Summary
- Blue Beetle brings a refreshing lightness and innocence compared to other DC Comics heroes, setting it apart from the darker and heavier characters like Batman and Joker.
- The movie helps establish the new DC Universe by referencing existing heroes like Batman and Superman, while also showing its separation from the previous DCEU.
- The success of Blue Beetle’s debut will determine if the character will continue to appear in future DC Universe projects, potentially paving the way for more young heroes in James Gunn’s franchise.
Raoul Max Trujillo, who plays Carapax in Blue Beetle, teases how the young hero stands out from other DC Comics superheroes. While the new DC Universe won’t be starting until Superman: Legacy, fans are still getting a taste of James Gunn’s fresh continuity. Essentially serving as a prologue, Blue Beetle will bring Jaime Reyes to the big screen — and while it may not have been the original plan, the film will be part of DC Studios’ new franchise.
In anticipation of Blue Beetle‘s big screen debut, Screen Rant spoke with Trujillo about how Jaime Reyes compares to other DC Comics heroes. For Trujillo, Blue Beetle doesn’t come with baggage the way that someone like Batman does, as he shared the following quote.
The Batman, the Joker, those are all my favorite ones and there’s a darker sides of those, especially as of late. Blue Beetle, for me after watching it and I have to say I was really, really, really happy after watching it, I feel like there’s so much light in the Blue Beetle, compared to the others. And of course played by Xolo, he already embodies such innocence and such childlike quality. Giving that to Blue Beetle it’s just not as dark and not as heavy as some of the other ones that come with so much baggage. Xolo comes with no baggage, Jaime comes with no baggage really, as a character. So there’s no baggage that goes into into the superhero incarnation and that’s what sets it apart from so many of the others, I think.
Note: This interview was conducted during the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, and the movie covered here would not exist without the work of writers and actors in both unions.
How Blue Beetle Sets The Tone For James Gunn’s DC Universe
Despite Blue Beetle not being a direct installment of Gunn’s Chapter 1, “Gods and Monsters,” the movie is helping set up the new DC Universe in a number of ways. The trailers have already referenced Batman and Superman existing in this continuity, which casually lines up with what DC Studios are doing in Superman: Legacy and Batman: The Brave and The Bold by establishing their legacy of heroism.
Tonally speaking, Blue Beetle is also able to give a casual taste of Gunn’s DC Universe, showing how it is clearly removed from the DCEU. Given the mixed reception behind the DCEU, Blue Beetle being free of connections from the old franchise and having subtle ones with the new one helps give a better foundation for what is coming in later movies and TV shows. Whether or not there will be additional references or tie-ins to the DC Universe remains to be seen.
Hopefully, as Blue Beetle opens worldwide, audiences will respond well to the character’s big-screen debut both critically and financially so that his adventures can continue. Even if Blue Beetle 2 isn’t the place where fans would see him next, there are numerous DC Universe projects where he could naturally show up. Ideally, Blue Beetle will only be the beginning of the introduction for several young DC heroes in Gunn’s new franchise.
