Walt Disney Studios made what is perhaps one of its most profitable decisions everwhen it bought Marvel Entertainment in 2009. This decision placed the fledgling Marvel Cinematic Universe under Disney’s umbrella, and led to a franchise that’s proven to be a moneymaker for Disney (with the recentDeadpool & Wolverinebecoming the highest-grossing R-rated filmin history.)
Let’s turn the clock back a decade to 2014. Marvel Studios had released two wildly different, yet utterly successful films inCaptain America: The Winter SoldierandGuardians of the Galaxy; Walt Disney Animation had also struck gold with a string of successes likeFrozenandWreck-It Ralph.No one could imagine the two sides firmly meshing…that is untilBig Hero 6co-directorBob Hallsought to make an animated film based on a Marvel property. “The Avengers hadn’t even come out yet, but Iron Man had. And you knew they were doing Captain America, and you knew they were doing Thor… (we had to) stay away from the big dogs. So I was trying to think of stuff that was a little more obscure that maybe we could do,“Hall said in an interview, also revealing thathe pitched five different ideasbefore settling onBig Hero 6.
How Does the ‘Big Hero 6’ Movie Differ From the Comics?
Steven T. SeagleandDuncan Rouleauco-created the originalBig Hero 6comic back in the 1990s, with the titular team being assembled by the Japanese government. The initial roster consists of Honey Lemon, a brilliant scientist whose “Power Purse” allows her access to alternate dimensions; GoGo Tomago, who wears a suit of armor that transforms her into a human meteor; boy genius Hiro Takachiko and his robot bodyguard Baymax, who has the ability to transform into a dragon; Kenuchio Harada, the former supervillain known as the Silver Samurai; and Shiro Yoshida, the solar-powered Sunfire. From the jump,Big Hero 6had a number of connections to the X-Men franchise,as Sunfire was briefly a member of the X-Men and the Silver Samurai fought Wolverine on multiple occasions. Later, the team would add Wasabi-no-Ginger, a sushi chef turned swordsman, and “Fredzilla,” who could transform into a kaiju, to their ranks.
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Though most of the characters from theBig Hero 6comic do make it to the big screen,their origins, and the city they defend,change drastically. Instead of fully being set in Japan, Hall and co-directorChris Williams(along with the screenwriting team ofJordan Roberts, Robert L. Baird&Daniel Gerson) moved Big Hero 6’s adventures to the fictional city of San Fransokyo,which blends Japanese culture with San Francisco’s landmarks. Likewise, characters changed. Honey Lemon (Genesis Rodriguez) was still a scientist, though her “Power Purse” could now make chemical concoctions, while Fred (T.J. Miller) didn’t transform into a kaiju but rather wore a kaiju suit. Marvel’s former CCOJoe Quesadawelcomed the changes, particularly with what Hall was attempting to accomplish. “Don was a huge fan of Marvel…He understood what we did. I didn’t have to explain our world to him. The relationship between Hiro and his robot has a very Disney flavor to it … but it’s combined with these Marvel heroic arcs,“Quesada told theLos Angeles Times.
The Creators of ‘Big Hero 6’ Actually Worked on Other Marvel Animation Projects
In addition to co-creatingBig Hero 6, Steven T. Seagle and Duncan Rouleau are also known for co-founding Man of Action Entertainment withJoe KellyandJoe Casey. Man of Action is perhaps best known for co-creating theBen 10franchise, butthe group wound up working ona number of Marvel animated series. Their work included the back half ofAvengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes,Ultimate Spider-Man, andAvengers Assemble. It was actually while working onUltimate Spider-Manthat Seagle learned aboutBig Hero 6becoming a movie, as he threw out the idea of the team showing up due to most of Spidey’s villains being off limits. “We were in the writers’ room going, Could we use Morbius? No. Power Pack? No,” Seagle said during the Man of Action panel atEmerald City Comic Con in 2019. “Then we said, What about Big Hero 6?” Quesada, who was also in the room, took them aside and told them about the film, and Seagle said that he was relieved after seeing designs, since Hall and Williams' vision matched what the original comics were going for.
‘Big Hero 6’ Puts a Twist on Two Marvel Movie Traditions
Most Marvel movies have become known for featuring a mid and/or post-credits scene that either ties up the film’s events in a satisfying or humorous way, orpoints the way to what’s next in the MCU. Up until 2019, it was also common to find a cameo from the late, greatStan Lee, who stole whatever scene he was in thanks to his larger-than-life persona.Big Hero 6would wind up putting its own unique spin on both elementsby having Lee appear as Fred’s father in a post-credits scene— something that wasn’t originally part of the film. “When we went to seeGuardians Of The Galaxy, we got really scooped. It horrified us, that people were sat waiting for an end credits thing, because of the Marvel DNA. We didn’t want people to leave the movie disappointed,” Hall toldDen of Geekwhen discussing how the post-credits scene came about.
A Theory Ties Together Iron Man, ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron,’ and ‘Big Hero 6’
Even ifBig Hero 6was a standalone film, one eagle-eyed viewer caughta surprising connection between it andAvengers: Age of Ultron. IvanMars, the self-proclaimed “Movie Detective,“posted a short clip on TikTokfrom the scene where Hiro Hamada (Ryan Potter) visits his brother Tadashi (Daniel Henny) at San Fransokyo University. In the clip, a man resembling Tony Stark is testing out jet boots on a cat -which is a direct homage to when Stark first tested out the repulsor tech he uses as Iron Man. The connections don’t stop there; when Stark’s choosing a new AI for his Iron Man armor, he has a data chip labeled “Tadashi.” These subtle nods loosely linkBig Hero 6with the MCU, but still allow it to stand on its own two feet.
‘Big Hero 6’ Is Proof That Great Marvel Stories Aren’t Just in the MCU
Big Hero 6’s loose connections to its source material not only worked in its favor storywise, but it proves thatthere are still great Marvel stories to be told outside the MCU, particularly in animation. Shows likeMoon Girl & Devil DinosaurandX-Men ‘97have managed to put their own spin on beloved and/or obscure Marvel characters, while gaining their own fanbases.Big Hero 6was enough of a box office success to get two separate spinoff series (Big Hero 6: The SeriesandBaymax!, respectively), while fans still await a theatrical sequel. With Disney doubling down on expanding franchises and the success of non-MCU projects likeX-Men ‘97, perhaps the time is right forBig Hero 6to get a sequel.
Big Hero 6
A special bond develops between plus-sized inflatable robot Baymax and prodigy Hiro Hamada, who together team up with a group of friends to form a band of high-tech heroes.
Big Hero 6is available to watch on Disney+ in the U.S.
Watch on Disney+
