Blue Beetle Is The Only Movie That Can Save DC
DC is in trouble. The Flash is officially one of the worst bombs in Warner Bros. history. Black Adam and Shazam! Fury of the Gods didn’t perform much better. The first project from James Gunn and Peter Safran’s rebooted DCU isn’t scheduled for over a year—possibly longer with the strikes—and if we’re being honest, nobody cares about Aquaman 2. DC needs a miracle, and it just might get one in the Blue Beetle.
He’s about as well known as Iron Man was prior to 2008 or The Guardians of the Galaxy before 2014. You can probably see where we’re going with this.
To say that the Blue Beetle can save DC Studios outright is a bit of hyperbole, but the movie does have the potential to keep the studio on life support until Superman: Legacy drops in 2025, and here are a few reasons why.
For starters, Blue Beetle will mark the first time a Latino superhero has headlined a DC film. Despite what some corners of the internet would have you believe, representation matters. Not only does the cast feature Cobra Kai’s Xolo Mariduena, What We Do In The Shadows‘ Harvey Guillen, and George Lopez, but the movie was helmed by Angel Manuel Soto, DC’s first Puerto Rican director.
One counterintuitive thing that Blue Beetle has going for it is that the character isn’t super well-known. The hero, specifically the Jaime Reyes version, isn’t obscure necessarily — not like, say, Ambush Bug — but he’s also not a household name like Batman or Spider-Man. He’s about as well known as Iron Man was prior to 2008 or The Guardians of the Galaxy before 2014. You can probably see where we’re going with this.
The Flash featured almost every major superhero DC has, including two versions of Batman (technically, four if we’re counting cameos), and it couldn’t put butts in seats.
Name brand recognition is obviously a huge thing when it comes to big-budget franchise movies, but it can be a hindrance. DC makes a Superman movie, and they immediately have fans boycotting it because it’s not Henry Cavill wearing the cape and tights.
Marvel reboots Wolverine, and fans throw a fit because how dare they recast Hugh Jackman. Blue Beetle, on the other hand, comes to the big screen free of any baggage or casting drama.
Little-known characters like Peacemaker don’t have to worry about going against viewers’ preconceived notions about how the character should behave because there are none. Did you know that Star-Lord in the comics is completely different from Star-Lord in the MCU? Do you care?
For most moviegoers, next month’s Blue Beetle is going to be their introduction to Jaime Reyes—much like 2008’s Iron Man was most people’s introduction to Tony Stark. The Flash featured almost every major superhero DC has, including two versions of Batman (technically, four if we’re counting cameos), and it couldn’t put butts in seats. Showcasing some new blood might be just what DC needs to get people interested in them again.
Blue Beetle’s Challenges
It’s only fair to point out that Blue Beetle has a few things going against it as well. For one thing, James Gunn keeps muddying the water over what’s DCEU and what’s DCU.
Blue Beetle was originally supposed to be a part of the same universe as Wonder Woman and Justice League until Gunn and Safran said differently. Since Blue Beetle has no direct ties to any of the movies that came before it, no Superman cameos, no Wonder Woman popping in to say hi, it’s easy to declare the movie its own thing. Of course, Gunn being Gunn, that’s not exactly what he did.
James Gunn’s official stance on Blue Beetle is that the Blue Beetle character is the first official character of his new DCU. However, Gunn also said that the upcoming Superman: Legacy will be the first official movie of the DCU. He said both things in the same interview on Michael Rosenbaum’s Inside of You podcast.
Regardless of who’s the first what in the new DC Universe of films, Xolo Mariduena will continue to portray the Blue Beetle in future movies, an honor Gunn has yet to confirm for Gal Gadot or Jason Momoa, whose continued involvement in DC projects is still up in the air.
Unfortunately, Blue Beetle still has to battle the so-called “superhero fatigue” that’s supposedly behind the recent string of Marvel and DC flops. Hopefully with the success of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, that trend is turning around.
We especially can’t wait to read all the think pieces calling the movie “woke” for the “Batman’s a fascist” line from the trailer.
Blue Beetle his theaters on August 18.
