Marvel could change the MCU's future for the better with one unlikely hero
Okay, so hear me out. I think it’s time to bring a new hero into the MCU. A true hero with bags of heart and comedic timing. One who can rival Iron Man, and help out every other member of any team he’s on. Even better, Disney already owns the rights and can easily plonk him straight into any storyline they wish, at least while the multiverse is still a thing.
That’s right, I’m talking about Baymax.
Don’t worry, I’ve already worked out the kinks. So, Baymax is based in San Fransokyo - a hybrid of San Francisco and Tokyo. This doesn’t exist in the MCU, obviously. But who is to say it can’t exist in the multiverse? I mean, we have Wakanda in the MCU, and it’s constantly under wraps, so we could go down that route too. There’s nothing to say the city isn’t cloaked by tech due to its abundance of geniuses. Protection from the government, or something similar, could work.
The team, Big Hero 6, actually had their own comic in 1998, created by Marvel. When it came to Disney taking the characters over to the big screen, only a few made the leap due to licensing and legal issues. This left behind Silver Samurai and Sunfyre, an Avenger and X-Men hero, respectively. We ended up with Baymax, GoGo Tamago, Wasabi, and Honey Lemon, though with minor changes to their looks and personalities.
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This gives us history and precedent. Now to set it up.
Avengers: Secret Wars. Doctor Doom comes along, sets up Battleworld, bringing together all the multiverse versions of Earth as heroes and villains come together. A massive brawl kicks off, Chris Evans is back as Captain America throwing down against Robert Downey Jr., the Avengers are smacking the hell out of several enemies and the fight winds down. A moment is taken for the injured Avengers in a wrecked part of the city and from off-camera we hear, “Hello, I am Baymax. Your personal healthcare companion.”
The laugh lands and there’s a new entry in the MCU. He perfectly fits in the gap left behind by Iron Man, given his armour and rocket-propelled travel. Plus, he’s got bandages, sterile gauze, antibacterial sprays, and he’d calm down the Hulk in a second with an epic hug. He’d beat the snot out of low-level enemies with his martial arts, too.
Baymax, and to a degree Hiro, are just great, wholesome heroes. They’d bring a slice of light to a very dark MCU as it currently stands.
Of course, I’m saying this with tongue firmly planted in cheek, but there is scope for a cameo. It would be one of those unexpected moments that would make even the most coldhearted crack a smile.
Big Hero 6 is a massively underrated Disney film that tapped into superhero culture in such a heart-warming way. It’s always been a favourite of mine since its release because it evoked how comic books felt to me when I was a kid. While the MCU has done that to varying degrees, I’d argue that we’ve reached a point where Marvel Studios is in a constant game of trying to one-up itself, and it’s forgotten about telling good superhero stories.
Sure, we’ve had a taste recently with Agatha All Along, but it’s not really a superhero TV show. It’s hero adjacent, really. I sincerely hope we get back to that style of storytelling with next year’s selection of Disney+ shows like Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man, Wonder Man, and Ironheart. I want comic book films to feel more like weekly or monthly comics, rather than having every other film be an event that needs to deliver non-stop action.
So, yes, while this is a lighthearted ‘funsies’ article made out to be a bit silly, I think there’s a part of me yearning for more whimsy in superhero films and TV shows. But the worst thing is that when it’s achieved, it doesn’t seem to last long. Look at Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur on Disney+ which was recently cancelled. It was bold, hilarious, colourful, eccentric, and filled with charm. Okay, it was aimed at kids, but adults didn’t lose anything by watching it, and we got some great adventures that didn’t have constant world-ending consequences, and it wasn’t queued up as a ‘gritty and dark’ adventure.
When Disney bought Marvel, I was scared their hands would leave fingerprints over every superhero project and that’s been a hit-and-miss fear. I would love to see Disney appeal for more options when it comes to these stories, though 2025 does seem to be shaping up that way. Comic books aren’t constantly saving the world and monumental events (though Marvel often thinks so), and can instead deal with a variety of topics and themes within the realms of superpowers.
That’s why Agatha All Along worked so well. It told a great tale of female empowerment, drama, family ties, and it was a stonking road trip, all within the sphere of supers, rather than dependent on it. Now I’ve turned this into a diatribe against superhero films, which wasn’t my angle.
I’ll end by asking Disney to please put Baymax into Secret Wars, just for the giggles. Have him ask Bruce Banner to rate his pain; let his battery run low and party with a slightly drunk Thor; let a bit more fun into the multiverse before it disappears.
Topics: Marvel, MCU, Disney, TV And Film