DC’s new hero Blue Beetle is all set to make an appearance on the big screens in 2023. The film stars Xolo Mariduenna as Jaime Reyes, an ordinary Mexican-American teenager who mysteriously finds himself attached to a suit of blue alien armor. Alongside Mariduenna is Bruna Marquezine as Jenny, Reyes’ love interest. Blue Beetle will be marked as the first Latino superhero to play the protagonist in the DC franchise.
Jamie Reyes is the third hero who calls himself the Blue Beetle. The existence of the character dates back to 1939. Although Jamie Reyes’ Blue Beetle came along in 2006 in the issue of ‘Infinite Crisis#6‘, shortly after the death of the previous one, Tod Kord. After accidentally getting attached to the Scarab and gaining powers, the newbie hero plays an important role in the events of the Infinite Crisis, helping the Justice League track down and destroy the rouge Brother Eye.
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Blue Beetle’s Backstory
The upcoming DC movie features Jamie Reyes as the new Blue Beetle, but before him, there were two other Blue Beetles who heroically fought the bad guys trying to unlock the true potential of the suit. Dan Garrett was the first one created by Charles Nicholas Wojtkoski, an archaeologist who discovers and uses the Blue Bettle Scarab to fight crime. Dan Garrett was then replaced by Ted Kord, who worshipped his mentor’s mantle using martial arts and gadgets. Unfortunately, he would not unlock the scarab’s true power. Kord eventually became a member of the Justice League International, Super Buddies and Living Assault Weapon.
Jamie Reyes is the third Blue Beetle created by Keith Giffen, Cully Hamner and John Rogers. Jaime inevitably becomes the new Blue Beetle when he discovers the scarab and brings it home, which then gets attached to his spine creating a suit and equipping him with insane powers. Unlike Marvel’s characters like Spider-Man, he makes no effort to hide his secret identity from his parents. The novice Blue Beetle quickly battles different villains in service of the crime boss La Dama. He also comes to crossroads with the Reach, an alien race who created the Scarab and opposes the Green Lantern Guardians. The scarab is revealed to be part of the Reach’s plot to invade Earth, though due to its growing bond with Jaime, it eventually develops a mind and personality of its own and breaks free of its programming.
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DC’s Blue Beetle’s Powers
Blue Beetle very much resembles the blue version of Spiderman, Ironman and Ant-man all combined together, but he is undoubtedly the most powerful DC teen hero. Only because of his lack of ability and experience the true power of the suit is held back. The Scarab can create a full bodysuit which increases Jamie Reyes’ durability and strength. The suit transforms itself, summoning all sorts of weapons like energy blades, cannons, and shields. The suit also generates energy wings that grant Jaime both flight and added protection. On top of all of this, the Blue Beetle suit can manipulate energy and vibration to neutralize magic and make invisible objects visible.
Due to his tech-infused suit, Blue Beetle is more powerful than any other human superhero in DC comics, including Batman. As powerful as Bruce Wayne seems to be with his technology, he cannot match the alien tech of Scarab. Although Blue Beetle and Cyborg seem to share similar powers, the former is more enduring and powerful. DC characters like The Joker, Catwoman, Robin, Lex Luthor, and Black Canary are somehow considered weak when compared with Blue Beetle’s powers.
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