Blue Beetleis here after a tumultuous half-decade-long production. The film has been unfairly buried in speculation. Jaime Reyes’s cinematic debut is far too frequently drowned out by questions about the future of the DCU and its place therein.Blue Beetlehas a self-contained story fans can enter into without any prior knowledge. The latest DC offering might not change the franchise, but it’s building something new.
Remember the early days of the DCEU? It was almost a decade ago.DC dropped a controversial Supermanmovie. They leaped at the chance to develop a shoddy imitation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but its greed led to a comical attempt to promote future projects.Blue Beetleis blessedly free from such blind avarice.
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What isBlue Beetleabout?
Blue Beetlefollows 22-year-old university gradJaime Reyes as hereturns to his family in Palmera City, Texas. His parents, Alberto and Rocio, his Nana, and his Uncle Rudy give young Jaime a warm welcome before hitting him with a torrent of bad news. The family home Jaime grew up in is being foreclosed upon, and their shop has been shut down after Alberto suffered a heart attack. Jaime is confident that his degree from Gotham Law University will secure him a well-paying job to save his beloved home. He and his younger sister Milagro become housekeepers at the palatial estate of Victoria Kord, the wealthy businesswoman whose corporate conglomerate is rapidly gentrifying Jaime’s neighborhood. Jaime overhears an argument between Victoria and her niece, Jenny Kord, who is staunchly opposed to Kord Industry’s weapon manufacturing policies. When Jaime steps in to save Jennyfrom Victoria’s henchman Carapax, he and his sister are fired.
Jenny feels terrible for getting Jaime fired, so she tries to offer him a gig at Kord Industry’s main office. Jaime is thrilled with the opportunity, but it swiftly turns against him. Jenny secretly steals a powerful and mysterious alien artifact called the Scarab from Kord, running into Jaime as she tries to escape the building. Out of options, she hides the Scarab in a fast-food box and tells Jaime to leave with it. The moment he gets home, he ignores Jenny’s warnings and opens the box. The Scarab swiftly attacks Jaime, changing his body and wrapping him ina suit of superpoweredarmor. Jaime is sent flying across the city, where he destroys cars, slices a bus in half, and terrifies the locals. When he crashes through his parents' roof, he discovers that the Scarab is embedded in his spinal collum. Terrified, he takes off to find Jenny.
Jennyexplains that the Scarabis a living alien being named Khaji Da. Khaji Da chooses a host, bonds with their body, and automatically activates to keep them alive. Jenny knows that her dad, Ted Kord, was obsessed with Khaji Da. She can access his files on the subject, but they’ll need to steal a key from Kord Industries. Uncle Rudy, a conspiracy theorist and amateur engineer, unveils a device that can knock out Kord’s security tech. After making off with the key, Jaime and Jenny are accosted by Carapax. He’s armed with a knock-off Scarab called an OMAC. Khaji Da activates to keep Jaime safe. After a brawl, Khaji Da prepares to execute Carapax. Jaime refuses, insisting he’s not a killer, and flees the scene. Jaime, Jenny, and Rudy reach Jenny’s childhood home, where they learn that Jaime has been selected asthe latest Blue Beetle. No one can remove Khaji Da without killing Jaime, so Rudy tells his nephew to embrace heroism. Jaime realizes that Victoria Kord will soon attack his family, so he resolves to save them with his newfound powers.
How doesBlue Beetleend?
Victoria’s private security forces attack the Reyes family. As they’re dragged away, a candle falls, igniting the house. Jaime arrives and defeats most of the army, but his father suffers another heart attack. Alberto dies as Carapax captures Jaime. Jaime wakes up on an island off the coast of Cuba. He’s attached to a machinedraining Khaji Da’s powerto transfer it to Victoria’s knock-off iterations. Jenny leads Jaime’s family to her dad’s underground sanctuary, where they arm themselves with Ted’s inventions and load into Ted’s airship. The assault goes well. Jenny and Milagro plant explosives on the OMACs. Jaime meets with his father in the afterlife for a pep talk. He’s imbued with a newfound self-belief, allowing him to escape the machine. Khaji Da’s data is downloaded, but Jaime still has its power. Carapax activates his newly empowered OMAC suit and attacks.
Khaji Da needs time to reboot, forcing Jaime to run from Carapax. His Nana appears with an alien-enhanced minigun, using her hidden revolutionary background to mow down soldiers and save Jaime. Khaji Da reboots, allowing Jaime to save Milagro. Carapax catches up and devastates Jaime with his significantly increased strength. Before he can kill the Blue Beetle, Rudy distracts him. Carapax launches anexplosive, knocking Rudy away. Jaime, convinced his uncle is dead, flies into a rage and defeats Carapax.
Jaime prepares to execute his nemesis, but Khaji Da stops him. The Scarab shows Jaime Carapax’s memories. The man in the OMAC was a graduate of the School of the Americas, an imperialist militant forced to kill his people for the benefit of Victoria Kord’s corporate interests. Carapax sees the error of his ways,drags Victoria Kord backto the exploding lab, and sets his armor to self-destruct. Jaime reaches the airship to discover Uncle Rudy is still alive. Jenny takes over Kord Industries, ensuring the Reyes family’s neighborhood will be safe. Their community comes to help the family rebuild as Jaime strikes up a relationship with Jenny.
DoesBlue Beetlehave a post-credit scene?
Blue Beetlehas a mid-credits scene and a post-credits scene. The mid-credits scene takes place in Ted Kord’s underground base. The outdated computer hardware comes to lifeas Ted Kord proclaimshe’s still alive. The post-credits scene is a gag in which a clip from the 70s Mexican superhero parody seriesEl ChapulínColoradois played. Rudy earlier used the cartoon to block Kord’s security cameras. It’s a silly joke at the expense of the superhero movie audience’s desire to stick through the credits.
Blue Beetleisn’t secretly building a massive empire or advertising the rest of the universe. It’s an honest, humble superhero origin story in the model ofSam Raimi’sSpider-Man.Blue Beetleleaves Jaime an established hero with a firm grasp of his power. It’s simple, self-contained, and ready to continue. Look out forBlue Beetle2 sometime in the next couple of decades.
