Via shows like ‘Avengers Assemble’, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and ‘Spider-Man’, not to mention previous shows like ‘Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’ and ‘Ultimate Spider-Man’, Disney XD has beamed the exploits of some of the biggest names from Marvel comics into homes everywhere. Not only are the big screen giants showcased, but a plethora of lesser-known guest stars have been brought to animated life. But don’t expect that tradition to continue on the upcoming ‘Big Hero 6’.
Executive producers Mark McCorkle and Bob Schooley explained why they not only don’t want to include any additional Marvel characters, due to the logistics of the show, it would be incredibly difficult.
Mark: I think Stan [Lee] is really our big Marvel DNA element. Because the movie sort of went in a different direction from the original comics from way back when. And one of the other things we found is, with six characters and everybody else — we have Cass, we got Heathcliff, got the mom, got the dad — there’s just so many characters. Giving just our characters a fair amount of screentime, we don’t have a lot of room for anybody else. It’s a pretty crowded tapestry as it is.
Bob: This is probably the biggest voice cast we’ve ever worked with, considering how many voices it takes to do an episode.
Mark: When you have that many heroes, and you start throwing in some villains and supporting characters…
It makes sense to let the stars of the series shine since they are all essentially new characters. Their only exploit so far was in the 2014 movie.
True, ‘Big Hero 6‘ was a Marvel comic book, but it’s an incredibly obscure property that only appeared in two mostly-forgotten miniseries, first in 1998, then again ten years later in 2008. But the film essentially just borrowed the name and some of the character’s names. The movie bears almost no resemblance to the comics.
In fact, at no point in the movie is there any indication that it takes place in the larger Marvel Universe. The setting, San Fransokyo is a fictional fusion of San Francisco and Tokyo that doesn’t exist in the MU. Most fans simply view these as Disney characters with only the most tenuous connection to Marvel.
Speaking of the series’ setting, McCorkle discussed the various locations utilized and how that also adds to the complicated nature of the show:
We do a fair amount at the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology. We’re there a fair amount, so there’s Professor Granville; Hiro has sort of an antagonist rival, Karmi. There’s a fair amount between the home scenes, the Lucky Cat, the school scenes, and then the crimefighting scenes; it’s a lot of balls up in the air.
While a crossover at some point may be fun– the teenage Spider-Man that currently appears in his own series based on ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ would make a great fit– it certainly isn’t required. Most cartoon series exist in their own realities anyway. It would be perfectly normal to allow ‘Big Hero 6’ the same luxury.
Are you disappointed that no other Marvel characters will pop up? Or are you fine with ‘Big Hero 6’ succeed on its own?
‘Big Hero 6’ kicks off with the movie event ‘Baymax Returns’ on Disney XD on Monday November 20, at 8pm EST. The show will begin regular airings in 2018 and has already been renewed for a second season.
Source: Cinema Blend
