By August 18th, DC is debuting another remarkable anti-hero on the big screens: Blue Beetle.
Played by Cobra Kai star Xolo Maridueña, Blue Beetle will play into the hands of the ever-growing DCU reboot and possibly, into the eventual multiverse sequence the franchise is building upon.
Now, we know for sure that Blue Beetle is getting his own DC movie, but who is he, really? Is he the good guy or the villain in disguise?
WARNING: This article may contain MAJOR SPOILERS for the Blue Beetle movie, so READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!
Is Blue Beetle Canonically Good or Bad?
Essentially, Blue Beetle is one of the lesser known DC Comics characters whose special abilities come from the ancient Scarab that was found in an old Egyptian tomb, thanks to the archaeologist named Dan Garett, the first to hail the blue suit.
Blue Beetle is neither here nor there. Canonically, he's described as an 'unconventional hero who is also too unconventional to be a villain.'
Now, it is worth mentioning that Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) is not the first to become Blue Beetle. In actuality, he is the third.
The second to hail the blue suit and the scarab was Ted Kord who first appeared in Steve Ditko’s Captain Atom #83 in 1966.
He was a genius inventor and a martial arts expert who was mentored by the ‘original’ Blue Beetle, Dan Garett.
Kord initially had no superhuman powers and abilities, but similar to Batman, he utilizes the high-tech suit and gadgets he creates to fight against crime.
His suit is made of lightweight bulletproof material along with wings created specifically to let him fly. Not to mention, the tons and varieties of weapons to help him fight crime.
As for whether Blue Beetle is canonically good or bad?
Well, in the history of his existence, involved in several major storylines, Blue Beetle has become a member of the Justice League and Teen Titans — both of which use their superhero abilities to claim justice and peace for the people.
These storylines include Infinite Frontier and Future State.
Blue Beetle Did Almost Become a Villain At One Point
In case you didn't know, in the Justice League animated series, Blue Beetle had seen one of his futures wherein he unwillingly creates an apocalyptic world because of the ancient scarab relic attached to his back and that the only way to stop him was by killing him along with the scarab attached to his spine.
Considering that the Blue Beetle movie is playing into a clean slate type of movie for the character, for now, we can just conclude that he is a good guy.
He is the good guy in his own movie, for sure, but who's to say what his future in the DCU franchise holds for him?
ALSO READ: How Is Superman Related To Supergirl? Origins Explained
Who Is Blue Beetle in the DC Universe? Origins and Powers Explained
With new DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran steering the wheel to a new future for the DCU franchise, Blue Beetle is about to become a part of the rebooting universe.
Now, this is the first time we’ll not only be seeing Blue Beetle make his live-action debut on the big screens, but all the while becoming DC Studios’ first ever Latino superhero!
There is no doubt that given the many iterations and incarnations of Blue Beetle, the superpowers and abilities are bound to change.
In this case, Jaime’s great power from the mystical Scarab comes with the Scarab acting like a ‘symbiote’ serving to protect him when his life is being threatened.
With Blue Beetle coming into theaters in about a month’s time, it is likely for us to gauge out more of how Jaime lives up to the responsibility of being ‘chosen’ by the suit while saving the world.
The official synopsis for the Blue Beetle movie reads:
Jaime Reyes suddenly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of an alien biotechnology called the Scarab. When the Scarab chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he’s bestowed with an incredible suit of armor that’s capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the superhero, Blue Beetle.
You can also watch the full trailer for DC’s Blue Beetle movie below:
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!