Summary
- Blue Beetle released as part of a series of DC movies with lackluster box office results, raising questions about its future in the DC Universe.
- The movie introduces Jaime Reyes, the third generation of Blue Beetle, who discovers an alien artifact and becomes a young hero facing conflicts with antagonist Victoria Kord and villain Carapax.
- Director Ángel Manuel Soto and James Gunn have expressed interest in continuing Jaime’s story and finding a way for it to be a part of the new DC Universe, potentially in an Elseworlds side-franchise.
Blue Beetle released during a series of revelations about the DCEU and DCU, raising a lot of questions about the status of the movie and whether its cast would continue their roles in the future. Blue Beetle was initially described as having the “first DCU hero”, though it was revealed it wouldn’t be the first DCU film, as this would instead be Superman: Legacy. However, with the majority of the DCEU’s hero cast being replaced for the upcoming DCU, it’s not clear whether any aspects of Blue Beetle – including its hero – will actually appear in the upcoming DCU releases, especially given it released as part of a string of several DC movies that saw a lackluster box office.
This original iteration of the character first appeared in 1939, but the second Blue Beetle, Ted Kord, found his way to the DC Universe after Crisis on Infinite Earths in the 1980s. DC introduced a new Blue Beetle in the New 52 in the twenty-first century as a teenager, Jaime Reyes, who ended up joining the Teen Titans. Warner Bros. began work on a modern Blue Beetle movie in 2018, with casting running from 2021 into 2022, and the final movie releasing in 2023 as one of the final releases in the DCEU timeline.
Blue Beetle News & Key Articles
Blue Beetle Movie Release Time & Date
The Blue Beetle movie released on August 18, 2023, and was one of the few movies that DC Studios kept on the slate after James Gunn and Peter Safran took over in late 2022. Blue Beetle‘s first screenings began at 2pm ET on August 17.
Following The Flash‘s release, Blue Beetle was DC’s penultimate 2023 theatrical release, with Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom closing out the DCEU on December 20. From there, James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU’s Chapter One: Gods and Monsters kicks off properly.
Blue Beetle Movie Cast Breakdown
- Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle.
- Susan Sarandon as Victoria Kord.
- Bruna Marquezine as Jenny Kord.
- George Lopez as Uncle Rudy Reyes.
- Raoul Max Trujillo as Conrad Carapax.
- Adriana Barraza as Nana.
- Belissa Escobedo as Milagro Reyes.
- Elpidia Carrillo as Rocio Reyes.
Among the Blue Beetle movie cast are several of Jaime’s family members and a potential love interest for the hero. Notably, Xolo Maridueña, known for his roles in Cobra Kai (2018-2022) and Parenthood (2012-2015), plays the main hero, Jaime Reyes. Additionally, Belissa Escobedo portrays Jaime’s sister, Milagros Reyes, and Bruna Marquezine plays Jaime’s love interest, Penny. George Lopez adds a familiar name to the cast, playing Jaime’s uncle, Rudy. The two signal an important moment in comic book movie history as the first DC live-action movie honoring Latino culture.
Continuing the Reyes family line is Elpidia Carrillo, Damián Alcázar, and Adriana Barraza, who play Jaime’s mother, father, and grandmother, respectively. As far as villains, Raoul Max Trujillo plays Carapax the Indestructible Man. Susan Sarandon plays the villainous character Victoria Kord, replacing the previously cast Sharon Stone. Victoria is a new character created for the film, but was coincidentally introduced in the comics around the same time as Ted Kord’s sister. Javier “Harvey” Guillén of What We Do In the Shadows’ fame also appears in Blue Beetle as a character named Dr. Sanchez.
Blue Beetle Movie Story Details
Blue Beetle introduces the third generation of the titular DC hero. The first hero was Dan Garrett, who received his powers from an Egyptian scarab. The second chronicled Ted Kord, who existed in the Arrowverse and used science and technology to carry on the hero’s mantle. The third and final Blue Beetle is Jaime Reyes, a teenager from El Paso who discovers the original blue Scarab and receives alien armor when the artifact grafts to his spine.
Blue Beetle explores Jaime’s heroic origin story and his conflicts with antagonist Victoria Kord and Blue Beetle villain, Carapax the Indestructible Man, as well as his struggles about growing up. The movie closes with the current Reyes family closer than ever, and with Jamie as both a young promising hero and seemingly the boyfriend of Kord Industries’ new CEO, Jenny Kord. The post-credits of the movie show that Jenny’s dad Ted – who was also the second Blue Beetle – is still alive, teasing a future storyline that could potentially be incorporated into the DCU.
How Does Blue Beetle Connect To The DCU Reboot?
While James Gunn didn’t have a hand in Blue Beetle’s production, he has expressed excitement about the upcoming film, while also confirming that Blue Beetle is the first DCU character. That suggests that Xolo Maridueña’s new DC superhero will survive the reboot – though it was previously also thought Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman would be joining the DCU, only for updates to reveal that no Justice League hero would be keeping the same casting into the new franchise, raising some concerns for audiences. However, the most recent updates prove more hopeful for Maridueña’s character, as director Ángel Manuel Soto did reveal in an October 2023 interview with ScreenRant that he and Gunn “have talked about our interest in continuing Jaime’s story, and finding a way for that story to be a part of this new universe.“
Even if the movie ends up not being a viable option for the DCU’s future slate, it is possible that Blue Beetle could live in the new DCU’s Elseworlds side-franchise, along with Matt Reeves’ Batman films and Todd Phillips’ Joker franchise. This would unfortunately keep Blue Beetle from interacting with Gunn’s new DC heroes, but would still keep the exciting new hero in the franchise.
Key Release Dates
