Big Hero 6 Sequel - Will It Ever Happen?

When Disney acquired Marvel in 2009 for an eye-watering $4 billion, it opened up the possibility of two major pop culture franchises being able to crossover in new and exciting ways. While we've yet to see the Sensational Six teaming up with the Avengers on the big screen — give it time though — Disney did bring us their own unique spin on an obscure Marvel Comics property with "Big Hero 6" in 2014.

Originally created by Steven T. Seagle and Duncan Rouleau for Man of Action Entertainment (and published by Marvel Comics) in 1998, the quirky collective of heroes hit the big screen and proved to be a big box office success, making in excess of $647 million worldwide. Given the triumph of the first film — and particularly the way fans gravitated to the loveably squishy Baymax — it's perhaps surprising that we haven't cinematically returned to San Fransokyo yet. But will we ever see a sequel to "Big Hero 6?" We take a look at how likely — or unlikely — this may be.

While there's no shortage of feature films from the Mouse House, the focus does seem to be shifting more to television content, particularly when expanding upon the characters from their beloved animated movies. Following in the footsteps of "Tarzan," "Lilo & Stitch," and Pixar's "Up," Disney has already served up a second helping of "Big Hero 6" on the small screen.

Like "Tangled" — which has a multitude of additional content outside of the original movie — "Big Hero 6" has two series that fans can dive into if they're craving more. The first, "Big Hero 6: The Series," began airing in 2017 and ran for three seasons and a total of 56 episodes. Picking up almost immediately after the events of the film — in fact, it begins by filling in a small gap before the final scene of the movie — "Big Hero 6: The Series" focuses on the group of occasionally reluctant heroes as they face new threats and challenges.

In a different vein, there's the 2022 mini-series "Baymax!" which takes more of a slice-of-life approach, focusing on the titular robot as he goes around town helping people in need. Both series feature most of the same cast members in some capacity — with Damon Wayans Jr. and T.J. Miller being two of the most notable exceptions. Even though a follow-up feature film would still be welcome, it may be a property that Disney feels is better suited to TV.

Not long after the release of "Big Hero 6" in 2014, there were already questions about whether or not there would be a sequel. That same year, in an interview with Creative Screenwriting, directors Don Hall and Chris Williams didn't rule out the possibility of a part two, with Hall saying, "We love these characters, and the thought of working with them again someday definitely has its appeal." Williams added, "Certainly the way the movie ends, it's left open for further adventures, but we literally have not talked about anything."

In the same interview, Hall acknowledged that creating the first film was intense and time-consuming, remarking, "We're exhausted from the ordeal of making it." Basically, while they haven't completely closed the door on the possibility of a second "Big Hero 6," there's been almost zero momentum when it comes to actually getting a sequel going. In fact, Hall revealed to ComicBook.com in 2022 that a sequel was highly unlikely, saying, "There's been no discussions about that."

Even though it seems the director may have given up on a "Big Hero 6" follow-up, this hasn't stopped other people involved in the filmmaking process from hoping and speculating. Perhaps the most notable example was the late great Stan Lee, who made a particularly memorable cameo at the end of the first movie. Credited with creating many of the comic book heroes we know and love today, Lee was hugely passionate about the projects he was involved in, and he saw the potential for more "Big Hero 6" adventures.

As reported by the Toronto Sun, Lee spoke of some at-the-time unreleased projects before saying, "And then we have to come back for 'Guardians of the Galaxy 2,' 'Big Hero 6,' 'The Avengers,' 'Captain America'..." While nothing concrete can be taken from this comment — and since Lee's passing there has been no further word on a sequel — it does show that perhaps the most important figure at Marvel loved the universe of "Big Hero 6" enough to think it was worth exploring again.

The most recent glimmer of hope for fans pressing for a sequel came in 2021 when head animator Zach Parrish spoke to Collider about the possibility of more "Big Hero 6" content. Parrish said, "I think there's still a lot of potential. There's still plenty of time."

When considering sequels to live-action films — particularly those green-lit long after the original — filmmakers have to contend with the fact their cast members have aged in the meantime. While this can be overcome by simply allowing the characters to be the same age as the actor portraying them — like in the latter "Indiana Jones" movies — it does have some limiting factors in terms of where in the timeline the sequel can be set.

The same problem doesn't apply to animation, or as "Big Hero 6" animator Zach Parrish put it in an interview with Collider, "The beauty of animation is that [we] can pick up the story at the very end of 'Big Hero,' or we could jump in time. We could go wherever we want since it's animation." With this in mind, there are a plethora of places a sequel to "Big Hero 6" could go, but perhaps the most tantalizing prospect would be a potential crossover with other Marvel characters.

It sounds like it would be the stuff of Marvel and Disney fans' dreams, but it's also rooted in the comic book lore of "Big Hero 6." Perhaps the most notable crossover comes in "Amazing Spider-Man: Ends of the Earth" #1, where the Big Hero 6 gang appears alongside the web-slinging superhero. While not included in the movie's line-up, the "Big Hero 6" comics also feature a character called Sunfire who later joins the X-Men. Now that Disney also owns Fox — who bought the rights to the X-Men from Marvel in 1993 — there's plenty of potential crossover material for a "Big Hero 6" sequel.

In both the original movie and the subsequent television series, the cast members of "Big Hero 6" have really made the roles their own. While there are some notable names who have not reprised their parts outside of the movie, many of the cast are passionate about the film and the characters they've played. Génesis Rodríguez — who voices Honey Lemon in the movie and "Big Hero 6: The Series" – told MTV that she'd "love to see the gang come back together." Rodríguez continued to heap on praise, saying, "It was just a very special movie with a very special cast. It was so diverse and so fun to work with these people."

While it is true that "Big Hero 6" is very much about the team and the different strengths and abilities that they bring, it can't be denied that Baymax frequently steals the show. Voiced by Scott Adsit, Baymax is the beating heart of the film, helping Hiro (Ryan Potter) to heal from the pain of losing his older brother while learning what it takes to become a hero himself. Speaking to ComicBook.com about the potential for a sequel, Adsit said, "Yeah, I think we could. No one's telling me about it, but it certainly plays out in my head a lot." Having returned to voice Baymax in both "Big Hero 6: The Series" and "Baymax!" — and with his gentle vocal performance now so synonymous with the character — it stands to reason that Adsit would be the first to sign up for a sequel should it ever happen.