Will We Ever See Big Hero 6 In A Marvel Cinematic Universe Movie?
It was first announced Disney was going to buy Marvel on August 31, 2009, to the tune of $4.24 billion. It proved to be a worthwhile purchase as the Marvel Cinematic Universe would go on to become one of the most profitable franchises of all time. But Disney had complete access to most of Marvel's catalog — minus a few mutants, a fantastic family, and one wall-crawler — so fans were always curious if the House of Mouse would making anything Marvel-related outside of the MCU. That's why fans were excited, and perhaps a little confused, when it was announced in 2013 that Disney Animation Studios was going to create a feature-length film for the comic book title Big Hero 6.
Many fans hadn't heard of this particular superhero team before, but it wouldn't be long until Hiro, Baymax, and the rest of the team were household names. The movie was a box office success, and it won an Academy Award for Best Animated Film. And if that wasn't enough, the team would even get their own animated series on Disney XD. The team hasn't done too shabby for themselves, but there's still one question on every Marvel fan's mind. Will Big Hero 6 ever get their own genuine movie within the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Join us as we take a look at why the group might get their own MCU film ... and all the reasons why they might never ally with the Avengers.
Yes: Big Hero 6 has name recognition now
Avengers: Endgame became the highest-grossing film of all time after it was released in 2019. And these days, it's not surprising when you hear the latest Marvel film just broke $1 billion at the box office. Marvel is pretty much a money-printing machine at this point, and even when the studio debuts a new character like Black Panther or Captain Marvel, they go on to great success. So, can you imagine the kind of money a live-action movie based on a pre-established, already-beloved franchise could rake in?
In 2014, Big Hero 6 grossed over $650 million at the worldwide box office. That's not too shabby, even if it falls short of something like Frozen bringing in $1.2 billion. But that was a while ago. Now, Big Hero 6 has toys in every store and a successful cartoon series on Disney XD. It's safe to say interest in Big Hero 6 has never been higher, so if there was a time to bring them into the MCU, now would be it. And it would be a safe bet that a live-action movie would break that $1 billion barrier all Marvel movies strive for.
No: Big Hero 6 has never been labeled as 'Marvel'
Released in 2014, Big Hero 6 has more in common with offerings like Frozen and Zootopia than Avengers: Endgame. And that's clearly for a reason. It seems as though Disney is content with making Big Hero 6 a "Disney" movie rather than a "Marvel" movie. Yes, it's based on a Marvel comic, but Disney really seems interested in disassociating the franchise from its comic roots.
For starters, just look at some of the other superhero series that launched on Disney XD. They all have names like Marvel's Avengers: Secret Wars and Marvel's Spider-Man. But the series based on Big Hero 6 is just called Big Hero 6. On top of that, those other series have all kinds of heroes from the MCU pop up, even if they aren't regularly featured in the shows. Big Hero 6 exists in its own contained universe, and it's not like Iron Man has ever stopped by to say, "What's up?" There's a clear separation between Big Hero 6 and every other Marvel property.
You can also look at the video game Disney Infinity. Despite Hiro and Baymax first appearing in the Marvel comics, they're not playable characters in the Marvel Battlegrounds Play Set. The characters as most people know them seem to belong to Disney alone, and it could be unlikely that Disney would want to confuse people with two different iterations of the same heroes.
Yes: There are interesting stories in the comic books to pull from
Marvel never really capitalized on Big Hero 6 comic books, but there are still plenty of stories out there for future movies to pull from. One of the best arcs comes from 2008 in the series Brave New Heroes, and as it was written before the Disney purchase, this story is pretty different from the Big Hero 6 we know today. For example, Fred doesn't just wear a monster costume. He turns into a full-grown, Godzilla-esque creature known as Fredzilla. He's kind of scary looking, so while his original iteration might not have worked in a Disney animated film, it would feel right at home within the MCU.
Big Hero 6 has also teamed up with Spider-Man in the comics in the "Ends of the Earth" storyline. In this particular tale, Doctor Octopus has sent dangerous Octobots to Japan, so the team has to confront the supervillain's minions. Plus, in the process, they face off against their arch-enemy, Everwraith. There are a lot of opportunities for the right filmmaker to get super weird with a live-action Big Hero 6 movie, and there are plenty of chances to incorporate pre-existing characters in the MCU to have some fun as well.
No: A lot of changes would need to be made
The Big Hero 6 comic books were already pretty weird, and while Disney may have changed a few things for the 2014 movie, it's still a fairly odd film. If Marvel wanted to transpose these characters into the MCU, a lot more alterations would need to happen.
For example, the movie takes place in the fictional city of San Fransokyo (a portmanteau of San Francisco and Tokyo). It makes for a fun, unique location for that particular movie, but the problem is that the MCU pretty much takes place in our real world. Sure, every so often there's a made-up place like Wakanda, but San Francisco is already firmly established thanks to Ant-Man. And while a specific year is never given in the movie, it's clear that Big Hero 6 takes place in a futuristic landscape.
It's possible the MCU could do a live-action Big Hero 6 set in the far future, but it's tough to see how that would benefit any overarching stories. Bringing them into the present and changing the location would mean losing what makes these heroes so special, so it's easy to see why Marvel would pass them over for a live-action movie.
Yes: There was already a Big Hero 6 reference in the MCU
Is it possible that Big Hero 6 already exists within the Marvel Cinematic Universe? It's certainly possible if you consider a subtle Easter egg in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Before the climactic battle against the titular robotic villain, Tony Stark has to pick between a new A.I. system because he no longer has J.A.R.V.I.S. He ultimately picks F.R.I.D.A.Y., but you can see a couple of other names on the table, including one labeled "T.A.D.A.S.H.I."
This is noteworthy because Tadashi is the name of Hiro's older brother who, in the 2014 film, develops Baymax. Considering Big Hero 6 came out just one year before Age of Ultron, it seems like a sly Easter egg for eagle-eyed viewers. But it could serve as a launching point for bringing the heroes into the MCU. After all, Marvel technically introduced the nation of Wakanda in Iron Man 2, six years before Black Panther would debut in Captain America: Civil War. Marvel could just be playing the long game by introducing Big Hero 6 in a similar way.
No: They don't really have a place to fit in
Every hero in the MCU brings something new to the table. When a big, team-up film occurs, all the heroes have something to do. And looking at the team dynamic Big Hero 6 would bring, it's not clear where exactly they would fit in with the Avengers and company.
In particular, it's tough to see what the lead, Hiro, would bring to the MCU. He's a 14-year old kid who would probably be amazed to work alongside heroes like Black Panther and Ant-Man. It's pretty much exactly the dynamic Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, brought to the MCU. He's a kid who was practically star-struck when he helped Iron Man in Captain America: Civil War. Hiro and his pals would probably do the same thing, and it's unlikely Marvel would want to retread that kind of dynamic.
Of course, it's always possible Hiro would enter the picture after Spider-Man has grown up a bit, allowing Peter Parker to take on the role Tony Stark did for him. But there's no way that would happen any time soon.
Yes: A Stan Lee cameo could connect it to the MCU
Big Hero 6 ends with a delightful post-credits scene. As Fred goes through his family's belongings, his father, who both looks like and is voiced by Stan Lee, shows up and says they have a lot to talk about. Stan Lee cameos are always fun to see, and his presence in this movie makes it clear that this is, in fact, a Marvel movie. And Marvel movies are all interconnected in some way.
After all, there was a scene in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 where Stan Lee can be seen talking to a group of aliens known as the Watchers. He mentions a few of the cameos he's made over the years in the MCU, making it clear that Stan Lee always plays the same character when he pops up in Marvel movies. If this theory holds true, then that means Stan Lee's watcher informant also made a trip over to San Fransokyo.
Granted, Stan Lee also appeared in movies outside of the MCU like Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy. Perhaps Stan Lee's character has the ability to travel through the multiverse to go to other Marvel universes. It could be possible for the multiverse in the MCU to be tampered with, allowing Big Hero 6 to come through and enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe properly at some point.
No: Marvel has a lot on its plate already
If you're a Marvel fanatic, then you probably know about much of Marvel's plans going into the next few years. They've already announced the line-up for Phase 4, which will see heroes like Shang-Chi get onto the big screen. Other heroes like Thor and Doctor Strange will receive sequels. Plus, Marvel wants to reboot Blade, which doesn't yet have a release date. And sooner or later, the X-Men and Fantastic Four are going to enter the picture.
That's ... a lot of superhero movies. Not only do all these characters have to get their own films, but they'll inevitably need to team up for whatever the next great threat is to the universe now that Thanos is gone. It's unclear when exactly Marvel Studios would be able to get around to doing a live-action Big Hero 6 and whether they would work together as a team with the rest of the Avengers.
Yes: Big Hero 6 has connections to the X-Men
It's unclear if Marvel Studios has any desire whatsoever to make a Big Hero 6 live-action movie. But one thing is clear — the studio is definitely interested in bringing the X-Men into the MCU. It's only a matter of time until Wolverine, Professor X, and the rest of the mutant crew are back on the big screen but this time part of an interconnected universe. This could be a very good thing for Hiro and the rest of the heroes.
When Big Hero 6 first debuted in the '90s, Sunfire and Silver Samurai were part of the team. You might recognize those names as being affiliated with the X-Men. And this could be the natural way to introduce Big Hero 6 to the MCU. As futuristic heroes, they may not be a natural fit for this cinematic universe, but having connections to the X-Men could provide a natural way for a super smart kid who invents Baymax and a giant lizard creature to come into the MCU fold.
No: A fulfilling story is already being told
Word has been pretty quiet so far about a sequel to 2014's Big Hero 6. But that doesn't mean one didn't happen .. on TV, anyway. Big Hero 6: The Series debuted on Disney XD in 2017, and it picked up where the movie left off. In the show, Hiro is now a student at college with the rest of his friends, and in between classes, they find the time to save their city from evil.
Disney has already renewed the series for a season three, so there will be more adventures with the team in the near future. The higher-ups must've thought a series was a better way to continue these stories in lieu of another animated film. Sure, there's a lot the MCU could do with Big Hero 6, but the fact remains that they don't really need to do anything with the team at all. The movie and the TV show are there for fans of the series, and that could be enough.
What's the final verdict on Big Hero 6?
So after looking at all of the evidence, will Big Hero 6 eventually become a live-action film? Sadly, all signs point to "no" on this one. Easter eggs aside, it just doesn't seem like there's any place for Baymax and his hero friends to make the transition into the MCU to crack jokes with Thor and Star-Lord.
That's not necessarily a bad thing. We'll still get plenty of great films in the MCU in the form of Black Panther 2, Captain Marvel 2, and every other film that's set to be part of Phase 4 and 5. Plus, Big Hero 6 isn't hurting for any attention. They had a great film already, and their TV series on Disney XD is excellent. If you want to see this team in action, you have plenty of avenues to look toward, so it's easy to see why the MCU would pass over these heroes.