Before “Big Hero 6” was Disney’s 54th animated movie, it was one of Marvel’s comic book titles. I thought it would be fun and interesting to go over the similarities and differences between the two.
The Team:
Movie: When a devastating event befalls the city of San Fransokyo and catapults Hiro into the midst of danger, he turns to Baymax and his close friends adrenaline junkie Go Go Tomago, neatnik Wasabi, chemistry whiz Honey Lemon and fanboy Fred. Determined to uncover the mystery, Hiro transforms his friends into a band of high-tech heroes called “Big Hero 6.”
Comic Book: When the Japanese government needs a team of state-sanctioned superheroes at their disposal, a top-secret consortium of politicians and business entities known as the Giri is formed to recruit and train potential superhuman operatives for the team, which is named Big Hero 6. The original team consisted of Silver Samurai, Sunfire, Go Go Tomago, Honey Lemon, Hiro Takachiho and Baymax. Later Silver Samurai and Sunfire left the team and Wasabi-No-Ginger and Fred became the replacement members.
Hiro Hamada:
Movie: Hiro is a young boy who has lost his parents and is raised by his Aunt Cass. Hiro is very intelligent and uses hit talents to win at gambling during back street illegal robot fighting matches. Tadashi, Hiro’s older brother, tries to save Hiro from a life of crime by convincing him that his talents can be better used by helping others and going to college. After his brother’s heroic death, Hiro starts to find clues that lead him to the villain that caused the death of his brother. Aided by Tadashi’s invention, Baymax, and his brother’s colleagues, Hiro puts together the team of Big Hero 6.
Comic Book: At age 13, Hiro Takachihowas was targeted by the Giri, a top-secret consortium of Japanese politicians and business entities that was established to recruit and train potential operatives for a Japanese super-team, Big Hero 6. Silver Samurai(Kenuichio Harada), Big Hero 6’s initial field leader, first approached Hiro’s mother for permission to have him join the team, but she refused due to her desire for her child to live a normal life. Silver Samurai then approached Hiro directly, but the boy was less than impressed with Big Hero 6. However, after his mother was abducted by the Everwraith, the astral embodiment of all those killed in the 1945 nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Hiro was forced to turn to Big Hero 6 for assistance. After joining forces with the team, which also included his idol, the Japanese hero Sunfire, Hiro opted to join the team and has remained a member ever since. In fact, when Silver Samurai and Sunfire left the Big Hero 6, Hiro was appointed to serve as the team’s field leader. In the comic book, Hiro has no older brother and his father is killed. Instead of being raised by his aunt, Hiro is raised by his mother.
Baymax:
Movie: Baymax is an inflatable robot created by Hiro’s older brother, Tadashi, to be a medical healthcare companion. After Tadashi’s death, Baymax becomes Hiro’s protector and closest friend. And after some reprogramming that includes a rocket fist, super strength and rocket thrusters that allow him to fly, Baymax becomes one of the most powerful members of Big Hero 6.
Comic Book: Monster Baymax began his existence as a science project created by Hiro Takachiho. He was originally designed to be a hydro-powered robotic synthformer programmed to serve as Hiro’s personal bodyguard, butler, and chauffeur. However, prior to the project’s completion, Hiro’s father died and the young inventor programmed Baymax’s artificial intelligence using the brain engrains of his recently departed father. With the thoughts and emotions of Hiro’s father, Baymax became much more than a robotic bodyguard. He also functions as Hiro’s best friend and father figure. Baymax is an artificial synthformer capable of synthtransing his body into various forms. His default form is a large humanoid male designed to be less conspicuous in public while attending to Hiro’s daily needs. His other forms “Battle-Dragon” and “Action-Mecha”, are exponentially more powerful.
Go Go Tomago:
Movie: Aptly named GoGo Tomago knows what it takes to be fast. She’s tough, athletic and loyal to the bone, but not much of a conversationalist. Popping bubble gum and delivering well-placed sarcasm are totally her speed. The daredevil adrenaline junkie is at her best on wheels, and when GoGo joins forces with Big Hero 6, she rolls like never before, using maglev discs as wheels, shields and throwing weapon.
Comic Book: Raised on the streets, young street urchin Leiko Tanaka fell in with the Shikei-otaku, one of the many youth-based motorcycle gangs involved in Yakuza activities. At age 18, she was arrested during a botched robbery and sentenced to a term of five years in Tochigi Prison. However, before serving her full sentence, engineers from Japan’s Ministry of Defense came to her with a deal: secure an early release from prison in exchange for test piloting an experimental exosuit. Tanaka, who was chosen as a test subject based on her good behavior in prison and her high-speed motorcycling skills, accepted the government’s terms and soon found herself in the “Go-Go Tomago” exosuit, named for the sphere-like shape the armor takes when propelling through the air at high velocities (“tomago” being the Japanese word for “egg”). Go-Go Tomago was chosen to be a founding member of the Big Hero 6 due to her proficiency with the exosuit and the belief that her fear of being sent back to prison would make it easy for the Giri to control her. Impulsive and hotheaded, Go-Go initially clashed with virtually every member of her new team. She refused to take orders from the team’s initial field leader, Silver Samurai, and was insanely jealous of teammate Honey Lemon. However, once becoming acclimated to the team, her grudging respect for her teammates evolved into true kinship.
Honey Lemon:
Movie: A cheerful and talented chemical engineering student at the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology, Honey Lemon lends her skills to help form San Fransokyo’s premier superhero team Big Hero 6. Her knowledge of alchemy proves powerful when the effusive brainiac becomes part of the Big Hero 6 and creates clever concoctions that when thrown, can get her team out of nearly any jam.
Comic Book: Aiko Miyazaki was enrolled in the graduate program at the Tokyo University of Science when she was recruited by Japan’s premiere intelligence agency. Miyazaki’s stunning looks and sharp intellect made her a prime candidate for secret agent status, and she was promptly placed on a research and development team consisting of top physicists, chemists, and mechanical engineers and put to work creating new technology for the government. The team’s most significant invention was a cluster of artificial, miniature wormholes — tiny warps and distortions in the fabric of space-time. At Miyazaki’s suggestion, the wormholes were contained within an innocuous woman’s purse so they could be applied in the field without attracting undue attention. It was soon discovered that the wormholes, in conjunction with Pym Particles (Ant-man) and cutting-edge nanotechnology, served as ideal storage devices in the field — virtually any object, no matter how large, could be stored in Miyazaki’s aptly-named “Power Purse” for later use. Miyazaki was later recruited to join Big Hero 6 and she adopted the codename “Honey Lemon” (inspired by her favorite television program of the same name). As the most caring and compassionate member of the team, Honey Lemon quickly found herself at odds with teammate Go Go, a tough-talking ex-convict who felt that Honey Lemon received special treatment because of her looks and intellect. However, after several heated squabbles, the two eventually learned to appreciate one another and became good friends.
Wasabi:
Movie: Wasabi is an intelligent young man and notable student at the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology, majoring in in applied physics. Wasabi is committed to precision. He’s super smart and just a touch neurotic, but the big and burly neatnik can’t help but join the cause when Hiro needs him most. As part of “Big Hero 6,” Wasabi amplifies his martial arts skills with jaw-dropping plasma blade weaponry.
Comic Book: Wasabi No Ginger is a master chef. Wasabi, along with Fred, joined big Hero 6 after Silver Samurai and Sunfire left the team. He is a weapon master, carries two Samurai swords and can also generate knives with his mind out of Qi Energy. These knives, often shaped as sushi knives, have the ability to render his foes unconscious.
Fred:
Movie: Fred is the son of a wealthy couple in the city of San Fransokyo, though he rarely spends quality time with either of them, as they’re often away on the family-owned private isles. Fred is also a regular attendant at the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology, where he works as the school’s mascot, as well as entertains his passion for science. Fred comes off like a laid-back dude with no direction. But this sign-twirling, monster-loving, comic-book aficionado is sure to go place. For example, Fred doesn’t hesitate to join “Big Hero 6,” and he has a lot of ideas for his super-hero skillset, too. His ferocious, fire-breathing alter ego comes complete with claws, integrated communications and a super bounce.
Comic Book: Nicknamed Fredzilla, he can transform himself into a Godzilla-like creature. Fred seems to surround himself in a type of mysterious aura, shaped like a giant purplish-red kaiju, which acts like a massive suit of psionic armor when expanded to it’s full-size. Even when used at less than half it’s full height and stature, the aura seems to enhance some of his abilities such as strength and stamina but to what level and what else it is capable of is unknown.
Absent Members
Silver Samurai and Sunfire:
Both Silver Samurai and Sunfire were founding members of Big Hero 6. Silver Samurai later became a villain and one of Wolverine’s greatest nemisis’. Sunfire went on to join the X-Men. Both characters are seen in The Wolverine and X-Men movie franchises, which is owned by FOX. This was part of the reason why they were not shown in Disney’s Big Hero 6.
