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While he isn’t mentioned by name, Blue Beetle will fit into James Gunn’s DC Universe. He’s made this clear in a few different statements.
Dan Garret first appeared in 1939 as a Fox Comics police officer who fought crime using super powers he gained from ingesting Vitamin 2x. A revamped version, archaeologist Dan Garrett, used a mystic scarab to fly and gain invulnerability and minor energy blasts.
Character Background
Blue Beetle has been a part of the superhero community in some form since 1939. The character has starred as a solo hero and a member of teams like the Justice League and Teen Titans. Dan Garrett and Ted Kord both served as the Blue Beetle, but the most recent incarnation of the hero is Jaime Reyes, a teenager from El Paso, Texas. Jaime bonded with the Scarab, an alien artifact that grants its wearer incredible alien armor, and now protects the town from all kinds of metahuman criminals.
While the original Blue Beetle, Dan Garret, was a Fox Comics police officer who battled crime wearing a bulletproof costume and using powers gained from ingesting Vitamin 2X, DC’s revamped version of the character, archaeologist Ted Kord, carried on his legacy as a costumed vigilante, although he didn’t have superpowers. DC’s 1985 crossover saga, Crisis on Infinite Earths, brought the characters from both of these separate universes together into one continuity, and Len Wein and Gil Kane reconciled the differences between the two incarnations of the hero in 1986’s Secret Origins #2.
Cobra Kai star Xolo Mariduena will portray the latest Blue Beetle in James Gunn’s new DC Universe, and he is the perfect fit for the character. He’s a gadgeteer hero, with his own airship, the Bug, that serves as his transport and mobile base.
Story Impact
During his time in the spotlight, Blue Beetle was often compared to both Batman and Superman. He was a vigilante that often wore a suit, used technology to combat crime, and stood up to bullies. However, Blue Beetle was also a family man that fought for the rights of others and had his own moral code.
One of the more harrowing stories from Dan Garret?s time as Blue Beetle was his investigation into faulty playground equipment that resulted in the deaths of children. Despite the physical obstacles and bribery attempts by crime boss Big Dix, Dan was determined to get justice for the victims.
In the later years of his run, Dan married fellow police officer Joan and had a daughter together. Despite the fact that his daughter favored her father and was a thorn in the side of Commissioner Mike, Dan still treated his daughter fairly and was willing to put his life on the line for her.
When it comes to the Blue Beetle film, Cobra Kai standout Xolo Mariduena has been cast in the lead role of Jaime Reyes. The project is being billed as a DC Max original, and Gunn has made statements that suggest this will be canon within the new DC Universe. This has led to confusion among fans about which films and characters will be included in the reboot.
Connections to Other DCU Characters
Jaime Reyes isn’t the first character to hold the title of Blue Beetle, but it’s arguably the most powerful iteration. The third-generation hero is introduced in the middle of DC’s Infinite Crisis crossover and quickly becomes a member of the Justice League. Unlike the previous two iterations of the character, Reyes doesn’t find himself with a mentor to train him in superheroing. Instead, he’s directly chosen by the Scarab (Khji Da) to be its host and bonds with it through physical contact.
That doesn’t mean Reyes isn’t connected to other DC characters, though. His story takes place in Palmera City, the same town where Booster Gold grew up. That’s where the Scarab first comes into contact with Reyes in Infinite Crisis, leading him to start his own crimefighting career.
Reyes’s connection to Palmera City also makes it possible for him to cross over into other upcoming DC projects. Gunn recently guested on Michael Rosenbaum’s podcast and confirmed that Blue Beetle will be included in the new DCU, despite rumors to the contrary.
That doesn’t necessarily mean Reyes will appear in a film alongside Superman, but it could mean that he crosses over into the second season of John Cena’s Booster Gold series. The clash between the cynical Peacemaker and Reyes’ hopeful, wide-eyed heroism would be comedy gold.
Will Blue Beetle Return?
Jaime Reyes’ Blue Beetle has the potential to make a big impact in the new DC Universe. He’s not as entangled in ties with the previous DCEU movies as, for example, Peacemaker, and would fit well with Gunn’s plans for a younger-oriented superhero franchise. His connection to the alien scarab also offers visual possibilities that are well suited to the new aesthetic of the DC Universe.
Jaime Reyes debuted in the 2006 event series Infinite Crisis, which introduced him as the third incarnation of the Blue Beetle. Created by Keith Giffen, John Rogers, and Cully Hamner, Reyes is able to manifest an armored exoskeleton by bonding with the Blue Beetle scarab attached to his spine. This version of the character also inherited Ted Kord’s legacy as the Blue Beetle.
After the end of Infinite Crisis, Reyes got his own ongoing series from writer Keith Giffen and artist Scott Kolins. That series ran for 36 issues until the line-wide New 52 reboot of 2011. Reyes returned in a backup feature in Booster Gold written by Mike Sturges.
Reyes has appeared in other media as well, including a guest appearance on Smallville and a voice role in the animated re-imagining of Superman Returns. He’s also starring in the 2023 live-action film Blue Beetle, and will play the character again in the upcoming DC Universe television series.