Blue Beetle Director Reveals If It’s Part Of James Gunn’s DCU
The recently released Blue Beetle is proving to be a massive success among both the critics and the audiences, with many calling the cinematic release DC Studios’ best one so far. Now that the film has proven to be a success, the fandom is wondering whether there’s a place for Blue Beetle in James Gunn’s new DCU. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Blue Beetle’s director Angel Manuel Soto is hopeful about the future of his release and storyline within the DCU.
“So, when [DC Studios co-CEOs] James Gunn and Peter Safran came into power, they already promised the whole idea of exploring Booster Gold, and it helped us to keep the idea that Ted Kord is still alive. So, in my mind, if the movie can perform, there’s more adventures to come for Jaime Reyes, and Ted Kord is a part of that setup.”
Angel Manuel Soto
This is especially promising since the mid-credits scene reveals that the second Blue Beetle character, Ted Kord, is alive—and the mere presence of the mid-credits scene would suggest the continuation of the narrative. This only seemingly confirms James Gunn’s previous statement, saying that Blue Beetle has a future in the new DCU, which is officially scheduled to start in 2025, with the upcoming release of Superman: Legacy.
James Gunn On Blue Beetle’s Inclusion In The DCU
However, while James Gunn did say that Blue Beetle has a future inside DCU, it’s becoming quite clear that he wasn’t necessarily referring to the recently released Blue Beetle movie, and all evidence points to the fact that he was referring to the Blue Beetle character. The film’s pre-release hype gave way to conflicting reports about its canon status, and it seemed that no one, ranging from the film’s crew to company executives, had a definitive answer on the matter—all but Gunn.
The Blue Beetle director certainly hopes that his creation will become an official part of the new DCU, especially since the character shares the universe with other superheroes whose appearance has been confirmed thus far.
“I mean, the first DCU character for sure is Blue Beetle and the first DCU movie is Superman.”
James Gunn
Furthermore, the new film isn’t in any way tied to previous movies from the now-sinking DCEU ship, and the filming alone suggests that there are other superheroes and villains in Jaime Reyes’ world, though it doesn’t clearly call any of those superheroes by name, nor any of those have made an appearance in the movie.
Gunn, on the other hand, made it sound like Blue Beetle actually isn’t a part of his and Safran’s vision for the rebooted franchise universe during his appearance on the Inside of You podcast. Instead, he said, “I mean, the first DCU character for sure is Blue Beetle and the first DCU movie is Superman.”
Still, some fans remain enthusiastic that the film would carry over into the DCU, given the massively positive response it received from the audiences and the critics, and abandon the sinking ship that is DCEU, which was considered a failure even with its highest-grossing releases—it’s becoming painfully obvious that Snyderverse was Warner Bros.’ correct answer to MCU’s market dominance.
So, the question of whether the Blue Beetle film is part of the new DCU still doesn’t have a definitive answer. The lines get blurry when it comes to the movie’s eponymous hero; Gunn has confidently endorsed Xolo Mariduena’s portrayal, which could indicate that the actor might reprise his role in future DCU releases, despite Blue Beetle’s origin story being disconnected from the broader DCU universe.
DCU is still in its infancy and more than a year away from its first official release. It’s not outside the realm of possibility that Gunn might change his stance on the recently released Blue Beetle movie and incorporate it into the DCU. While the inclusion of the film remains pure speculation, it’s nearly certain that Xolo Mariduena’s Blue Beetle—we’re referring to the character—is going to be a part of DCU.
