You May Recognize The Actor Behind Tadashi From Big Hero 6
We're not totally solid on the metrics, but there are at least two moments in modern Disney history that are guaranteed to crumble any emotionally mature human being. The first of these two traumatizing snippets, obviously, comes from Disney and Pixar's "Up," which features a devastatingly beautiful prologue. The second instance of distilled anguish comes from the otherwise lighthearted film, "Big Hero 6." Both of these moments center on the tragic death of a loved one, but the heartbreak in "Up" comes from a silent montage. "Big Hero 6" gives voice to its victim before it literally explodes him.
For those who need a quick refresher, we're talking about the Tadashi Hamada, the late older brother of the film's young protagonist. Before "Big Hero 6" sacrificed him to Mickey Mouse (whose unholy hunger is only sated by the loss of familial bonds), Tadashi proved himself to be the kind of support system anyone would be lucky to have. Plus, he dedicated his collegiate studies to creating a huggable robo-medic. He was literally perfect. Tadashi's loss is compelling in no small part due to the man who lent him his voice: Daniel Henney. In honor of that work, and our need to share cool trivia, let's run down some of the most memorable roles Henney has portrayed.
Agent Zero, the mutant assassin
Way back in the year 2000, before Disney owned the rights to everything, before the Marvel Cinematic Universe was even a blip on the horizon, 20th Century Fox released "X-Men," the beginning of its very own Marvel franchise. Since then, and including the "Deadpool" films and "The New Mutants," Fox released a grand total of 13 movies under or adjacent to the "X-Men" banner. Listen, there's no denying that these films conjured up some incredible sequences, and some of the casting has certainly stood the test of time, but the "X-Men" franchise is ... very, very messy, and often incongruous with the stories it was based on. Hopefully, the MCU will handle their newly regained mutant characters with a little more kindness than its previous owner.
At any rate, in 2009, we got "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," the beginning of a trilogy of films all about Logan (Hugh Jackman), aka the Wolverine. Yes, we are aware that the first trilogy of films were also all about Logan, but that's a rant for another day. In "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," Daniel Henney portrays Christoph Nord, aka Agent Zero. Also known by the alias David North, Agent Zero — also known as Maverick in the comics, according to his official Marvel biography — is a mutant whose powers would be cool if not for the fact that every action hero seems to possess them. He's really fast and really durable with really good aim and a whole lot of guns.
Agent Zero is both a begrudging ally and a willing opponent for Wolverine. After a lengthy battle, in which Agent Zero pursues Wolverine in a helicopter, Wolverine takes both Agent Zero and the helicopter down. And then he explodes him. We're noticing a trend, here.
Matt Simmons, the BAU agent
"Criminal Minds" might not be the most successful crime procedural on the market — that title belongs to "Law & Order: SVU" (via NBC) — but it might have the strongest fandom. Okay, that title might belong to "Law & Order: SVU," too — Bensler shippers wield a mighty megaphone. Let's be generous and say that "Criminal Minds" is a close second, or in the top five, at least. Matthew Gray Gubler has too many fans for it to sink much lower. In broad strokes, the CBS franchise follows a group of criminal profilers, known as the Behavioral Analysis Unit, who work in tandem with the FBI to stop bad guys from doing bad things. Well, from doing more bad things.
To prepare for the franchise's second unsuccessful spinoff, "Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders," the mainline series introduced a handful of characters in a backdoor pilot episode near the end of Season 10. Daniel Henny portrays Matthew Simmons, a member of the International Response Team. On the job, Simmons is the lethal muscle, but at home, he's a doting husband with a veritable hoard of tiny children with whom he desperately tries be the perfect gentle parent.
"Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders" was not particularly successful, although it admittedly lasted longer than the first spinoff, "Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior." Luckily for Henney, his character was so well liked that he survived the production's cancelation and returned to "Criminal Minds" as a core member of the BAU for the rest of the series' duration on CBS. Unfortunately, as numerous outlets (like E! Online) have shared, neither Henney nor his role are part of the Paramount+ revival "Criminal Minds: Evolution."
Lan al'Mandragoran, the Warder
Buckle in for a lore dump. We'll keep it brief, but to summarize 17 books worth of fantasy exposition in a handful of sentences is no small feat. "The Wheel of Time" series is written by the late James Oliver Rigney Jr., better known by his pen name, Robert Jordan. Sadly, Jordan passed away before completing the narrative, but he managed to pass enough notes on before he died for Brandon Sanderson to complete his work. The whole tragic affair is better detailed by Time. In the broadest strokes possible, the story takes place in a magical world where gods are real and they use amplified human champions as proxies for a deific war between light and darkness. Also, there was an apocalyptic war that wiped out all male channelers, the canonical term for magic wielders.
As depicted in the Prime Video adaptation of "The Wheel of Time," which is mostly inspired by the first book in the series, "The Eye of the World," Moraine Damodred (Rosamund Pike) seeks to find the reincarnated Dragon or, as every other story refers to the role, "The Chosen One."
In "The Wheel of Time," Daniel Henney portrays Lan al'Mandragoran, Moraine's Warder, the canonical term for a super-dedicated bodyguard. The pair are uniquely and strictly platonic, as both are obsessive when it comes to their duties. Lan keeps his emotions and most of his words to himself, choosing to let his sword do most of the talking. As the Amazon Prime Video series has been renewed for both a second and third season, it's possible that, eventually, we'll get to see Lan reveal his past as ... well, that would involve spoilers, wouldn't it?