Hard as it may be to believe, Big Hero 6 is now officially more than a decade old. This underrated Disney film first hit the scene in 2014, and while it was well-received, it certainly didn’t get the recognition it deserved. Big Hero 6 is a fantastic story, combining equal parts coming-of-age, found family, and superheroics into one memorable adventure. At the core of this story are six unique characters, ranging from a tech nerd to a full-blown robot, and it’s one of those movies that gets better with each consecutive watch. Interestingly, the lore behind this film goes deeper than even some die-hard fans may realize, as it’s based on a comic series with the same name. What’s even more shocking is the many differences between the two versions.
As one might expect, several changes were made during the adaptation process for Big Hero 6. Any fan who has watched their favorite story change mediums has come to learn this inevitability. Sometimes, those changes are for the better, but not always. When it comes to Big Hero 6, it’s safe to say that the changes didn’t ruin the film – more like they created a different story using similar elements. Consider how the MCU has largely handled familiar plots in the past – the core of a popular story may fit into the movie. Still, many details, including crucial elements, get changed in the process.
It can be hard to fit an entire universe’s worth of lore into a singular movie, resulting in hard decisions on the cutting room floor. As such, we fans have gotten used to accepting the loss of details and backstories. This is especially true for Big Hero 6, where the comics had the luxury of existing within the larger Marvel Universe. Meanwhile, the movie had to be more compact and borderline standalone. For example, several team members have deep connections to the X-Men in the comics, but notably, those characters are absent from the film.
Created by Steven T. Seagle and Duncan Rouleau, Big Hero 6 were conceived as a government-sponsored superhero team for Japan. In terms of comics, they’ve only starred in eight total comics, with only a few minor appearances (their last appearance in 2012’s Amazing Spider-Man: Ends of the Earth #1). The classic comic team of Big Hero 6 included heroes Hiro Takachiho, Baymax, Gogo Tomago, Kimiko, Silver Samurai, and Sunfire. The latter three were replaced for the movie, largely because of their X-Men ties because the feature film rights to those characters was still at 20th Century Fox. In their absence, Wasabi, Honey Lemon, and Fred joined the movie’s adventures.
On that note, let’s talk about Fred for a minute. Despite the film’s length, Fred gets a couple of comical subplots dedicated to his character, including an absent father (who’s secretly a superhero) and a powered costume that seemingly comes out of nowhere. Fred was an essential addition to the movie, as his more humorous side helped balance the trauma and grief Hiro was working through. However, it’s important to note that Fred’s character is even larger than life in the comics. This is because Fred doesn’t need a fancy costume, as he can turn into a kaiju at will. Yeah, that one would have been hard to explain in a short period of time.
The foundation for the Big Hero 6 movie is Tadashi Hamada, Hiro’s big brother. He created the iconic character Baymax, who cared for Hiro when Tadashi couldn’t. His death further drives the plot, as Hiro and his newly found friends feel compelled to dig into the disaster and become heroes in the process. Here’s the thing, though: Tadashi Hamada doesn’t exist in the comics. For that matter, the Hiro Hamada of the film doesn’t exist in the comics either, but we’ll get to that later.
Adding Tadashi’s character to Big Hero 6 makes a lot of sense. It adds a personal touch to the story and creates emotional complexity while providing a quick excuse for Baymax’s existence. Meanwhile, the comics handled the story differently, as Hiro Takachiho (not Hamada) created Baymax. The list of changes continues, as the comic version of Baymax wasn’t intended to be a medical robot but instead a bodyguard for young Hiro. Now, let’s address the elephant in the room. Hiro Hamada and Hiro Takachiho are unrelated and have very different journeys into the world of heroism. Movie Hiro dove headfirst into being a hero after the death of his brother. Comic hero was courted by the team Big Hero 6 but only joined it following his mother’s abduction. He would stay on the team after her rescue and eventually take over as leader.
Image courtesy of Walt Disney Animation Studios
Some fans may wonder if Big Hero 6 is part of the larger MCU, given all the changes that went into its adaptation. Though Disney owns Marvel and the series is based on one of their comics, Big Hero 6 is essentially a standalone animated movie with Marvel characters.
Here’s where things get interesting: the characters of Big Hero 6 aren’t mentioned in the MCU, and vice versa. To put it in terms that the MCU is sticking two, they in two different universes. This explains the lack of connections between stories, but recent Marvel events prove that the door doesn’t need to stay shut forever. Simply put, while Big Hero 6 is not currently considered part of the MCU, this could change at any moment. While that isn’t likely, anything is possible when the multiverse appears.
Big Hero 6 is currently available to stream on Disney+.
Hard as it may be to believe, Big Hero 6 is now officially more than a decade old. This underrated Disney film first hit the scene in 2014, and while it was well-received, it certainly didn’t get the recognition it deserved. Big Hero 6 is a fantastic story, combining equal parts coming-of-age, found family, and Read More