Baymax, the adorable healthcare companion robot, has been stealing fan's hearts since the release of the Walt Disney Animation Studios film, Big Hero 6 in 2014. Built by Tadashi Hamada, older brother of teen genius Hiro Hamada, Baymax showed everyone that robots didn't have to be angular and metallic in nature. He also packed quite a punch after his fighting upgrades. However, this lovable robot didn't always look so cute and huggable. In fact, he looked more menacing and he had nothing to do with health.
Big Hero 6 tells the story of Hiro Hamada, a teenage genius who gets into a lot of trouble. Thanks to his brother and some innovative thinking, Hiro begins to attend a prestigious university. After the death of his brother, Hiro and his new friends form a superhero team to bring about justice and save the day. The movie was very successful, spawning an animated series that began airing in 2018. This series is on its third and final season, but Disney Animation has announced a spin-off series titled Baymax! This series is slated to arrive on Disney+ in 2022. The movie also inspired a two-volume manga series, while the animated series has a comic published by IDW. These aren't the team's comic debuts however.
What some fans may not know is that Big Hero 6 was inspired by a superhero team created by Marvel Comics. The first appearance of the team was in 1998 in Sunfire & Big Hero 6. This mini-series took X-Men character Sunfire and used him as a centerpiece to create Big Hero 6, Japan's own super team. The series also featured former villain, Silver Samurai. The series ran for three issues. The next time Big Hero 6 made an appearance was in Alpha Flight #9 (2004). In 2008, the team had its own five-issue miniseries and a lot had changed. New members were added (Fred and Wasabi No-Ginger) and the art style had become much more in line with manga or anime than a typical Marvel comic. The thing that may surprise fans of the movie most is how much Baymax's appearance changed from page to screen.
Baymax has always been a robot, but with a different purpose. He was originally a bodyguard built by Hiro himself, as Hiro didn't have a brother. In the movie, Baymax is so adorable and huggable because he needs to appear approachable. A healthcare companion takes care of people and cannot look threatening. Original Baymax didn't have that problem. He could look as tough as Hiro needed him to. The first iteration of Baymax looked similar to the Kingpin, with a bowler hat and a pinstripe suit. In the 2008 series, this look was kept, but cleaned up in a new art style. He kept the bowler hat and still appears as though he is Wilson Fisk in a bad disguise. The original comic also featured a transformation for Baymax when fighting was necessary. Baymax was originally called a synthform and could appear as a dragon. The 2008 series took out this form, although there were character sketches showing attempts to update the look. In big fights, Baymax transforms into a mech-version of himself. This is a far cry from the armored look he has in the film, with a white, green and yellow color palette instead of the green and gray of his training phase or the iconic white and red look when the team reaches its peak.
Big Hero 6 has a longer history that most fans would probably think, but the movie also made a lot of changes that are surprising. Had Baymax's original look and purpose been kept, the movie would have had an entirely different story. The changes that were made to the character have made him extra lovable, approachable, and the source of many comedic moments. Baymax still serves as an effective protector of Hiro, but softening him has allowed Hiro to be more physically active in his role as a superhero.