The Blue Beetle Trailer is here and it’s absolutely electric. Jaime Reyes set to take the DCU to new heights.
I should come clean, I screamed with delight when the Blue Beetle trailer dropped (Editor: which you can watch below). When DC Comics announced they were making a movie—with the Jaime Reyes version of the titular character—I was hoping that they would include the scarab as an interactive talking character, much like they have in the comic. So, when I heard Jaime and the scarab conversing throughout the trailer, I was definitely having fanboy moments. My first introduction to Blue Beetle was in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold animated series. I have adored the character since. After watching the trailer, I am hopeful the character and film have both been done justice. Allow me to explain why.
The secrets of the scarab.
The trailer opens up to the home city of Kord Industries, Palmera City. Where Jaime Reyes, played by Xolo Maridueña (Cobra Kai, Parenthood), works at a job he does not enjoy and wants better than what he is given. Through some means, Jaime ends up trying to get a job at Kord Industries. His friend Jenny (Bruna Marquezine), Jaime’s Kord Industries connection, hands him a Big Belly Burger box (DC fans will recognize the fast-food chain from the comic books and CW shows).
Unbeknownst to Jaime are the secrets inside the box. It is only when he gets home and opens the box that Jaime realizes it’s a blue scarab beetle. The Beetle attacks him and begins to synchronize with its new host. This starts a new origin story for a young man who did not go seeking to be a hero but perhaps a higher position in life to better himself and his family.
High flying action, familia and massive easter eggs!
In the trailer fans can see a lot of action sequences. From Jaime flying to space, cutting a bus in half, making gauntlets to fighting guards. But we can see the highlight of this story will be Jaime’s connection to his family. In main DC continuity, Jaime’s family has always been his backbone. They usually know of his secret identity as the Blue Beetle and by the looks of it, will know his secret identity in the film. It appears the DCU has learned from the magic of the first Shazam film and successfully tapped into that family connection once again.
Within the comic book lore, after pairing, Jaime learns the scarab was being worked on by Ted Kord (Blue Beetle II) and thus leads to him taking over the mantle of Blue Beetle. At the end of the trailer, we get a suspected nod to a previous Blue Beetle via its tech’s comparison to Batman. Which I thought was quite funny especially since there have been plenty of Blue Beetle to Batman comparisons. In the same scene, the family are checking out some scarab gear at some kind of headquarters. It is at this time we can clearly see two costumes of previous versions that came before; Dan Garret & Ted Kord!
This film looks like it’s a celebration of legacy DC characters while lifting a relatively new one to new heights. It makes me hungry for more legacy characters in the DCU. Blue Beetle definitely has this DC fan excited for the new upcoming roster of films.
Blue Beetle, slated to drop August 18th, 2023.
