| “ | We're telling a story through dance. | ” |
Barb and Juniper, also known as High Voltage, are a 1980's themed mother-daughter supervillain duo and professional dancers. They appeared in Big Hero 6: The Series.
Background
Their story is unknown prior to their first appearance, but while being praised, Juniper states that her dreams were becoming true, implying fame had been their goal for a long time.
Personality
Barb and Juniper have a typical mother-daughter relationship, with Barb being the more grounded one and Juniper being the more lively one. In battle, Barb tends to coach Juniper on their dance routines to keep the two on track.
Although they are heinous, High Voltage enjoy entertaining crowds and cherish the applause people give them. However, Barb is particularly annoyed when their audience acknowledges Juniper and not her, making her feel undervalued; Juniper on the other hand, admires the focus on her, which leads to Barb needing to remind Juniper they work together. This flaw greatly affects their bond, despite their close relationship—later, Juniper ultimately puts fame before family, as shown when her mother was defeated and Juniper tried to make her escape, which Barb took in anger and shock. Due to this, they also split up for some time, but soon made amends and got together again.
Appearance
Both Barb and Juniper are fair-skinned humans with long blonde hair and purple bangs, although Barb, due to age, is overweight and has wrinkles around her eyes, and Juniper's hair is darker than Barb's.
They also have pink star-shaped earrings, cyan eyeshadow (which extends to a lightning bolt on Barb's right eye), and pink lipstick. Both wear black dresses with a purple lightning bolt across, a pink belt with a cyan buckle, black boots, and black gauntlets with cyan powerlines.
Barb's dress has purple sleeves, tights, and leg warmers, while Juniper's is sleeveless with a black shawl, pink tights, and leg warmers.
Powers and Abilities
Neither have actual superpowers, but as dancers, High Voltage are agile and coordinated as long as they are together.
- Dancing capabilities: High Voltage infuse dance in their physical attacks, exchanging one movement to the next while acting in a coordinated fashion. They can dodge attacks easily and execute their own with little problem.
- Master Acrobats: Besides their dancing skills, they can do backflips and other sorts of acrobatics, making them harder to capture and their heists more effective.
With the orb, High Voltage gain the following ability:
- Electricity manipulation: Like their name suggests, High Voltage can release currents of electricity that they can use in combat. When their electrical abilities are used on machinery, such as Baymax, the orb's abilities cause them to short-circuit and malfunction. This power works smoothly with their dancing skills, enabling them to overwhelm even the strongest members of Big Hero 6.
Equipment
In their arsenal is an energy orb that grants High Voltage electrokinetic attacks.
- Energy Orb: A mysterious device that channels electricity to High Voltage's wristbands. It also powers the car that they use as their getaway vehicle, as well as a way to keep the orb safe and secure when the two drive at high speed to leave. However, without the orb, High Voltage cannot manipulate electricity.
- Electric car: After their first encounter with Hiro, Baymax and Go Go, they used an electric car powered by the electric orb to escape.
- Micro-Batteries: When they had their orb confiscated, High Voltage searched for a new power source and invaded Krei Tech to steal the batteries as a temporary replacement.
History
In "Issue 188", High Voltage make their presence known by robbing ATMs while performing to the civilians to distract them from the crime taking place. Surprisingly enough, not even the police in the scene intervened and simply looked. When Go Go, Hiro and Baymax got to the place, they pointed this out and engaged them in fight, but were easily defeated by the duo.
The following night, they go out once more and flip over a truck with money, then Barb puts the money in bags while Juniper is cheered by the "audience". Barb however becomes upset at this, though both are interrupted when all of Big Hero 6 get to the place. Wasabi praises their dance moves, then High Voltage fight the team. Despite being the entire team this time, Big Hero 6 still lose against them. They escape when Hiro saves Karmi from a falling lamp post.
After their victory, Fred takes Go Go to see his comics so that they could find a way to resolve their "problem". Go Go believed this was about defeating High Voltage, but Fred actually meant finding out why Karmi didn't recognize Hiro in his battle suit. Both go to Richardson Mole's comic-book shop to read issue #188 of Captain Fancy, and after having done so, both are called by the rest of the team to face High Voltage at San Fransokyo Trust, the city's bank.
The team arrive in duos, the first being Wasabi and Honey Lemon who try to convince High Voltage that they do not need to steal and could audition for Top Feet instead, but Barb and Juniper seemingly take offense in this, since Barb responds that "stars don't audition".
Hiro and Baymax arrive next, but once again Baymax malfunctions from an electric shock that Juniper gives him. Then, Go Go and Fred make it there, with Go Go telling them that Fred knows how to beat them. Fred however reveals that he doesn't and that the comic only told him how to solve Hiro's identity problem, then both are knocked out by High Voltage's lightning. Fred mentions that Richardson may have done him a favor when he cut the power to his house to obtain the comic in an online auction, and so Go Go realizes what can be done.
She aims for their orb and disables it by insulating it with two of Honey Lemon's chem-balls, thereby stripping High Voltage of their power. With no attack power, High Voltage try to escape but Barb is captured by one of Honey's goo chem-balls, then Juniper decides to "go solo" and attempts to leave her mother behind, only to fail when she crashes against Baymax's wing. Both end up captured, and Barb even tells Juniper she is grounded.
Subsequently, they are arrested and their mugshot is shown in one of Bluff Dunder's reports that Karmi watches to admire Hiro, and later Obake also sees this, beginning to learn more about Big Hero 6 as they previously foiled one of his schemes as well.
Some time later, High Voltage escape prison, but since Juniper believed her mother had stolen her dance moves, both parted ways and began working individually. In "Big Hero 7", they tried to find a replacement power source, and both clashed when Barb stole a micro-battery from Alistair Krei, but Juniper was also in the scene and both fought for it, until Krei revealed another one was in front of them so they took both and ran away. Bluff Dunder soon reported their escape and Big Hero 6 saw this.
Barb then went to the San Fransokyo Police Department attempting to retrieve the orb, but found that it had been taken away. There she faced Go Go and Fred, but managed to get away.
Later at Joe's Diner, the duo faced each other again in a dance competition, although their electric powers destroyed most of the place, much to the owner's dismay, even though he praised the dance.
Barb had found out that the orb was bought by Richardson Mole and kept in his comic-book shop, so she started attacking the city until Big Hero 7 (Big Hero 6 joined by Richardson Mole) arrived. However, Juniper also got there and started fighting her mother, then both went inside the comic shop, destroying everything while trying to find the orb.
Juniper got it first, so Barb tried to take it from her until Go Go, Fred and Richardson intevened. Richardson insulted Juniper's moves, but Barb defended her. While zapping the place around, they talked about their issues like Barb saying she used Juniper's moves because she can no longer do well her own, and both eventually reconciled. The duo then decided to work together again, powered the orb together, taking out the Krei batteries from their wristbands.
Their reunion lasted little, as Go Go and Fred trapped the orb inside RIchardson's vault and Fred took the batteries, telling High Voltage they should have kept them as back-up. Still, High Voltage were happy that they'd be together, even if it was in jail. Both were soon taken away in a police car while the orb stayed at the vault, but Richardson attempted to take it away. Trying to touch it electrocuted him unconscious and made him forget everything that happened during his time with the heroes.
While they remain in prison, Fred trains to become like his father and face Baron Von Steamer in "Steamer's Revenge", so he uses carboard images of Juniper and Barb, as well as other villains, to practice his moves.
Trivia
- During their heists, background music about them can be heard.
- An early design for Juniper showed her with a lightning bolt across her face, which looked similar to musician David Bowie's makeup from his Aladdin Sane album cover. Barb's makeup might have been inspired by it as well.
Gallery
Screenshots
| Issue 188 |
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 High Voltage's source of power.                 The duo's car.        "Stars don't audition!"     Go Go disables the orb.  Both lose their powers.  Barb is caught.  Juniper is caught.   Obake watches their arrest. |
| Big Hero 7 |
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 Barb watches Krei.     Juniper and Barb fight.    Bluff reports their escape.   Barb electrifies a policeman.           High Voltage find their orb.   Offended by Richardson's critiques.          High Voltage reconcile.      High Voltage are captured again. |
| Steamer's Revenge |
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Miscellaneous
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