Blue Beetle Will Be A Bigger Deal For DC Than You Realize

DC’s upcoming Blue Beetle will be a bigger deal to the studio than many are expecting. An adaptation of a lesser known DC Comics superhero, the movie centers on the third character to carry the Blue Beetle mantle in the source material. Blue Beetle stars Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes, a young man who comes into contact with an alien scarab that attaches itself to his body, gifting Jaime incredible powers through a technological alien exoskeleton. ​​​​​​

Blue Beetle is in a strange place at the moment, with the film being one of the leftover films from the DCEU slate. There were four DC movies set to premiere in 2023 when James Gunn and Peter Safran were named new DC Studios co-CEOs. Those films were Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Flash, Blue Beetle, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. As the only DC movie release this year not to focus on an established DCEU character, Blue Beetle might be flying under the radar. However, the new film will actually hold a great deal importance – whether it succeeds or fails.

Blue Beetle Is A Test Of DC’s Elseworlds Strategy

Gunn has announced that DC will be taking a page out of the comics for the new DC Universe, with the studio introducing the Elseworlds label. DC’s Elseworlds brand will host any projects that are not part of the new DC Universe’s canon. With Gunn and Safran planning the next ten years of DC releases through an interconnected universe that spans movies, TV series, animation, and games, it will be very important to make what is part of the expansive new DC Universe clear. Matt Reeves’ The Batman universe, which will span movies and series, is a firm example of what makes up a DC Elseworlds release.

Related: All 5 Confirmed DC Elseworlds Movies (So Far)

Blue Beetle was not confirmed to be part of DC’s Elseworlds label, but it is a standalone release in nature, not having direct connections to the old DCEU or Gunn’s new DC Universe. The film will be the first test of DC’s Elseworlds strategy — even though it’s only an Elseworlds-type movie — of having projects that exist outside the new DC Universe. While Blue Beetle could eventually find its way into the DC Universe if the movie is successful, there is also a chance that the film might succeed due to its singularity among DC’s releases, which could possibly lead to a sequel under the Elseworlds brand, keeping that aspect going.

Blue Beetle Is DC’s First Latino Superhero Movie

Blue Beetle‘s story is very important for DC due to the cultural impact the film has as the first DC superhero movie focusing on a Latino character. Superhero movies and the entertainment industry, as a whole, are undergoing a phase when representation might be at the most important it has ever been. Marvel Studios made waves when it released 2018’s Black Panther, a superhero movie focusing on a cast almost entirely made up of Black actors. The film went on to achieve critical and fan acclaim, with over $1.3 billion worldwide and even being nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.

While Blue Beetle is looking to be more of a family movie than an awards-darling, the film keeps the key cultural aspect that made Black Panther an unmissable event, with the new DC movie poised to do great things for Latino representation in Hollywood. Blue Beetle focuses on Jaime Reyes coming to terms with his new connection to the alien scarab, and the Blue Beetle trailer shows Jaime will not be alone in his journey, as his family is well aware of the hero’s situation. With its focus on Jaime’s tight-knit family and a star-studded, almost all-Latino cast, Blue Beetle will be a major step forward for representation (and DC).

Related: Blue Beetle Star Praises DCU Movie’s Latino Representation

Blue Beetle Will Be Important For DC’s Strategy

A few elements of the movie make Blue Beetle an interesting case study for DC. The film was originally conceived as an HBO Max movie, with it then being changed to a theatrical debut. That was a surprising choice, especially since DC would then opt to fully scrap its shot Batgirl movie, which was developed for HBO Max. While Blue Beetle is not among the more expensive superhero movies to be produced, DC did have a higher budget set for the film than the one Batgirl worked with, which likely played a role in the two films’ very different destinies. Depending on Blue Beetle‘s box office performance, smaller DC movies could rise.

Gunn has also mentioned how DC’s future will include shared storylines over different projects, as well as movies telling their own standalone tales within the DC Universe. Blue Beetle falls in line with that second category, as the movie could very well exist as either an Elseworlds or DC Universe movie, with its self-contained story allowing Gunn to make a decision based on how well the film performs. If Blue Beetle is a success, it is possible that DC could choose to test the waters with smaller characters in the future by introducing them in one-off Elseworlds movies, then bringing them into the DC Universe if their debut is successful.

Will Blue Beetle Be A Success?

Blue Beetle breaks a DCEU trend by featuring a younger B-level hero. The old DCEU mainly featured DC’s most popular heroes, such as Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Blue Beetle differs from that by focusing on Jaime Reyes, the third version of Blue Beetle in the comics, who only debuted in 2006. While that decision could negatively impact the film’s box office, as the character is not really well-known outside the comics and DC’s animations, it is also one that could turn out to be very positive, bringing a fresh element to the film. DC has found issues lately due to its darker take on iconic heroes in the DCEU

A common DCEU complaint is that its movies do not possess the sense of fun that the comics do. Blue Beetle looks to turn that around, with the film’s trailer showing that director Angel Manuel Soto aims to bring a vibrant new adventure to DC’s live-action output. Jaime Reyes’ Blue Beetle shares some similarities with Spider-Man in the comics, which might be discovered by a major audience when the movie is released, leading to a great box office profit.