Recently, DC Studios has released the first official trailer for Blue Beetle – one of the final films in the expanding DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and a key superhero project from Warner Bros. in 2023. Developed since 2018, Blue Beetle tells the story of Jaime Reyes, a superhero with a powerful extraterrestrial suit originating from the northernmost reaches of the DC universe.
Blue Beetle is set to officially premiere on August 18 of this year. This film has garnered significant attention due to its release coinciding with the transitional phase of the DC cinematic universe, as the DCEU is winding down while paving the way for the DC Universe (DCU). This has led many to question whether Blue Beetle and other superheroes will fit into the new direction under James Gunn and Peter Safran.
Regardless of the future of Blue Beetle, here’s everything audiences need to know about the latest superhero from DC.
Origin of Blue Beetle Jaime Reyes in DC Comics
The story of Jaime Reyes’s origin in the comics is quite straightforward and easy to understand. Reyes is a high school student living with his family in El Paso, Texas, USA, including his parents and younger sister. One day on his way home from school, he accidentally discovers a mysterious scarab that resembles a beetle. Unbeknownst to him, this item will change his life and future forever.
This scarab (The Scarab) is the source of Blue Beetle’s power. In a storyline related to Shazam, Maxwell Lord, and Spectre, after Shazam’s powers were destroyed, this alien scarab mysteriously fell to Earth in El Paso, Reyes’s hometown.
One night at Reyes’s house, the scarab came to life and fused itself to Reyes’s spine. This accident unintentionally transformed him into a powerful being, granting him the advanced extraterrestrial armor, the most advanced suit in DC. Subsequently, the superhero Booster Gold contacted Reyes to “borrow” the scarab’s power to establish his role and disrupt the Brother Eye satellite. Reyes, along with Gold and Batman, flew into space to carry out this mission before the events of the Dark Crisis a year later.
However, the scarab’s powers engulfed Reyes, making it difficult for him to maintain full control, and the aftermath was a year of lost time. When he returned, Reyes had to reconcile with his family and friends while simultaneously embracing his new identity – Blue Beetle. From then on, he officially embarked on a superhero career, collaborating with many prominent teams like the Teen Titans and even the Justice League.
Powers of Blue Beetle in the Comic Series
Despite being an ordinary human, the scarab has granted Reyes many superpowers rivaling any superhero. It provides him with an external exoskeleton that enhances his physical abilities and has a symbiotic relationship with him. While Reyes can direct much of Blue Beetle’s strength, there are times when the scarab “takes control” and acts according to its own will – a detail revealed in the new trailer.
Similar to other superheroes, Blue Beetle also possesses enhanced abilities such as super speed, super strength, and super durability, along with agility. Additionally, the scarab provides Reyes with a variety of other superpowers, such as self-repair, energy absorption, or creating force fields to protect against various dangerous attacks from the environment.
Moreover, as shown in the trailer, the armor can create any weapon that Reyes can imagine. From blades, shields, and arrows to even plasma creatures, the scarab can manifest these in an instant. Ultimately, it also grants many advanced abilities like fire manipulation, sound control, creating scanning devices, drone aircraft, or even controlling technology.
Who will play Blue Beetle/Jaime Reyes?
Xolo Mariduena will take on the role of the superhero Blue Beetle in the upcoming blockbuster. The actor is best known for his character Miguel Diaz in Cobra Kai – a role he has held since 2018. With Mexican, Cuban, and Ecuadorian heritage, Mariduena was born and raised in California, USA, and is considered a perfect fit for Blue Beetle, the first Latin superhero on the big screen of the DCEU.
Sharing with Variety, the actor expressed: “I feel both excited and anxious, really honored. It’s a feeling when you know you’re stepping into a project with great potential, but it also feels personal and close to the cast and crew. I’m really eager to have everyone experience the first superhero film featuring a Latin lead.”
All you need to know about the DC film project Blue Beetle
Blue Beetle will be directed by Angel Manuel Soto, a filmmaker hailing from Puerto Rico. Manuel Soto gained recognition after directing the HBO Max project Charm City Kings and received numerous accolades from industry peers. Meanwhile, the screenplay for Blue Beetle was developed by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer. This project marks the official recognition of the development of DC’s superhero project since 2021, within a strategy to release films on HBO Max. By the end of 2021, after Mariduena was selected for the lead role, Warner Bros. decided to change its strategy and release Blue Beetle theatrically.
In addition, this film features Bruna Marquezine as Penny, Jaime Reyes’s love interest; Belissa Escobedo as Reyes’s younger sister; and George Lopez as the superhero’s uncle. The main antagonist roles are played by Susan Sarandon and Raoul Trujillo as Victoria Kord and Carapax the Indestructible Man, respectively. Victoria Kord is a character created specifically for this project, but she may still have connections to other superheroes in DC comics, such as the potential for Blue Beetle to be linked to Ted Kord.
According to expectations, Blue Beetle will be released on August 18 this year.
Will Blue Beetle be part of the new DCU under James Gunn’s direction?
Considering other projects like The Flash or Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom, the future of Blue Beetle after the DCEU wraps up remains very open. Following 2023, James Gunn will officially launch the DCU, featuring new faces, new story arcs, and many aspects that will not be connected to the previous DCEU. Even iconic superheroes like Superman or Batman will be portrayed by different actors.
Nonetheless, James Gunn has previously shared some positive feedback regarding Blue Beetle, opening the door for this superhero to join the DCU in the future. According to reports from The Guardians, the director mentioned: “We have Shazam, the film leading up to The Flash – this project will reshape everything, and after that is Blue Beetle, whose material has no connection at all. This character (Jaime Reyes) could entirely be a part of the DCU.”
Based on James Gunn’s statements, it seems that Blue Beetle may be treated as a standalone film, meaning it won’t have any ties to other superheroes, even if it’s just a guest appearance. Unlike Shazam! Fury of the Gods with the cameo of Gal Gadot or The Flash featuring at least two versions of Batman, Blue Beetle will have a smaller, more independent scale compared to the broader narrative of DC. This allows Jaime Reyes the opportunity to organically integrate into the DCU in the future, should this film achieve strong box office results.
