Phase 4 Means One Disney Movie Could Be Part Of The MCU

The MCU Phase 4 sets the stage for its grand finale, one Disney movie could become an unexpected part of it. Throughout Phase 4, Marvel has been slowly unraveling the mysteries of the multiverse and introducing the key players within them. With infinite avenues of possibility and Kang the Conquerer looming over them all, after Avengers: Endgame, the MCU has been swiftly trying to set up one of its most ambitious arcs yet, with audiences wondering what comes next.

Through Disney, Marvel has popularized series such as Iron Man, Black Panther, and Guardians of the Galaxy. However, many forget that one of Disney’s most praised movies in recent years, Big Hero 6, was a reimagined adaptation of a Marvel property, and as such is technically also a Marvel movie. While it may be odd to imagine Baymax flying into battle alongside Spider-Man, Thor, and Riri Williams as Ironheart, it’s not beyond any of the realms of possibility that the MCU has established.

Big Hero 6’s Marvel Connection Explained

Initially intended as a spinoff of X-Men’s Alpha Flight, Big Hero 6 began as a Marvel comic published in 1998. As a series, Big Hero 6 hoped to expand Marvel’s representation of Japanese characters by creating a team akin to Fantastic 4 or X-Men. Assembled by the Silver Samurai and featuring famed Marvel mutant Sunfire, the characters and disturbingly dark plot were reimagined for Disney’s 2014 Big Hero 6 adaptation. Big Hero 6’s obscurity and catchy title inspired Disney to take on the project after acquiring Marvel in 2009, feeling that the lack of recognition would give them enough creative freedom to reinvent the franchise.

While radically changing much of Marvel’s comic story, Big Hero 6 proved successful, with Hiro and Baymax becoming beloved characters. Despite being far removed from its comic book origins in some respects, the Big Hero 6 film still acknowledges them. Like in the MCU, the late Stan Lee shows up in a cameo role as Fred’s dad, who the film revealed was also a superhero. Additionally, in the Marvel catalog of multiverses, the animated world of Big Hero 6 was designated Earth-14123, meaning that the film became recognized within the wider Marvel canon.

How Big Hero 6 Could Appear In The MCU

Big Hero 6 wasn’t a stranger to multiversal crossovers, having been featured prominently in Kingdom Hearts III, so it wouldn’t be beyond Disney to include it in MCU’s Phase 4 with allusions, cameos, and supporting roles for its characters. Avengers: Secret Wars seems like the most likely place for Big Hero 6 to show up, as the film unites many of Marvel’s beloved characters in a battle for the fate of the multiverse. Since Phase 4 already brought back characters like Patrick Stewart’s Professor X and all three cinematic Spider-Men as part of the multiverse, it isn’t a stretch to believe they wouldn’t include others like Hiro and Baymax.

It’s incredible how expansive Marvel’s multiverse is, the characters it encompasses, and the stories it has to tell. Big Hero 6 may seem disconnected, but it’s part of a wider Marvel multiverse where anything can happen. Perhaps at the end of the MCU Phase 4, among a cast of countless fan-favorite characters from decades of Marvel’s best movies, it’ll be Hiro, Baymax, and their friends finally fighting beside them where they belong.