When the film came out, Big Hero 6 quickly became a favorite among animated movie fans everywhere — Baymax was the soft, huggable marshmallow that held Hiro and his friends together, and this team of brilliant young scientists-turned-superheroes taught us a lot about overcoming grief and fighting for what’s right. Interestingly enough, Big Hero 6 started as a Marvel comic series! Now that it’s officially been adapted into Disney animation, audiences are left wondering: is the movie also part of the MCU?
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is constantly expanding to include new characters, and its massive film series is currently in Phase 4 of storytelling. While countless supers have come to join the ranks, there’s some debate over what constitutes an MCU installment — and in the case of Big Hero 6, whether or not the characters will make their live-action debut soon. Unfortunately, there isn’t a clear-cut answer just yet, but there is more than enough evidence to develop your own theory. Looking for a place to start? Here’s our take on whether Big Hero 6 qualifies as an MCU feature.
A Quick Overview of the Story
If you've never seen the movie, Big Hero 6 follows the colorful adventures of Hiro, a brilliant kid with a knack for robotics. With some encouragement from his older brother Tadashi, he applies for the prestigious San Fransokyo Institute of Technology with nanobots as an application showcase. A fire breaks out inside the school, and Tadashi rushes into the inferno to save his teacher; he loses his life in the process, and Hiro spends most of the movie trying to deal with his grief. Fortunately, he finds comfort and solace in Tadashi's school friends (a slew of scientific geniuses) and his brother's greatest creation: Baymax, a portable healthcare robot with artificial intelligence. Together, the gang uncovers the mystery behind the accident that caused Tadashi's death and saves their city from a dangerous masked criminal.
Evidence: Why It Could Be Part of the MCU
Big Hero 6 is based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name, which means Hiro, Baymax and all their friends are canon in the Marvel universe. It's also a Disney film, and since the MCU is owned by Disney, the logic holds up for it to be part of the cinematic universe. On top of this, we see an Easter egg in Avengers: Age of Ultron that further supports the case: when searching for a backup A.I. to replace J.A.R.V.I.S., Tony Stark is seen rummaging through a drawer full of labeled computer chips. One of the chips in the drawer is labeled "TADASHI," allegedly a direct reference to Hiro's older brother.
Now let's consider the magnitude of the multiverse, which has now taken center stage as a primary focus for MCU films. Starting with Spider-Man: No Way Home and progressing with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, we're seeing more and more examples of characters from different universes crossing paths. Even the most formidable minds in the MCU don't fully understand how the multiverse works, what's in it or how big it is. If the stated evidence isn't enough to convince theorists, the existence and butterfly effects of the multiverse mean that Hiro's team could appear in a future MCU installment.
Lore and Canon: Why Big Hero 6 is Separate From the MCU
While we have a good bit of evidence to go on, we can't jump the gun just yet. Even though Big Hero 6 is a Disney/Marvel feature, the MCU has its own very distinct timeline that's often way different from the comic lore. The characters in all 27 (and counting) films are also very closely tied to one another, and we see tons of interactions between them across several movies. Aside from Tadashi's Easter egg, no character from Big Hero 6 has been seen in an MCU installment — what's more, they've never even been mentioned.
Speaking of Easter eggs, they're not enough to fully prove the existence of a character in the canon. Take Stan Lee's cameos, for example: he makes appearances in movies like Deadpool and Venom, which aren't affiliated with Disney at all. He also appears as himself in tons of media that has nothing to do with Marvel Comics, which means that not everything he appears in ties together as the MCU does. The name 'Tadashi' on Tony's A.I. chip might not have anything do to with the Big Hero 6 character! Tadashi is a common name in Japan, so the reference could refer to anybody.
Then, there's the issue of San Fransokyo — it doesn't exist in the timeline. San Francisco and Tokyo are separate, and they serve as backdrops for multiple scenes in the MCU films. It could be that the mega-city simply hasn't been founded yet, but it certainly doesn't seem like it will be any time soon.
Conclusion: Why It Should Be and What Comes Next
There's a basis in both sides of the argument here, and we don't have a concrete answer from Disney or Marvel Studios just yet. In our humble opinion, there's enough evidence to suggest that while Big Hero 6 might not be MCU canon, it deserves to be. It's still a Marvel/Disney feature and a highly beloved one at that; like the Avengers and Illuminati, Hiro's team is a unique subdivision of Marvel superheroes, and the existence of the multiverse is a perpetually open doorway they could walk through at any time. Plus, who doesn't want to see Baymax join forces with even more supers in all his squishy glory? Of course, this is just one opinion based on research.
It looks like theorists will have to wait to see what comes next for Big Hero 6. Insane rumors are circulating right now on who will make an appearance in Multiverse of Madness, and we're only in Phase 4 of the MCU timeline. All we can do is keep a watchful eye out for Baymax's red armor. With any luck, Hiro and the gang might show up to save the day yet again!