Blue Beetle is a well-liked Latino hero in the DC Universe, and now he’s getting his own movie. The people involved in making the movie have already shown that it will be a success for Latinx cultures. Even after Batgirl got canceled in the DCEU, Blue Beetle is still going forward. Fans were worried that the movie might be stopped during the restructuring of the DCEU, but for now, it looks like Warner Bros. Discovery is still supporting the project.
Blue Beetle is about Jaime Reyes, a Mexican-American teenager who stumbles upon a mysterious robotic scarab that fuses with his spine, granting him the power to summon a powerful armor suit. While this seems like a gift, Jaime soon realizes that the scarab has its own mind and sometimes takes control over him.
Blue Beetle is significant because it’s the first DC movie centered around a Latinx hero. The director, writer, and much of the cast are also Latinx. This character has been deserving of more time on the screen, and finally, it’s happening. Here’s everything we know about the exciting movie, Blue Beetle.
The very first Blue Beetle character was created for comics by Charles Nicholas Wojtkoski, but Charlton Comics later owned the rights to the character. This original version of Blue Beetle made its debut in 1939. However, later versions of the character, which are now owned by DC and fit into their 10-year movie plan, were introduced to the DC universe in the 1985 Crisis on Infinite Earths series.
In the mid-2000s, DC brought back the Blue Beetle hero identity, and this version of the character worked alongside Booster Gold and joined the Teen Titans and the Justice League.
DC started working on a modern Blue Beetle movie in 2018, and the casting process took place from 2021 to 2022. There have been various updates about the film’s progress, including news about production and casting announcements that have been shared along the way.
Blue Beetle: The Plot
In the DCEU’s Blue Beetle story, the focus will be on the third generation of the character, as there have been multiple individuals who took on the Blue Beetle identity over the years. The first version of the character was Dan Garrett, who gained his powers from an Egyptian Scarab. The second one was Ted Kord, who appeared in the Arrowverse and used science and technology to carry on the hero’s legacy.
The third and last Blue Beetle is Jaime Reyes, a teenager from El Paso. He finds the original blue Scarab and gains alien armor when the artifact attaches to his spine. While not much specific information about the Blue Beetle story has been disclosed, it seems probable that the film will portray Jaime’s journey to becoming a hero and his confrontations with the antagonist Victoria Kord. Additionally, there might be encounters with the long-time Blue Beetle villain, Carapax the Indestructible Man.
Jaime Reyes is the third and most beloved Blue Beetle. If this movie is an origin story, it will showcase the moment he discovers the scarab. In the comic books, if Victoria Kord is similar to Ted Kord, she might have some connection to the mysterious technology. However, unlike Ted Kord, who was the second Blue Beetle and occasionally part of the Justice League, this new version of Victoria Kord will be portrayed as a villain, according to The Wrap.
From the cast list, we can see that Carapax the Indestructible Man will be part of the movie, which suggests that the story might involve the Kord corporation, an evil entity, creating the technology and then giving it to Carapax, who misuses it for nefarious purposes. The film’s plot is likely to revolve around the consequences of this misuse and how Blue Beetle and other characters deal with the situation.
In the comics, Jaime Reyes finds the scarab after it is sent to his hometown of El Paso, Texas, from the exploding Rock of Eternity, which is the home of the wizard Shazam. It raises the question of whether the Blue Beetle movie will be connected to the upcoming Black Adam and Shazam films. After discovering the scarab, Jaime’s fate takes a different path in the film than in the comic book. Based on the cast list, it’s probable that Victoria Kord will know about the scarab and send the powerful Carapax to retrieve it. Jaime will likely have to find a way to work with the scarab to protect himself and his mind from its unusual technology. The movie’s storyline is expected to explore these intriguing developments.
Blue Beetle: The Cast & Crew
The Latinx cast for Blue Beetle is incredibly talented. Xolo Maridueña, known for his role as Miguel in Cobra Kai, will star as Jaime Reyes, a perfect fit for the role. Belissa Escobedo will portray Jaime’s sister, Milagros Reyes, while Bruna Marquezine will play Jaime’s love interest, Penny. Raoul Max Trujillo will take on the role of Carapax the Indestructible Man, a villain who may have connections to DC’s immortal heroes, like Black Adam. Susan Sarandon will play the new character Victoria Kord. Additionally, Javier “Harvey” Guillén, recognized for his work in What We Do In the Shadows, will be in the movie in an undisclosed role. With such a stacked cast, fans are excited to see how this Latinx-led film unfolds.
Blue Beetle Release Date
The filming of the Blue Beetle movie has been completed, and it is now in the post-production phase. Initially planned for an exclusive release on HBO Max, the film will now also hit theaters. The release date is scheduled for August 18, 2023, despite Warner Bros.’s earlier plans.
