The Sherlock Mystery: The Movies And Shows VS The Original Stories

The Character of Mycroft Holmes, Then and Now

Mycroft Holmes was written by Arthur Conan Boyle as possessing great claims to deduction and knowledge exceeding even Sherlock Holmes, though he isn’t as effective as his brother, being limited by his poor physique and dislike of fieldwork.

On the show, Sherlocks’ big brother is portrayed to be “smarter” than his competitive brother, but with a poor physique. The difference on the show is more that Mycroft works within the system, the government, while Sherlock works outside of it. The two collaborate as they also argue and annoy each other, with love.