With the official end of the DC Extended Universe, a brand new superhero from DC is all set to restart the movie studio and as James Gunn said, be the first ever “DC Universe character”. On 18 August 2023, with a runtime of 2 hours and 7 minutes as listed by AMC theaters, marking the shortest movie to ever come out of DC studios, the world has been introduced to Blue Beetle, an accidental superhero. Even though this is the first-ever appearance of Blue Beetle on screen, He has been an integral part of DC Comics since his very first appearance in Mystery Men Comics #1 published in the year 1939, and later served as one of Batman’s sidekicks and a part of the Teen Titans.
Since this character is new to most of us, we’re here to make sure you know all about it. So, sit back, relax, and find out all about Blue Beetle’s origin, powers, enemies, and more.
Blue Beetle: Origin
While watching the trailer of Blue Beetle, you must be wondering, from where did this Scarab thingy come? Was it created by someone? Is it some top-secret government tech? Well, let me answer this for you, it’s none of these. According to comics, Scarab is a genetically engineered bioweapon and has a consciousness of its own and a name as well, Khaji Da. Yes, it’s a living thing. Comics mention that Scarab was sent to Earth by The Reach, a planet of beings who conquered other planets.
The Reach was uncontrollable but was put in check by the Green Lantern Corps. However, they sent these Scarabs to different planets to take over them secretly. They were programmed to take over a host from the native species of the planet and reprogram that host into a conqueror for the Reach using the lethal arsenal at its disposal.
According to the comic series, there has been more more than one Blue Beetle. A total of three individuals have taken up the mantle of Blue Beetle. The first one was archeologist Dan Garrett, who found the Scarab in his archeological quest. By the time he found it, the programming of the Scarab had been separated from it hence granting Garrett the Scarab’s powers and making him the first Blue Beetle.
The second Blue Beetle was Ted Kord who took up the mantle of Blue Beetle after the death of Dan Garrett. The interesting thing about Ted Kord’s Blue Beetle is the fact that the Scarab never paired with Ted, and never granted him the complete set of superpowers of Blue Beetle. His only strength was his athletic agility and a customized BB gun which could either shine an extremely bright light making his opponent blind or shoot the opponent with a highly compressed blast of air with force like that of an attacking rhino. Ted Kord’s Blue Beetle is quite important for putting in line the origin of the third Blue Beetle, which we will see in the movie.
The final and most popular Blue Beetle is Jaime Reyes around whom, the upcoming Blue Beetle movie is being made. According to the comics, Reyes found the Scarab in his hometown of El Paso, Mexico, half buried in an unused construction site. The bioweapon got there from the Rock of Eternity when it was destroyed during the Day of Vengeance storyline, where it was left at the disposal of Shazam by Ted Kord. Jaime somehow was the perfect host for the Scrarab and it paired with Jaime instantly. Being on Earth for so long, the Scarab has developed its own personality and free will with no traces of the programming done to it by the Reach. Hence, granting Jaime incredible and superior superpowers as compared to earlier Blue Beetles.
Blue Beetle: Powers
Now, since we’ve talked about the Scarab and the origin of all the Blue Beetles, let me tell you all about the powers the Scarab grants its host. Since the Scarab was designed to be an invulnerable weapon of mass destruction, it has a wide range of weapons and abilities. Here are some of the powers of Blue Beetle that we have seen in Blue Beetle trailer and comics so far.
1. Symbiotic Integration
The Scarab, when paired to its host, embeds itself into its host’s nervous system hence turning essentially into a fully functioning body part. This integration grants the host superhuman strength as well as unmatched agility even without the Blue Beetle Armor.
2. Host Defence
When the Blue Beetle armor deploys itself over its host, it is designed to protect him from any threat at all costs. Even in the Blue Beetle trailer, the armor deploys a shield when Jaime is about to be hit by a bus and cuts the bus in half. The armor is also capable of withstanding extreme temperature conditions, explosions, bullets, you name it and the Blue Beetle armor can withstand it making the superhero virtually invulnerable to any threat that comes his way.
3. Armour Reconfiguration
The Blue Beetle armor is equipped with an arsenal of infinite weapons. The Scarab can create any kind of weapon or shield its host can imagine. Some weapons that we have seen in the Blue Beetle trailer and comics as well are energy canons, swords, laser blasters, grappling hooks, etc. Oh and a fun fact, Blue Beetle is the only superhero in DC who can discharge kryptonite radiation. He has done so in DC comics to protect Superboy from Kryptonite radiations.
4. Adaptive Weaponry
As mentioned above, Blue Beetle can disrupt Kryptonite radiation, but then the question arises, can he use it against Kryptonians? Well, not exactly. Blue Beetle’s Scarab has been designed to protect its host at all costs and it does so by adapting the arsenal of weapons according to the opponent. In the comics, the Scarab scans the enemy and figures out what the enemy is vulnerable to. Once it figures this out, the Scarab adapts Blue Beetle’s weaponry according to the vulnerability of its opponent.
On multiple occasions, he was able to overpower Green Lantern Corps singlehandedly, by creating yellow fear energy. He also singlehandedly defeated Sinestro by creating a powerful replica of the Green willpower energy of Green Lantern ring.
Pretty cool right?
5. Adaptive Flight
One of the best powers Blue Beetle has is his adaptive flight. Scarab can create a jet booster propulsion system for the Blue Beetle when he has to fly in outer space or at extreme heights. But when he is taking flight at lower altitudes, the Scarab creates Beetle-like wings, and on some occasions when he needs to fly at a fast speed, a combination of these wings and the jet boosters are deployed by the Scarab.
Blue Beetle: Enemies
Blue Beetle has a number of enemies that we have come across in comics and the trailer of the upcoming movie. Here are some of the notable enemies of Blue Beetle.
1. Conrad Carapax
Conrad Carapax, a major villain in the Blue Beetle saga, is also making his debut in the DCU with the Blue Beetle movie. According to the comics, Conrad was an archeologist and a rival of Dan Garrett. He traveled to an island named Pago Island to find out what was Dan looking for before he died. There, he stumbled upon an old laboratory of Jarvis Kord. In the laboratory, he found a fully intact robot and tried to activate it. But due to a malfunction, he accidentally got fused with the robot turning him into a virtually indestructible villain who will be seen giving Jamie Reyes a tough time in the Blue Beetle movie. Here’s a look at Conrad Carapax’s adaptation of DC Studios.
2. Victoria Kord
Victoria Kord is the elder sister of Ted Kord, the second Blue Beetle, and the CEO of Kord Industries. She can be called the female version of Lex Luthor as she is a brilliant scientist, businesswoman, and of course, twisted in her head. Victoria Kord wishes to gather all the Scarabs present on Earth as she thinks that they are way too powerful to be in anyone’s possession, except her, of course. She is constantly trying to make Jamie give up the Scarab and is even willing to kill him for it.
3. Black Beetle
Even though not appearing in the movie as per the trailer, Black Beetle is considered the arch nemesis of the Blue Beetle. He is an insurgent of the Reach where he was given the mission to go back in time and prevent Ted Kord from dying so that Jamie Reyes could never find the Scarab, Thus, preventing the Reach infiltration. Throughout the comics as well as animated shows, the Black Beetle has always been a pain for Blue Beetle and who knows, we might even get to see him on screen in the future.
Blue Beetle Movie
The Blue Beetle movie has made its theatrical release and I must say that James Gunn’s new DC Universe has made quite an impressive start. The Blue Beetle movie has scored a whooping 76 percent rotten tomatoes and has been receiving positive reviews from critics and the general audience as well. The movie revolves around Jaime Reyes, a freshly graduated boy who, through a series of events stumbles upon the Scarab. It’s an ancient bioweapon capable of unimaginable power that has been dormant for a very long time, but as soon as Jaime touches the Scarab, it activates and binds itself to him. This grants him a suit of armor that is basically impenetrable with powers beyond imagination.
The movie is an absolute delight to watch, the elements of family, humor, and DC’s signature darkness has been blended beautifully into this movie. If you are planning to watch the movie, here’s everything you need to know before you watch Blue Beetle. Also, this movie contains more than one post-credit scene. Check out our article on Blue Beetle Post Credit Scene.
Now, since the DCU has officially begun, let’s talk about the future of Blue Beetle in the upcoming storyline of DC. I’d like to say that James Gunn released Blue Beetle as the first character in his universe for a reason. Blue Beetle is one of those characters who has been an integral part of the Bat Family, interacted with Superman, worked alongside Batman and Robin, and has been one of the founding members of the Teen Titans as well. On top of this, certain elements of the movie made sure of the fact that Blue Beetle, is going to return. Who knows, we get to see him being awestruck seeing Superman or him turning friends with Robin and fighting bad guys alongside Batman. For now, all we can do is wait and see what happens next!
Frequently Asked Questions
The Scarab is a weapon of mass destruction created by The Reach, an alien group that conquered planets. It was sent to Earth to find a host and then take over the planet but somehow the programming of the Scarab got separated from it and it was used for good purposes.
The Scarab’s name is Khaji-Da and it is a living being that has its own personality and consciousness.
The voice of Jamie Reyes’ Blue Beetle is of his mom. The Scarab was designed to make itself unite with the mind of its host. Once it’s attached to a host, it uses the voice of whoever the host loves the most to communicate with him, to be more effective.
The Scarab was sent to Earth by a group of planet-conquering aliens called The Reach.
Blue Beetle is a DC Comics character that was introduced for the first time in Mystery Men Comics #1 published in the year 1939.
Aparna Ukil
