Hello, my friends. The power of six has already been planted, but it has some new fruit to bear. As such, I welcome you to the next chapter of our quirky saga known as… 
Last time, we saw the team come together to fight a Japanese spirit and prevent a dastardly plan to “cleanse” Japan in a woefully-misguided attempt to advance the country’s progress even further. Before we dig into their next mini-series, they actually got involved in a few other adventures along the way. As such, here’s a quick summary.
They continued to protect Japan, especially in a brief appearance in Thunderbolts #25 when Justine Hammer a.k.a. Crimson Cowl and her villainous group called the Masters of Evil unleashed freak weather phenomenons upon the world. Our featured team ended up rescuing citizens during a surprise blizzard while the book’s main team ultimately defeated said evil group. Afterwards, Sunfire stepped down in favor of working at Charles Xavier’s X-Corporation in Mumbai, India. Sometime later, Big Hero 6’s headquarters came under attack by Dr. Kishi Oramosha a.k.a. Deadline and Honey Lemon ended up retreating through her Power Purse. Because of its ability to access doorways into other dimensions, she wound up on the Microverse planet of Coronar where she ultimately assisted Empress Hynodia and her princess daughter Lumina in preventing a fanatical cult called the Scions of the Azure Flame from usurping power. Lumina worshiped Honey Lemon as a goddess as she came back to Earth with her and helped Big Hero 6 defeat Deadline. With her own plasma flame-based powers, she joined the team as Sunpyre, naming herself after Sunfire in honor of Honey Lemon’s admiration for him. Not too long afterwards, the team had another member join their ranks. Kioshi Keishicho was an officer of Japan’s Imperial Guard as he prevented the emperor from getting assassinated. However, he died at the assassin’s blade who turned out to be Harada himself since he was working for Hydra at the time. With his soul trapped in the Shinto netherrealm called Yomi, he made a pact to the god of primordial evil known as Amatsu-Mikaboshi for him to return to the land of the living so that he can get his revenge. Despite his resurrection, the devious god permanently bonded his body to a specialized ebony armor modeled after his enemy and armed him with a katana blade that was mystically bound to a shinma demon that constantly reminded Kioshi of his otherworldly debt. After some investigating, he found out that his target became associated with Big Hero 6 and ultimately made his way to their headquarters. Upon arriving however, he learned of an incident against Elektra over in Iraq that led to the supposed death of the Silver Samurai. Following an altercation, he explained himself before joining them as the Ebon Samurai. Later, the team was placed under mind-control via a device discreetly implanted onto Baymax and were forced into fighting a newer incarnation of Alpha Flight. Following a massive brawl in Ontario’s Pukaskwa National Park, the mind-control device short-circuited and allowed Big Hero 6 to mend their unintended ill-will with Canada’s superhero team before returning to Japan to take care of those responsible for their villainous actions. Afterwards, the events of Marvel’s Civil War happened as the Superhuman Registration Act was passed. This caused Big Hero 6 to forge a partnership with the Japanese Department of Supernatural Sciences and the Ministry of Defense’s Exotic Assets Division to police over the country’s growing superhuman population. After the team got their new headquarters, Sunpyre departed back to Coronar after learning that the Scions of the Azure Flame have returned to oppose her mother’s kingdom while Ebon Samurai left to continue his vengeful pursuit of Harada. We’ll meet the two members who took their place as we progress, so let’s present our featured series.
Originally released between September 2008 and January 2009, the five individual issues combined to sell 37,841 copies. For this five-part task, Chris Claremont handles the writing duty, David Nakayama serves as our penciler, Terry Pallot is our inker and Emily Warren takes on the coloring job. Now that they’ve entered the 21st Century, let’s see how our familiar team handles their newest challenge.
Our story (entitled “Brave New World”) properly begins in Tokyo as Hiro Takachiho is woken up by his alarm clock before it gets up and yanks him out of bed, despite his grogginess due to his late-night work. After taking a shower, he hops onto his computer and checks out various news sites to find out what’s going on in the world. He learns that an “astronomical phenomenon” has occurred just off New York City’s coast, unaware that someone is keeping a technological eye on him. As he thinks about what could possibly be looming over the Big Apple, he eats his morning noodles before his mother kisses him off to school. As he walks to his educational duties, he’s met upon by his robotic bodyguard Baymax and tells him about the growing incident in NYC while getting help for his upcoming test (since Hiro has inputted his automaton friend with his textbook information).
Just as the lad arrives at the Tesuka Advanced Science Institute, he’s met upon by fellow teammates Honey Lemon and GoGo Tomago. Aiko and Baymax warn him to keep his superheroic identity a secret as Hiro is met upon by three of his fellow schoolmates who ask him about the two young women that he hangs out with. They break out in laughter after Hiro tells them that they’re “secret agents”, but they’re suddenly met upon by Principal Miyazaki who tells them not to slack off and get to class. As they head on their way, our lad and his classmates mention about the growing crisis in New York City as they conflict each other on whether it’s a UFO or a meteor.
During class, Hiro uses his high-tech glasses to balance between his lessons (which are recorded and sent to Baymax for reference) through one lens while searching the web for any update from NYC through the other. He’s then confronted by his teacher Mr. Seguri who scolds him for letting his “mind wander”, as Hiro frantically tries to repeat his recent teachings while he still thinks about the growing overseas incident. Meanwhile, the same mysterious woman from before named Furi Wamu is impressed with the lad’s intelligence as well as his hacking skills. However, she’s also a skillful hacker as she preps to give him a lesson in “some proper espionage tradecraft”. Back outside the school, Baymax detects her computer skills and manages to block her from Hiro’s “core cyber-network” for now as he waits to tell his master to have better security. We then cut over to Big Hero 6’s headquarters as Honey and Gogo come across their newest member named Wasabi-No-Ginger. He mentions that he joined “out of duty” to his country, even though he’s still a chef at heart as he preps a sushi lunch for the ladies. Suddenly, they’re confronted by ninjas who crash through the skylight. Fortunately, Wasabi displays his fighting skills as he handily defeats the opposing group, unaware that it’s part of his training.
Back at the Tesuka Institute, a trio of assailants approach the school as Baymax warns Hiro and his teammates before shifting into his “Action-Mecha” form in order to engage his adversaries. As he fights the muscular fiend of the group named Brute, the shockwaves rock the school as Hiro takes charge in helping his classmates evacuate. However, they’re met upon by Gunsmith who fires a freeze gun at them as some of his fellow students and Principal Miyazaki takes the hit. Afterwards, GoGo Tomago flies in and knocks him out while Commander Serizawa arrives with his combat team. However, Whiplash steps in and flings Leiko around. Meanwhile, Hiro is in a conflicting spot since he’s not willing to abandon his frozen classmates. Fortunately, Honey Lemon arrives and pull a trigger out of her Power Purse which instantly thaws the students out with a simple button press.
While Baymax struggles against Gunsmith, Whiplash gives Brute the opportunity to finish off GoGo Tomago. Fortunately, Leiko blocks his punch before she delivers a fierce strike to send him flying. Meanwhile, Baymax manages to analyze the encompassing ice field and apply the appropriate strength to free himself before freeing his teammate from Whiplash’s whip and flinging her into the air. Afterwards, Wasabi engages Gunsmith before tossing some Qi Energy kunais at his foe. Gunsmith manages to deflect them with his gunfire, but he runs out of bullets in the process. He then notices his transparent gun lying on the ground and tries to dive for it, but Wasabi defeats him with a precise toss from his Qi Energy blade as it strikes his foe in the head. Fortunately, it doesn’t kill him and only knocks him out.
As our teammates regroup shortly upon the battle’s end, Baymax detects that their foes have suddenly disappeared. However, they come across some unconscious people that Baymax deems as “adversaries” as GoGo gives the order to secure them in preparation for transportation back to headquarters. Afterwards, Wasabi, Baymax, GoGo and Honey take their leave while Hiro stays behind to maintain his student cover.
That night, we learn that the destruction caused at the institute has given its students “an unexpected holiday” as Hiro looks over Baymax’s report and brings up a holographic image of his school in order to investigate the crime scene. Using footage caught by security cameras, TV feeds and online personal scans, Hiro and Baymax begin to piece the situation together. The lad mentions that the cronies who attacked his school aren’t the true culprits since they’ve been unknowingly controlled and can’t remember their actions. He then notices some “clandestine investors” outside of the Nippon Bank, but Baymax is unable to identify them since he’s not able to connect to a proper database and that there wasn’t a robbery report. Just then, they’re confronted by some one who tells them that their true foes are after “something of great value”. It turns out to be Furi who presents herself as the Operational Head of Homeland Security’s Exotic Assets Division and also as Big Hero 6’s creator. She explains that a series of similar thefts have occurred on most of the planet’s continents over the past year as singular spots within Africa, Europe, South America, Australia and now Tokyo (representing Asia) have been targeted and pilfered of their “artifacts of inestimable value”. All that remains is North America as Hiro wonders why they can’t just warn U.S.’s heroes of the incoming threat. Furi explains that they can’t since she and her fellow agents are unaware of whom they’re up against, let alone what’s at risk. She also explains that by uncovering one of these artifacts, she inadvertently set this whole process in motion and she lost one of her eyes as well. Afterwards, we cut to the next day as Hiro explains what he learned to his team and that they’ll be sent out to New York City to deal with this crisis. With Furi assigned as the team’s tactical commander, she tells our heroes that this will be a covert mission and that they’ll depart for America tonight. As such, Issue 1 ends with her informing Big Hero 6 that if they don’t succeed in their mission, then all of Earth will be doomed.
Issue 2 opens with our heroes having already ventured to America and having spent the night in the town of Southport, New York. As we meet the team’s sixth member named Fred, Hiro narrates that he and his teammates are tasked with protecting a scientist named Dr. Keigi Iosama along with his daughter named Marys. He even mentions that their “chaperone” Furi is potentially dangerous but he can’t tell the rest of the team that since she has him keeping it as a secret. While she struggles with prepping breakfast, Ms. Wamu mentions that she’s sending Big Hero 6 to school while insisting that Aiko and Leiko change into more appropriate clothes.
Afterwards, the two young ladies decide to have some fun at Fred’s expense. As he’s walking over to get some plates cleaned, Honey Lemon trips into him while GoGo Tomago preps a playful punch. He manages to catch both Aiko and his plates while also blocking Leiko’s punch, but GoGo was unintentionally made to look bad as she proceeds to physically punch him. Just as she tackles him, Baymax open the screen door so that their conflict can take place outside. Wasabi proceeds to intervene with his Qi Energy blades in order to break their tussle up. Instead, Fred manages to toss Leiko as his teammates. While Baymax tells Furi that something must be done to break up the scuffle, Hiro continues to look over the national news with his cyber-glasses. Just then, his right spectacle gets fuzzy before he suddenly sees his own image. He soon discovers that Marys is also wearing cyber-glasses as they unintentionally talk over each other before looking over each other’s specs as a spark of chemistry ensues.
Over in the backyard, Baymax tries to get Fred to calm down. However, he breaks out of the full-nelson maneuver and throws his teammate towards some trees. Baymax tries to contact Hiro for help, but he and Marys have removed their eye-wear (while also picking up some “data-echo” from the lad’s glasses). As such, Baymax is left to deal with his teammate. After using his sensors to discover that Fred has the aura of a monster inside him, Baymax carefully gets up and explains that he was only trying to bring the fight to an end, to which he agrees. Just then. Dr. Iosama emerges to ask about the recent commotion. As the team inform him that there’s nothing wrong and that they’re prepping for school before heading inside, Furi tells Honey Lemon and Gogo Tomago that she wishes to talk with them, especially in a stern manner.
Back inside the house, Wasabi has his teammates take notice of the budding romance between Hiro and Marys. With Aiko and Leiko bolting through the building following their disciplinary talk from Ms. Wamu (specifically to go change into more appropriate clothes), she tells the team that she’ll go to Plum Island alongside Keigi as she leaves Baymax in charge of the team. As Big Hero 6 gets dropped off at school while Furi and the good doctor depart for their destination, they’re all unaware that someone is discreetly watching them and taking their pictures as well. Later, Wamu and Isosama arrive at Plum Island and venture into a rundown disease research center. As they approach an underground lab, they discuss about the theft about a particular crystal from the Segahara Bank and the power that this group of multiple minerals possess.
Over at Southport High School, the football team is practicing inside the gym due to the heavy rain outside. While Wasabi hosts a fish cooking course, GoGo is climbing the ropes and gleefully tells him that no one is paying attention before noticing Baymax standing guard out in the rain. While Hiro shows Marys the recent crime scene from his home country, Leiko gets an idea and comes down from her rope climb. After learning that Wasabi is familiar with American football, she asks him if he’s up for a game. As he agrees, Aiko takes a drumming monkey toy out of her Power Purse and joins GoGo in challenging the football players to a task: Try to stop her from completing a pass to Wasabi and then attempt to stop him from scoring on the opposite side of the court. Fred tries to break this up, but it’s too late as the student athletes accept their challenge.
From there, Leiko manages to evade their attempts to tackle her as he completes a pass to Wasabi who makes a break for the other side of the court while fending off the remaining players. Just then, Fred steps in and summons the strength of his inner monster as he tackles his teammate in order to break up their charade. Despite the energetic moment, he then says that the players and coaching staff have a near-impossible match-up with Hampton High coming soon.
GoGo decides that she and her teammates will help Southport’s football team out, but Hiro reminds them that they have superpowers which would give them an unfair advantage. Despite her initial intent on bailing on their mission and heading back to Japan, Leiko says that they’re still heroes and that they’re going to help out. Afterwards, Issue 2 ends with the secret stalker looking over the pictures of our protagonists. It turns out that the mystery figure has five of the six crystals in his possession and decides to go after one of Big Hero 6’s member to complete the objective. As such, the fiend sets his sights onto Honey Lemon.
Issue 3 opens on a high school football game in Port Green, Long Island, except that the two schools mentioned last time have been replaced between issues so that it now has our heroes helping out the Port Green Strikers against the Bayport Wranglers (instead of the Southport Raiders and the Hampton Hawks, respectively). For the match-up, Hiro is in the announcer’s box alongside Marys, GoGo plays for Port Green’s offense, Wasabi is on Port Green’s defense, Fred serves as the Strikers’ student coach, Honey is part of the cheerleaders, Baymax sits to the side of the stands due to his massive weight while keeping watch with Keigi and Furi watching the game from the stands. During the first quarter, a defensive rush forces Bayport’s quarterback to throw a hurried pass. Wasabi takes advantage as he intercepts the pass and withstands a gang tackle afterwards. During the second quarter, Leiko is running the Strikers’ offense as their quarterback. After taking a five-yard sack, she recovers on the next play as she evades the rush and completes a touchdown pass.
At halftime, Hiro takes Marys to get some food for the intermission. Meanwhile, Honey Lemon heads into the women’s locker room where she discovers that the lights are out. Suddenly, someone grabs her wrist, pulls her in and slams her into the wall. After getting hit, she tries to grab a useful item from her Power Purse. Unfortunately, some mystical tendrils pop in and tie her up as the mysterious foe proceeds to place her under mind control. As the game’s second half begins, Hiro and Baymax contact each other on how they’ve noticed that they haven’t seen or heard from Aiko recently. At that moment, Keigi gets a call from the Plum Island facility about a recently-developed crisis and tells Furi that he must leave the game to deal with the emergency. As such, Ms. Wamu takes her leave alongside him after telling Baymax to keep an eye on their teammates. Afterwards, a mind-controlled Honey Lemon contacts Baymax and feigns about a sudden tiredness, but mentions that she’ll see them later.
Later on, the game is winding down as the Strikers find themselves down by seven points. With only seconds remaining for one final play, GoGo manages to complete a touchdown pass to her teammate. Instead of kicking an extra point to tie and head into overtime, Port Green decides to try a two-point conversion for the win. Fortunately, a fellow Striker manages to reach for the goal line and has the football break the plane as they win the game. Afterwards, Fred tells Leiko that this game won’t count towards the final standings, but she says that today’s venture wasn’t about that at all as her teammates raise her up onto their shoulders. After that, she says that she and Wasabi aren’t going to be a part of their football team moving forward since they’re only exchange students. The main lesson that she was intending on teaching them was that she and her teammate helped them play like a well-oiled football squad and their performance proved that they now have a solid foundation to build upon. Afterwards, Fred compliments them for their hidden purpose as GoGo tells him that her means of surprising people is how she wins.
Over at Plum Island, Keigi and Furi arrive to oversee the current dilemma. Back on the surface, a trio of guards spot a bikini-clad woman zooming by on a speedboat. Suddenly, the craft violently tips over and causes her to fall into the water before it randomly explodes. The sentries rush over to help, but it turns out that the woman who survived the sporadic overboard turns out to be the mind-controlled Honey Lemon as she takes them out with some tranquilizer darts before continuing on her mission. Back at Port Green High School, the Fall Festival is underway as Baymax suddenly gets a distress call from Plum Island. He regroups with the team and informs them that every single military and homeland security network hasn’t responded at all. With Big Hero 6 being the only ones who’re able to answer the call, Hiro wonders how they’re going to make their way out to the island.
Later, our teammates are getting transported to Plum Island on a speedboat driven by Marys. Hiro wants her to stay put once they arrive, but she refuses since like her, he doesn’t have superpowers. Baymax then reveals that he brought along combat suits for them to wear. Afterwards, GoGo tells Hiro that she, Wasabi, Fred and Baymax are the only available heavy-hitters. As such, they’ll handle the adversaries while he looks after Marys. Shortly upon arrival, Hiro and Baymax are unable to detect any radio signal or even signs of life, though Baymax does sense some newly-formed wreckage on the ocean floor as a blown-up boat. Fearing for their safety, Fred orders Hiro & Marys to get back on the boat and head out to sea before calling for the Avengers’ help. Just then, their seacraft explodes as they’re suddenly approached by a female adversary. She swiftly lands on Baymax’s head and drives him into the ground before wrapping her whip around Fred’s neck and tossing him onto Wasabi. GoGo tries to fight back, but the adversary dodges and kicks her in the gut. Hiro manages to hit the assailant with a limb, but she strikes back by tossing a charging GoGo onto him. As she takes a energized spiked chain out of her Power Purse, it turns out the be the mind-controlled Honey Lemon as she continues her assault.
Wasabi manages to recover and tries to attack with his Qi Energy blades, but she manages to deflect his strikes as Hiro saves Marys from the incoming projectiles. Afterwards, our heroes discover that its Aiko attacking them as she’s been molded into a new version of Whiplash. As they try to find out how to get their friend under control, Hiro and Marys take cover as he realizes that back in Japan, Whiplash is normally with two other villains. Just then, some gunfire comes out of nowhere and strikes Baymax in the back. Despite his robotic armor, the bullets rips right through it and damage his internal circuits much to Hiro’s horror. Afterwards, Fred gets punched in a surprise attack and gets knocked out in the process. From there, Issue 3 ends with our remaining heroes getting a major shock. Not only has Honey Lemon been brainwashed into becoming Whiplash, but Furi and Keigi (accidentally called “Kojiro” for some reason) have also been mind-controlled into becoming the new Gunsmith and Brute.
Issue 4 opens with Wasabi, Fred, Gogo and a still-functioning Baymax ready to engage their brainwashed teammates while Hiro and Marys run off to the side. Iosama-as-Brute punches Fred while having a feeling that there’s more to his foe than what it seems. Looking to stop the raging doctor without hurting him, Fred summons the aura of a dinosaur-esque monster and uses it to attack him.
Meanwhile, Wasabi engages Furi-as-Gunsmith in an agile shootout as she deflects his Qi Energy blades before firing a pair of powerful shots that Wasabi dodges, but impacts Fred just enough to disorient him. Afterwards, she sets her sights on Baymax as Gogo sees this and struggles on deciding whether to fight her mind-controlled best friend or attempt to save her automaton ally. In that moment, Baymax contacts her on “a clandestine com-link” and lets her know that he’ll be fine. As such, Leiko curls herself up and creates an energy ball over her body and launches right at Honey Lemon-as-Whiplash. GoGo manages to stop herself in time and kicks her friend before grabbing her chain whip. As Furi-as-Gunsmith sees this and prepares to fire a shot at her, Baymax manages to come in and punch her. Isoama-as-Brute manages to catch her by the wrist as she transfers her momentum to him and launch her teammate towards Baymax who manages to punch him. Afterwards, Furi-as-Gunsmith fires some energy bolts towards the unconscious Fred. Fortunately, Wasabi recovers in time and uses his sheathed katana to deflect the shots back towards her.
Meanwhile, Hiro and Marys oversee all of this as he mentions that the last three people who took up those villainous identities were mind-controlled civilians and had no memory of their actions following their defeat. As such, he wants to go find whoever’s the true puppet-master. Suddenly, Baymax lands right next to them. Back on the battlefield, Honey Lemon-as-Whiplash unleashes a series of energized shards that proceed to rip through GoGo’s body suit and cause her pain. Back with Baymax, he tells Hiro and Marys to head inside the facility in order to find their true foe as he reengages with Iosama-as-Brute.
As such, they head inside and make their way to the elevator shaft before he activates his suit’s feet boosters as he and Marys descend towards the subterranean lab. As they reach their destination, they find the facility partially rundown before coming across a pile of bodies. Hiro checks them and finds out that they’re only unconscious while Marys continues to worry about this growing crisis while learning how to deal with it. As such, they continue their search unaware that someone is waiting inside.
The foe is aware of the approaching heroes and summons Furi-as-Gunsmith to come to their aid. Meanwhile, Fred is able to get Iosama-as-Brute under control while Wasabi and Gogo continue to fight Honey Lemon-as-Whiplash. Suddenly, the mind-controlled Aiko grabs Leiko as a surge of energy is emitted before both ladies pass out. Baymax senses that both are still alive, yet notices that Honey Lemon is no longer wearing her body suit. Suddenly, he gets punched away as Wasabi & Fred discover to their horror that GoGo is now possessed and has become the new Whiplash. Back in the underground lab, Hiro and Marys reach their foe as he tackles the adversary, discovering that their antagonist is a woman. Marys orders her to relinquish control over her father as she complies. While the felon named BadGal does free Dr. Iosama from her grasp, she ends up transferring the villainous powers of Brute into Marys.
From there, she’s controlled into attacking Hiro. He takes out some garrote wire and uses it to evade another strike, but Marys-as-Brute is able to grab him by the ankle and toss him. Fortunately, he was thrown towards BadGal as he slams into her and pins her down. However, Furi-as-Gunsmith arrives as she kicks him off of her master in order to help her up while Hiro is held by his mind-controlled friend. After recovering, BadGal checks up on Leiko-as-Whiplash who’s successfully fending off the remaining topside heroes before ordering Furi to execute him. Suddenly, she knocks the felon out with a swift strike of her elbow as Marys snaps out of her mind-controlled state. Hiro wonders how this is possible as Furi explains that her false eye has finally absorbed all of BadGal’s mind-controlling energy as she pops it out of her head and crushes it.
With the scheme foiled and our heroes regrouped, Hiro makes some repairs to Baymax while Ms. Wamu stores the mystic crystals in prep for transportation. When Fred asks about what they’re going to do with BadGal, Furi explains that she’s only “a hired gun” and wishes to know who’s really behind this massive scheme, so she’ll be accompanying them in order to help out. After he restores power to the internal monitors, Wasabi tells his teammates that there’s someone else within the facility. As such, they venture towards their destination before discovering a blown out wall that’s actually next to the ocean. They discover that someone has created a specialized doorway that keeps the water from pouring in as Hiro informs his teammates that he’s picking up some nearby lifeforms that aren’t able to detect them since he’s generated a “Ghost Cloak” over the team. Afterwards, Issue 4 ends with the group making a bizarre discovery: a group of robotic aliens working on their own specific project.
Issue 5 opens sometime later with the arrival of the FBI who have taken charge of the Plum Island facility. Diet-Fox Mulder informs Diet-Dana Scully that our group of heroes were the only conscious people within the compound while everyone else here was “drugged”. He then proceeds to recap Big Hero 6’s American venture before informing her about Furi Wamu. Diet-Scully is told about Furi and “her pet robot” Baymax getting assigned by her government officials to look after Dr. Iosama & his daughter Marys while also securing “some valuable artifacts” for the Japanese government, even learning that she used to be a top agent for her country until she lost her left eye and was relegated to lower-tier work, such as “looking after big brains”, with this being her first major action in years. Afterwards, Diet-Mulder mentions that three “bad guys” who previously attacked Tokyo have “escaped”.
Meanwhile, the rest of our heroes are in a nearby interrogation room as Hiro worries about the fate of his own robot. Marys and Honey Lemon try to ease his worries while GoGo says that Furi will make sure that nothing back happens to his creation. Just then, Diet-Mulder & Diet-Scully come in as they inform our group that they’re being transported back to their Southport home where they’ll be under watch. As for Ms. Wamu and Baymax, they’ll be held under FBI custody until our heroes are ultimately sent back to Japan. As such, everyone minus Furi and Baymax take their leave from the facility as Hiro stops Marys from mentioning about their alien encounter in time.
Later, they arrive back at the house and easily strip the place of the FBI’s poorly-hidden microphones & cameras. Afterwards, they start to plan their “next move”. However, Leiko says that while she’s still capable of using her powers, her body suit had been damaged and will be unable to provide personal protection from her own ability. Fortunately, Aiko pulls out a unique substance from her Power Purse and has Wasabi cut it up with thin slices before blowing it towards her teammate. Soon enough, GoGo’s body is enveloped with a brand new golden suit. However, Honey Lemon says that it’s only temporary and can only be sustained for a full day. As Leiko thanks her teammate, she then wonders how they’ll carry out their plan with the FBI watching over them. Fortunately, Fred thought ahead as their high school friends have quickly gathered en masse to protest for their release. Not only that, but a few of their football friends have gotten inside. As the police struggle to get the situation under control and decide to even have our heroes arrested, the team manages to swap jackets with their newfound comrades as they escape out the back door before telling them to eventually meet up at Martin’s Landing.
Later on, our heroes arrive at the beach where they see police helicopters out in full force looking for them. As such, they decide to split up as Fred will accompany GoGo as she glides across the water and distract the choppers while the remaining teammates will dive down towards their destination. They set their plan in motion as Hiro, Honey, Wasabi and Marys arrive at the submerged UFO and make their way inside. Shortly after noticing that they can’t find the robotic aliens, they’re suddenly attacked by BadGal who has gotten free. Back on the surface, the police are in hot pursuit as Leiko drops Fred off. From there, he summons his kaiju-dino aura and takes out the opposing police cars while GoGo flies up to a helicopter and takes out its pilots before taking control of the aerial craft. Back on the Plum Island facility, an imprisoned Baymax and Furi learn of the topside action as he wonders about Fred’s dino-images. Ms. Wamu reveals to him that she’s actually familiar with their newest member. She explains that Fred comes from the Japanese island of Hokkaido and is a descendant of the Ainus who grew up on a U.S. Air Force base. When she asks about Hiro’s team, Baymax informs her that they’re presently in trouble.
As such, we cut back to them as BadGal whips Wasabi while fending off Hiro. Honey Lemon prepares to use her Power Purse to pull out a helpful item, but then she realizes that doing so would deactivate GoGo’s special armor, thus leaving her teammate in danger. As such, Aiko decides to take on BadGal with her own physical strength. They have a brief scuffle before Honey brings the fight to an end by grabbing her foe’s whip to pull her in and deliver the knockout punch. Afterwards, Hiro and Marys find the robotic aliens imprisoned in a cell since they were far too trusting of their foe.
After being assigned by Hiro to look after their otherworldly friends, Wasabi offers to prepare some food for them. They then mention that they also need help with their homework, to which he hilariously hands that job over to Aiko. Meanwhile, Hiro and Marys will get to work in fixing the spaceship. We then cut to the next day at Martin’s Landing as our Diet-X-Files agents arrive to find our heroes hanging out with their classmates. Joined by their fellow FBI agents, Diet-Scully orders our protagonists to surrender. Hiro feigns some ignorance as he states that they’re only giving their “friends” a proper good-bye.
Suddenly, the UFO flies out of the ocean as the robotic aliens bid adieu to our heroes. When Diet-Scully demands our group to explain themselves, all they do is shrug and casually apologize. And so, the series ends with Hiro narrating about himself and his fellow teammates being allowed to go home a few days late before Furi finally managed to work her authoritive magic. Even though he’s back home, he’s eager to answer the call for his country and join his fellow heroic friends in the fight for the dreams of future Japanese generations.
Afterwards, Big Hero 6 would make one last comic book appearance prior to their big feature film debut in a Spider-Man storyline from 2012 called “Ends of the Earth”. In that tale, a dying Doctor Octopus is holding the planet hostage as he promises that he can fix the Ozone Layer. If his ransom demand isn’t met, then he’ll use a series of satellites to unleash a barrage of missiles onto Earth from his heavily-guarded missile bases. Spider-Man recruits them, Black Widow, Silver Sable, Kangaroo, Union Jack, Sabra and Titanium Man into destroying Octavius’ 200 satellites before they get into position. However, Otto has some help from the rest of his Sinister Six teammates to make things tough. In a one-shot comic, they show up in Part 2 where Doctor Octopus had a factory complex in Japan all this time and it’s up to our teammates to prevent a missile strike from occurring. However, the building is protected by a secure force field. Not only that, but our heroes are once again met upon by Everwraith as he has a new way to make his prior plan come to fruition. Fortunately, Big Hero 6 is able to pull off a plan set up by Hiro as Honey Lemon uses a Energy Conversion Blaster (which she took from Mr. Fantastic who had it on a satellite in the Andromeda Galaxy via her Power Purse) to weaken the force field and allow Baymax, Wasabi & Fredzilla (the first comic I’ve come across where he has that codename) to smash it up.
Not only that, but it makes Everwraith intangible, thus allowing GoGo to deliver the knockout hit. Inside the facility, Wasabi slices up the Octobots before the team’s founder, Giri Institute Director Mr. Oshima, learns that the building was just a front for the actual factory and launch site which were underground. As such, a missile launches from the facility as our heroes evacuate in time. Thanks to a boost from Fredzilla, Baymax is able to fly up and disable the rocket long enough for Hiro to download its on-board satellite specs. However, the damaged projectile ends up exploding. With the day saved, our heroes are initially bummed that Hiro’s robotic buddy was destroyed in an act of self-sacrifice. Fortunately, the comic ends with Furi Wamu informing our group that she flew in and managed to save a partially-damaged Baymax before flying him off to safety.
As for my thoughts of this iteration of the team, here’s what separates this version from their late ’90s debut. Hiro appears to have grown up in terms of maturity and intellect. Because he seems to have been with the team for some time, he’s far more comfortable in his role as he attempts to balance his studies with his superhero duties. He’s moved past idolizing a childhood hero and has grown more confident as a team member. He has access to more technical wonders (ranging from his special glasses to a VR headset that allows him to access recent crimes) and even meets up with his intellectual equal in Marys. Throughout the five-issue venture, he develops a bit of chemistry with her and he looks out for her safety. It would have been interesting if Marvel had kept her in the group as a reserve member, since it would’ve been nice to see how their relationship would grow and develop over the course of time. Plus, it would’ve shown her on missions where Hiro is unable to take part of due to life’s other commitments. Other than that, Hiro also shows some growth through the advancements he makes with his creation. As you have noticed, Baymax no longer transforms into a dragon-esque creature but a towering robot with its own hacking function, video memory, phone call functionality, sensors, access to its own larger battle suit (something I skipped over in the team’s “Ends of the Earth” tie-in) and even its own personality which serves him as a guardian to both Hiro and his teammates. It seems like he’s the perfect example of a machine that moves past its programming and becomes its own person, though never towards harming any innocent lifeform. Other than that, he’s loyal to Hiro and looks out for him throughout. With Honey Lemon, she displays an upbeat & overly positive personality to others. Though BadGal forces her into skimpy attire while under her control, she never seems to border on that kind of risque behavior. Even in the early parts of Issue 2 when she tries to wear a somewhat-impractical dress to school, the outfit itself never goes into extremely sexy territory. During the course of the story, I also liked the possible limit on her Power Purse. While she can pull any impossible object from it, it seems like it can only be one particular object one at a time. The big example was when she gives GoGo an otherworldly substance to serve as a temporary replacement to her costume in order for her teammate to properly use her energy-based power. During the final fight with BadGal, she nearly tries to pull out a helpful item but remembers that she would’ve placed her teammate in danger if she had done so since it would dissipate from Leiko. It forces her to rely on her combat skills to bring her foe down, though it would have been a more satisfying payoff if she displayed a bit more physical combat throughout. Either way, she’s still really enjoyable. With GoGo Tomago, her rude comments were toned down from last time while she still retains some snarky behavior. She displays some confident leadership as a high school quarterback while also being headstrong, yet also has a certain level of caring towards her teammates. This presents her as bold, daring and heartfelt, thus being a solid compliment to Honey Lemon as the lone young women of the group. With Fredzilla, he’s serious towards his team’s cause, but thankfully isn’t uptight. His personality is somewhat laid back, but he still never wishes to see his teammates go too far or get way over their heads with ridiculous schemes. His power is most fascinating, since it’s unlike what I would have expected. Him being able to summon the aura of a creature that looks like it’s part-Tyrannosaurus Rex, part-Kaiju monster and that he controls its attacking ways definitely makes him stand out from his peers, especially since his backstory is given during the final issue. Most likely, his monstrous aura comes from his connection with the Ainus. Either way, he stands out as one of the more fleshed out members of the group. Finally, we have Wasabi-No-Ginger. His swordsmanship makes him handy alongside his ability to create Qi Energy blades, but he doesn’t get much development other than the fact that he joined the team in order to serve his native land. Despite that, he has his awesome moments where he stands out and makes an individual impression. Finally, the addition of Furi Wamu was a great idea. As an experienced agent, she can properly guide the team and even attack adversaries with both her combat skills & her mind. She proves her mettle throughout the journey and would have been a nice field general to the team as she helps them learn & grow throughout many adventures. Alas, the limited comic ventures will give way to a successful animated film. Come back for Part 3 as we delve into the team’s lone Magna venture while also seeing how the movie created some radical redesigns all-around.
Big Hero 6 (created by Steven T. Seagle & Duncan Rouleau) is owned by Marvel Comics.
