The Great Superhero Movie That People Don’t Realize Comes From Marvel

The past decade and a half has been the greatest time ever to be a fan of the superhero genre. Never before have so many films been released within the genre, especially as big screen blockbusters. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the biggest franchise of them all, with the likes of Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: No Way Home being huge hits, while DC Comics has also put out major movies like Superman, Joker, and The Suicide Squad. That’s not to mention the likes of Kick-Ass and Incredibles 2, just to name a couple that aren’t Marvel or DC.

When discussing the best superhero movies of this era, there’s one film that deserves to be near the top of that conversation, yet it often doesn’t get brought up. It received widespread acclaim, was in contnetion for a major Academy Award, and holds up incredibly well over a decade later. Despite that, it’s not mentioned among the best superhero movies and that’s because a lot of people don’t even consider it to be a superhero film.

That movie is Big Hero 6 and a lot of folks might not realize it but it’s actually a movie that’s based on a Marvel Comics property. It was released by Walt Disney Animation Studios rather than Marvel Studios, which is why so many are unaware of its origin.

Big Hero 6 Is One Of The Best Superhero Films Ever

Big Hero 6 is about as good as it gets when it comes to a superhero movie. The premise is intriguing on the surface, as the story centers on young Hiro Hamada. He’s a teenage robotics prodigy who grieves the death of his brother in a fire. He befriends an inflatable robot that his brother created named Baymax, who is designed to be a medical help bot. Hiro ends up working with Baymax and his brother Tadashi’s friends to form a superhero team that goes up against a villain.

Since the movie was released by Walt Disney Animation Studios, most people seem to look at it as an adventure film rather than a superhero project. However, it certainly fits the profile of a superhero movie, especially since the concept is based on a Marvel Comics property. The film is from 2014, but the characters debuted way back in 1998. Alas, the comic book series of Big Hero 6 is nowhere near as famous or popular as those surrounding characters like the X-Men, Spider-Man, or the Avengers.

As noted, reviews for Big Hero 6 were sparkling. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film sits at 90%, which makes it one of the highest rated superhero movies to date. The film also was a hit at the Academy Awards, winning the coveted prize for Best Animated Feature, while also receiving seven nominations at the Annie Awards, as well as a Golden Globe nod. Big Hero 6 also grossed over $650 million at the worldwide box office, making it a standout superhero movie by any metric.

The Big Hero 6 Comic Is Different From The Movie

Although Big Hero 6 is based on a comic book by Marvel, what happened on the screen was quite different from what we get on the page. For starters, the death of Tadashi is a driving force behind Hiro’s actions, yet he’s a character who was made up for the film. In the comics, with no Tadashi, it was Hiro who made Baymax and he was developed as a bodyguard, not a medical assistant. That change allowed for a more lovable and fun personality for Baymax, which translated better for widespread audiences.

Speaking of making Baymax lovable for audiences, the film removed one major aspect of the character. He can take various forms in the comics, including both a mecha and a more monstrous looking entity. That wouldn’t exactly endear to the younger audience the film was aimed at, so it was avoided. The comic books also feature some truly wacky and sometimes ridiculous storylines that would’ve felt a bit out of place on the big screen.

In fact, the entire premise of Big Hero 6 on the screen is much different from the film. Hiro and his quest to stop the villain, Callaghan, from using Hiro’s own microbots for his personal gain is the reason why the team is formed. That’s not the case on the page, with the team set up by the Japanese government (the film is even in the made up city of San Fransokyo) and there’s no connection to Hiro until he eventually joins the team.

Big Hero 6 Spawned An Underrated Franchise

The success of Big Hero 6 actually spawned a pretty fantastic franchise. First, there was Big Hero 6: The Series, which premiered in 2017. The show kept the animated style that made the film such a hit and basically followed the titular team on their heroic endeavors. Airing on both Disney XD and Disney Channel, Big Hero 6: The Series lasted three seasons and spanned more than 70 episodes. Also, most of the voice cast from the film reprised their roles for this spin-off show.

There was also a short-lived series called Baymax Dreams in 2018 and then a more famous show, Baymax! in 2022. The latter aired on Disney+ and focused on the titular Baymax as he helped various people throughout San Fransokyo. It was more based on the fun aspects of Baymax’ personality rather than the superhero side of things, which makes this a varied franchise. Even someone who doesn’t enjoy superhero stories can fall in love with Baymax.

The franchise has grown beyond the TV shows too. There have been new comic books released that center more on what the big screen adaptation set up and there are plenty of toys as well. The characters have also popped up in a bunch of video games, from a side-scrolling release on the Nintendo DS to a mobile game. Hiro and Baymax even showed up in the Disney Infinity 2.0 game as playable characters, while San Fransokyo is an area that can be visited in Kingdom Hearts III.

Of course, there has also been talk for several years about a sequel to Big Hero 6. While nothing is confirmed yet, there’s no doubt that the original is one of the best superhero movies ever and certainly one of the best based on a Marvel comic book.

Release Date

October 24, 2014

Runtime

1h 42m

Director

Don Hall, Chris Williams

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