Fred (Big Hero 6)

"The name's Fred; school mascot by day, but by night... I'm also the school mascot."

- Fred

Fred is a major character from Disney's 2014 animated feature film, Big Hero 6.

Background
Fred is a young comic book enthusiast, with an eccentric personality and a slightly overbearing, yet lovable personality. He is the son of a wealthy couple in the city of San Fransokyo, though he rarely spends quality time with either of them, as they're often away on the family-owned private isles, and usually finds himself under the care of his loyal butler, Heathcliff. Nevertheless, the family fortune, as well as the family mansion, are left in Fred's care during their absence, and the young man spends such privileges satisfying his unhealthy obsession with comic book lore, Japanese giant monsters, and other nerdy hobbies.

Aside from this, Fred is also a regular attendant at the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology, where he works as the school's mascot, as well as entertains his passion for science (which seems to actually be more of a fanboyish love for science-fiction). At the school, he spends most of his time with his closest friends, Wasabi, Honey Lemon, Go Go Tomago, and Tadashi Hamada, and was noted to be the creator of their nicknames, basing them off their dominate personality traits (Though Wasabi was given his namesake after spilling the food of the same name onto his shirt on one occasion), as well as explaining why he's the only member of their group with an average name; Tadashi aside.

He is soon discovered that his super hero heritage was all coming from his father's bloodline, who was formerly superhero before his retirement.

Official Description

 * Fanboy Fred comes off like a laid-back dude with no direction. But this sign-twirling, monster-loving, comic-book aficionado is sure to go places—when he's good and ready. For example, Fred doesn't hesitate to join “Big Hero 6,” and he has a lot of ideas for his superhero skillset, too. His ferocious, fire-breathing alter ego comes complete with claws, integrated communications and a super bounce. But his sign-spinning may still come in handy.

Personality
As mentioned above, Fred is incredibly eccentric, zany, loud, childish, and rather boisterous. Nevertheless, he is ultimately very sweet, and extremely laid-back, especially when compared to his friends. Due to his nature, he can often sit back and look upon the brighter side of things, even in the face of intense danger; and is often prone to making comedic remarks at any given moment, no matter the stakes at hand. Though the other members of the team ultimately care a great deal for Fred, they have expressed their annoyance with his random tendencies, specifically Wasabi, who finds Fred to be borderline annoying, and Go Go, who sees him as an idiot.

He is shown to be a huge otaku and fanatic of all things heroic and monstrous (a trait that may have come from his father), keeping collectible memorabilia of every shape, size and print in his room. Because of this, his understanding of science is mildly questionable, having asked his friends to use their scientific resources to give him super powers. And also, he has a habit of calling out his attacks like a character from an anime show, a trait that all of his teammates soon got from him in the climax.

Fred doesn't seem as smart as the other members of the team. However, this is mainly because of his laid-back attitude and the fact that he isn't studying science. Supplemental material shows Fred is taking an English Major, which requires both creativity and clear, logical thought. While he lacks 'classical scientific assets', Fred is no idiot and could well be a genius in his own field.

Along with Honey, he is arguably the most compassionate and welcoming of the group, immediately taking a liking to Hiro upon meeting him, and showing great support and enthusiasm towards the boy genius throughout all endeavors.

Despite his energetic and positive personality, it is shown that he tends to get lonely because his parents are not always around and most likely hangs out with his friends because they are like a second family to him and keep him company while his parents are away on their family vacations. He is also charitable according to tie-in material as he participates in fundraising for charity events and takes his friends to his mansion to rest for the night after the encounter with Yokai. He also allows them to train there over an unspecified length of time.

Physical appearance
Fred is a tall, shaggy, and scrawny young man, often seen wearing bagging clothing and is rather unkept. His traditional outfit consists of a brink pink T-shirt with a Japanese Kaiju monster imprint and white, long-sleeved undershirt, dark green, OD cargo shorts, and white (and rather filthy) sneakers with dark green laces.

His superhero form is a battle suit with the appearance of a traditional Japanese Kaiju monster based on his favorite kaiju, Krogar. The beast mostly consists of the colors blue and orange, in addition to having black, spiky, claw-like nails, a tail with similar features, and three eyes (with the top notably acting as Fred's access to vision). Its four-fanged "mouth" is the only opening the suit has. The soles on the suit's feet enable Fred to perform high jumps.

Powers and Abilities
In keeping with his love of comics and monster movies, and desire to become a super-powered creature, Fred's "Fredzilla" super suit is designed to look like a Kaiju, or japanese monster.

Its exoskeleton enables Fred to jump incredibly high, and it contains a flamethrower installed just below his chest, in the mouth of the suit. The suit is also flame-resistant and is equipped with claws.

While working as a mascot for San Fransokyo, he has also developed sign spinning skills which have proven surpisingly useful in combat, as he was able to pick up a metal board and twirl it at a high speed (like a sign) effectively cutting down and destroying many Microbots. Also, when the boards he use are imbued with fire from his flamethrower, his attacks become even more powerful.

Role in the film
One night, at the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology, Fred is in the midst of practicing his mascot routines in the school's student lab, when he meets the younger brother of his friend Tadashi, Hiro Hamada. Upon inquiring the fanboy's major, Fred explains he's not a student, but a major science enthusiast, nonetheless. Fred then begins to reminisce the occasions he asked Honey to concoct a formula capable of turning him into a fire-breathing lizard, and the occasion he asked Wasabi to create a shrink ray, only to have his requests rebuffed, leading him to come up with yet another idea; an invisible sandwich, much to the annoyance of his friends. As time would pass, Fred and the others would come to befriend Hiro, spending time with the young genius on occasion, alongside Tadashi. Specifically to help create his latest invention; the Microbots, which he hopes will grant him enrollment within the university by showcasing it to the school's head professor, Professor Callaghan.

On the night of the convention, Fred tags along to give support, having incredible faith in Hiro and the Microbots. Fortunately, the inventions are a success, but they catch the eye of tech-geru, Alistair Krei, who expresses interest in purchasing the creations, only to gain rejection, much to his dismay. After Krei's departure, and Hiro's enrollment letter is bestowed, Fred and the others head to the Lucky Cat Café for free celebratory dinner, courtesy of Hiro and Tadashi's aunt, Cass, much to Fred's excitement. Unfortunately, that same night, Tadashi was killed in a horrible fire whilst trying to save Professor Callaghan from a burning building. Fred and the others give their support to the Hamada family during the dark hours, whilst also offering to take Hiro under their wings, wanting him to join their side at the university. Unfortunately, their calls are ignored, and Hiro remains in despair, alone.

One night, Fred and the others are contacted by Tadashi's healthcare robot, Baymax, who believed having his friends over would help Hiro in overcoming his depression. When the friends make their way to the Hamada household, they find Hiro and Baymax wandering about the streets. They then learn that Hiro's Microbots were stolen by a villainous man wearing a mask, named Yokai, and the former and Baymax were in the process of tracking him down. Just then, Yokai attacks, and a car chase ensues. While the team is oblivious to the villain's drive to kill them, Fred (who takes joy in being part of an intense action scene) channels his love of comics and quickly figures they've seen too much, leaving them targets for Yokai's wrath.

Nevertheless, the group manages to escape, finding themselves accidentally thrown off the road and into a bay. Sensing Hiro's need for warm shelter, Baymax requests a place of refuge, and Fred takes his friends to a mansion in the middle of the city, which he claims to be his home. Believing it to be a joke, Go Go stresses her frustration, until Fred's butler, Heathcliff, arrives and welcomes the team in. The group then engage themselves in a brief tour of the beautiful home, led by Fred, until they're guided to the former's private quarters; a bedroom filled with collectible figures of comic characters, statues, arcade games, and mildly unsettling "self-portraits" of Fred, himself. Once settled, Hiro ponders on the identity of Yokai, though the team is at a loss for answers. Fred, however, believes the culprit to be Alistair Krei, referencing his desires to buy Hiro's Microbots at the science fair. Fred's ideas are rejected by the other members, however, who believe Krei is too high profile for such sinister plots.

Just then, Baymax reveals to hold information that allows him to track Yokai and find his location, leaving Hiro to express the idea of turning himself and his friends into a team of heroes in order to catch him. Unlike the rest of the team, Fred immediately agrees to the idea, excitably expressing his love for the concept and allows the friends to use his home as a training ground. Because of his love of Japanese monsters, Fred is given a battle suit with the appearance of a Kaiju and the ability to breath fire. After some training with the help of Heathcliff, the team heads to an abandoned island, where Yokai is thought to be hidden. The objective is to remove Yokai's kabuki mask. This will not only reveal his identity, but cease his control over the Microbots. As the team sneaks inside, Fred sings his own theme music (much to the annoyance of Wasabi) until they manage to find a large device in the mix of restoration. Through a series of recorded footage, the device is revealed to be a teleportation portal built by Alistair Krei, which was destroyed after a terrible accident resulting in the supposed death of a girl named Abigail. Before they can see more, Yokai attacks, and Fred immediately jumps into battle, only to be defeated instantly. Eventually, Yokai is uncovered by Hiro, and revealed to be Callaghan.

According to the professor, he used Hiro's Microbots to escape his death, meaning Tadashi's sacrifice was for nothing. Blaming the professor for the death of his brother, Hiro corrupts Baymax and orders the robot to kill the villain, prompting Fred, Go Go, and Wasabi to intervene, knowing murder is never the answer. Callaghan manages to escape just as Honey's able to restore Baymax, and a frustrated Hiro leaves the island, leaving his friends stranded. Fortunately, Fred is able to contact Heathcliff, who rescues the group on the family helicopter.

Once they return home, Hiro, Fred, and the others are able to reconcile. Afterwards, they reveal to have found another piece of footage from the island, where it's revealed Abigail was Callaghan's daughter. Fred immediately points out the fact that Callaghan's madness is driven through revenge upon Krei, and the friends rush out to save the tech-geru at his headquarters. After a brief battle, Callaghan captures each member of the team, grabbing Fred by all limbs of his suit; hoping to brutally rip the boy apart. Realizing it's only a suit, Fred spots a metal sign on the ground and reaches for it through his suit's mouth and uses his skills of his time as a mascot to destroy his bonds by using a sign. Regrouping with his friends, Fred follows Hiro's new strategy; while Hiro and Baymax draw Callaghan's attention, the others would destroy the Microbots and send them into the portal, leaving Callaghan powerless. Fred spat fire at some of Honey's chem-balls, creating a smokescreen to obscure their intent from Callaghan. Fred then used his sign, plus another, to destroy Microbot clusters by setting them ablaze.

Before the portal meant to destroy Krei's building destroys itself, Baymax senses life within the machine, and rushes inside along with Hiro to retrieve the civilian. While Baymax loses his life, Hiro returns with the survivor, Abigail, who is taken into medical care, whilst Callagahan is arrested. After Callaghan's downfall and the safety of San Fransokyo is restored, Fred and the others return to their normal lives, happily welcoming Hiro into San Fransokyo Tech as an official student. Over time, Hiro is successfully able to recreate Baymax, and with the robot's revival, the Big Hero 6 superhero team is reformed, with Fred rejoining his friends to protect the city from any and all dangers; in honor of the aspiring Tadashi.

In the post-credits, Fred stares at the portrait of his parents to cope with his familial loneliness. Wondering how his father would feel if he knew of the events that recently occurred, Fred lets out his feelings in front of the portrait, until he accidentally uncovers a secret passageway leading into a technological lair, filled with weapons, gadgetry, and a superhero outfit. Astonished, Fred takes a quick look around, until his father suddenly arrives and reveals his secret life as a superhero, to his son. Fred embraces his father out of excitement and joy, before the latter explains they have a lot to talk about.

Trivia

 * The kanji on Fred's shirt (怪獣) reads "Kaiju", which (to some people) means "monster", but can also mean "strange beast" or "giant beast" in Japanese. Kaiju is also a popular term for the Japanese movie monster genre, a notable example being.
 * In the original comic series, his superhero alter ego is Fredzilla, however he is not referred to by this in the film. Despite this, some promotional material for the film names Fred's costume identity as Fredzilla.
 * He is 6'0" (182 cm) in height.
 * Being rich, Fred obviously doesn't have to do his own laundry. Even so, he only changes his underwear once every four days by wearing them front and back, turns them inside out, then front and back again, a trait he inherited from his father that is later revealed at the end of the credits of the movie. He calls this recycling.
 * As a nod to Fred's love for comics, Fred's father bears a remarkable likeness to and is voiced by Stan Lee, the creator of Marvel Comics. In addition, Fred's last initial is L, implying that his surname may in fact be Lee.
 * In the original comics, Fred's power was being able to summon a Kaiju-shaped aura for combat. While his ability in the film is substituted with the use of a monster suit, one of Fred's first ideas for a super power was the ability to turn into a Kaiju similar to that of his comic counterpart. Early concept art for the film explored the idea of turning the aura ability into Fred being able to use hard-light monster holograms for combat until the monster suit idea was settled on.
 * Fred was originally going to be Tadashi's lab rat, according to the 2013 Rotoscopers video. The video also depicted Fred as making monster movies about himself in a rubber suit stomping down on cardboard boxes when no one was looking.
 * Fred's school mascot costume bears a strong resemblance to a Hideous Zippleback and a Terrible Terror, both dragons from DreamWorks' Dragons franchise. One of that series' characters, Tuffnut, is also voiced by Miller.
 * Because of his eccentric behavior and lack of hygiene, all of Big Hero 6 were surprised by the fact he was wealthy. Go Go even joked she thought he lived under a bridge.
 * The Essential Guide reveals Fred has a secret double life, which revolves around non-stop charity work.
 * According to his recommendation letter, Fred was recommended by R. Richards to T. Dugan, the alternate identities of Marvel's Mr. Fantastic and Dum Dum Dugan respectively.
 * Fred seems to have the closest relationship to Honey Lemon, as both are the most cheerful and optimistic among the team. She is also the only one not annoyed with Fred or considers him an "idiot" and tolerates his antics in stride. The two are also enthusiastic about science and have given each other nicknames (Fred gave her the nickname Honey Lemon while she calls him Freddie).
 * Fred has costumes of several obscure Marvel characters including Sleepwalker, Orka, Black Talon and Manphibian.
 * It is clear that Fred does not know Spanish very well, as when he brings the team to his mansion, he calls it mi casa, which he claims is French for "front door."