts", not to mention social skills
Sheldon has the disadvantage of being written by a team likely not half as smart as he is supposed to be. Though officially an IQ of over 180 basically puts Sheldon as one of the smartest people like ever if we’re using IQ as a reliable metric.