The latest DC superhero movie is upon us, this time introducing the world to Blue Beetle. But
though he may be new to the big screen, there are plenty of references to his long
history hidden in the margins. These are the secrets we spotted. Warning: Spoilers ahead!
The first character we see in "Blue Beetle" isn't Jaime or the villain Victoria Kord.
It's Conrad Carapax, Victoria's lieutenant and bodyguard who acts as the direct foil to Jaime.
It's an interesting choice, making the first face we see be that of a supporting villain,
but Carapax ends up being much more central to the overarching themes of the movie. Of course,
if you've read the comics, you're already well acquainted with the character.
In the "Blue Beetle" comics, Carapax is known as the Indestructible Man.
His mind becomes one with a powerful robot body due to a strange accident,
making him a formidable threat to anyone he comes up against. His robot body in the
comics is pretty similar to his depiction in the movie when his full OMAC suit is activated:
red in color with angular shoulder plates and a massive helmet with a Y-shaped visor.
Though his story in the "Blue Beetle" movie is quite different,
Carapax retains some of his comic book essence. We see how injury after injury in the service
of Victoria led to a gradual replacement of his body parts with mechanical augmentations. Slowly,
he becomes a full cyborg, always the one who has to sacrifice for the good of Kord Industries.
It's a brutal twist on Carapax's comic origin story, but it works well on the big screen.
Carapax in "Blue Beetle" is actually a combination of two different characters from the comic books.
In the past, Indestructible Man has been completely separate from Buddy Blank, OMAC,
the so-called "One Man Army Corps." The acronym has that same meaning in the "Blue Beetle" movie,
but it refers instead to a weapon system, an approximation of the Scarab battlesuit
exoskeleton that Victoria Kord is attempting to mass-produce for private policing.
The original OMAC is actually a hero, a superspy of sorts,
but the name was later applied to a cyber-virus that assimilates subjects
into robotic warriors. The acronym came to stand for "Omni-Mind and Community," the name given to
the group of enhanced fighters. Controlled by Brother Eye, an artificial intelligence
that circles the Earth from space, the OMACs first appeared in 2005's "OMAC Project" #1.
Neither of these versions is really represented in the film,
but combining the idea of cyber-assimilation with the backstory of Carapax is a nice fit.
Victoria does want to create a whole army of soldiers, which is similar to the second
incarnation from the comics. If nothing else, it's a fun nod to a deep-cut DC character,
Buddy Blank, who was created by Jack Kirby and first appeared back in 1974.
At the beginning of "Blue Beetle," Jaime has just graduated from college, earning
a bachelor's degree in pre-law. Because of his family's financial circumstances,
continuing his education in law school is out of the question,
but we get a small glimpse of what a different future for Jaime might have looked like.
In an early scene, Jaime has a heart-to-heart chat with his father Alberto in their garden.
Alberto points out some plants that he planted with Nana when Jaime was just a little kid,
plants that Nana later salvages to replant at the end of "Blue Beetle." They talk about the
journey of life and the importance of family. It's a tender moment and an emotional high
point of the film's first half. During the whole scene, Jaime is wearing a Gotham Law sweatshirt.
It seems likely that in another reality, Jaime would have attended the school. Regardless,
going to law school in Gotham City is a bold move. Sure, you'd get on-the-job
experience dealing with the most corrupt criminal community in the world, but is that really worth
the danger of living there? It's likely that this detail is just a little Easter
egg with no larger narrative significance, but it's cool to picture Jaime in Gotham.
"Blue Beetle" has become something of a bridge film for DC, the point at which we cross
over from the DCEU to James Gunn's all-new DCU. It's an important film in that sense,
but it's far from original in terms of its tone. Fans of superhero movies won't fail to notice that
"Blue Beetle" has a lot in common with the Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield "Spider-Man" films.
The goofy sequence of Jaime trying to understand his powers, the evil corporation that's creating
sci-fi weapons for the military, the scene where a hapless protagonist stumbles into
a tech facility by coincidence and walks out with superpowers — it all evokes an earlier
era of comic book movie. There's even a moment where Jaime's mask gets ripped just like Peter
Parker's in the original "Spider-Man," during his battle with the Green Goblin.
Some moments also evoke more recent superhero fare. The mildly cyberpunk neon aesthetic of
Palmera City and the thumping synthwave soundtrack will surely draw comparisons
to the "Spider-Verse" films. And Jaime's cosmic dream meeting with his dead father
feels directly inspired by "Black Panther." Fortunately, "Blue Beetle" combines all of these
disparate elements into a whole that's greater than the sum of its parts. You can easily see
the sources of inspiration, but the movie itself feels distinctly like its own thing.
"You are a superhero, cabron."
It's clear from the start of "Blue Beetle" that Victoria Kord and her company are up to no good.
She's such an outlandish, cartoonish villain that she feels ripped from the early 2000s. But even
with Susan Sarandon's scenery-chewing performance, the true villainy of Kord
Industries isn't as front-and-center. We get all the pieces, but you have to
put them together yourself. In an early video montage that plays in the Kord Industries lobby,
we see that the company has mining operations in Guatemala. Victoria later mentions that she
chose Carapax as her primary OMAC subject because of his valiance in "anti-communist,
counter-terrorist" operations in the same country. By the end of "Blue Beetle," we learn that Carapax
was actually abducted as a child and forced into military service after his home was destroyed.
Kord's operations in Guatemala used the guise of liberation to establish a local stake and
start plundering natural resources. The Kord real estate signs around the Keys also show
how active the company is in pushing out the local Latino community in Palmera and
gentrifying the neighborhood, tripling rent on the Reyes family with full knowledge that
they won't be able to pay it. And that's without going into all of Victoria's microaggressions,
which just reiterate that she sees the Latino community as something to be exploited.
"Blue Beetle" is more show than tell when it comes to explaining the actual powers of the
Scarab. Jaime's frantic test sequence, in which he flies into outer space, cuts a bus in half,
and blasts two holes in his family home, demonstrates the exosuit's capabilities pretty
well. The rest of the movie shows his new powers in combat, such as his ability to conjure weapons
from his imagination Green Lantern style, various projectile devices, and deployable shields.
"Whatever you can imagine, I can create."
Most of these abilities, like the design of the Blue Beetle suit itself, are ripped
straight out of the comics. Blue Beetle's look is incredibly loyal to his incarnation on the page,
and details like his dual swords, translucent wings, energy blasters, and healing factor are
all key pieces of Jaime's comic book counterpart. Because of the nature of the Scarab, Jaime is kind
of a catch-all when it comes to powers, more like Iron Man than the more singular focus
of someone like Aquaman or the Flash. But the movie incorporates all of Blue Beetle's different
powers and abilities in a cohesive way, making his action scenes in the third act super fun to watch.
One of the smaller DC Easter eggs in "Blue Beetle" is Big Belly Burger,
a fictional fast food chain that pops up regularly in the comics and in
on-screen adaptations. First introduced in "Adventures of Superman" in the late 1980s,
the eatery has been a staple in Man of Steel stories ever since,
while also leaking out into other areas of the DC universe. More recently, Big Belly Burger has made
numerous appearances in Arrowverse shows like "The Flash," "Supergirl," and "Legends of Tomorrow."
"Blue Beetle" marks the fake brand's debut in a live-action DC movie. A couple of Big
Belly Burger ads can be seen around Palmera City, but its biggest part in the story comes
when Jaime first acquires the Scarab. When Jenny Kord steals it from her aunt's lab,
she hides the artifact in a Big Belly Burger takeout box.
"Guard it with your life, but do not open it."
She gives it to Jaime in the box so that he can safely get it out of the Kord Industries building.
Blue Beetle is a superhero with a long and storied history. Jaime Reyes may be
the latest and most well-known character to use the name, but he's actually the third person to
do so in the comics. The first incarnation, Dan Garret, with one "t," debuted for Fox Comics all
the way back in 1939. This early version gained his powers from a special vitamin,
and it wasn't until he was relaunched by Charlton Comics as the almost-identically
named Dan Garrett, now with two "t's," that the Scarab, a magical Egyptian artifact,
was introduced. The next character to use the Blue Beetle moniker, Ted Kord, was also
introduced by Charlton, but he later became part of the DC mythos. Unlike his predecessor,
Kord never bonded with the Scarab, instead using various gadgets to get the job done.
The "Blue Beetle" movie pays tribute to these previous versions of the
hero. Ted Kord is hugely important as Victoria's brother and Jenny's father,
and we spend a lot of time in his Batcave-esque superhero lair, complete with his old suits.
While digging through Ted's old files, Rudy uncovers the previous host of the Scarab,
whose name is Dan Garrett. They even mention Garrett being a professor, which is his job
and relationship to Ted in his second comic book incarnation. Like his illustrated counterpart,
the film's Ted never uses the Scarab, instead creating his own superhero devices.
While not quite Batman, and made fun of in the movie for that exact reason,
Ted Kord was clearly an impressive inventor. His old lair is packed with comics-accurate Blue
Beetle suit designs, energy-based weapons created using the Scarab's technology,
and various other gizmos. Not only is this aspect of Ted's character true to the comics,
but the items themselves include numerous references and Easter eggs.
In his comic book adventures, Ted uses various energy and sonic weapons to fight off bad guys.
These devices are represented in the arsenal of gear that the Reyes family uses to free
Jaime. However, the biggest Easter egg among Ted's Blue Beetle gear is the Bug, the giant,
armored, flying vehicle that Jenny and the family take to Victoria's island fortress.
The Bug is a staple of Ted Kord's Blue Beetle, and it features many familiar abilities in
the film. From its impenetrable armor and swift flying speed to the physical design,
a blue scarab shape with six legs and two giant yellow eyes, the movie version is a great match.
Latino culture and history are important in "Blue Beetle. Director Ángel Manuel Soto,
screenwriter Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, and many members of the cast have spoken in interviews
about the importance of representation and authenticity in the project. The
support he gets from his family and community is Jaime's true superpower,
and the film also deals heavily with the immigrant experience.
Given that Dunnet-Alcocer was born in Mexico, it shouldn't be surprising that "Blue Beetle"
takes the opportunity to reference a few Mexican TV classics. The 1990s telenovela "María la del
Barrio" is referenced several times, with Jaime's family jokingly comparing him to the protagonist.
The original series follows a young woman named María who's taken out of poverty and brought up
by a wealthy businessman. In one scene of "Blue Beetle," Nana can even be seen watching the show.
The other Mexican TV show referenced is the 1970s superhero parody comedy "El Chapulín Colorado."
The original series follows the adventures of the eponymous hero, whose name translates
to either "The Red Grasshopper" or "The Cherry Cricket." Given the show's cultural staying power
and the familiar idea of a colorful, bug-themed superhero, it's a perfect inclusion. Specifically,
Uncle Rudy hacks the Kord Industries security cameras, replacing their footage with claymation
clips of "El Chapulín Colorado." The "Blue Beetle" post-credits scene features additional footage.
"Blue Beetle" evokes an older era of action-adventure movies,
one where corny lines, goofy gags, and snarling villains reigned supreme. It's a
movie that loves being a movie, and it includes a bunch of references to some cinematic greats.
In a nod to "Back to the Future," Jaime calls Uncle Rudy "Mexican Doc Brown," given his penchant
for homemade gadgets. Jaime's sister Milagro refers to Victoria Kord as "Cruella Kardashian,"
referencing both the famous reality TV family and "101 Dalmatians." Right before Victoria's
soldiers infiltrate the Reyes house, Nana's tea vibrates slightly as the helicopter approaches,
evoking the iconic dinosaur stomp shot from "Jurassic Park." Later, during his climactic
duel with Jaime, Carapax declares boldly that "There can only be one of us." This may well
be a reference to the 1986 fantasy classic "Highlander," which spawned the famous line,
"There can only be one."
"Blue Beetle" doesn't stop at classic movie references,
either. During his big hallway fight scene in Victoria's island fortress,
Jaime spears a lackey with one of his stinger arms and pulls him through the air, shouting
"Get over here!" as he does. It seems likely that it's a "Mortal Kombat" reference, as the character
Scorpion always says the same thing after yanking an opponent toward him with his own spear.
"Get over here!"
Though "Blue Beetle" spends a lot of time developing Jaime, his family,
and Kord Industries, it spends much less time explaining the Scarab itself. We're told that
it's some kind of world-destroying weapon, that it's of alien origin,
and that the sentience within it is called Khaji Da. Beyond that, though, no real info is revealed.
If you've read the "Blue Beetle" comics, then you'll know all about the Reach, the alien race
of violent conquerors who created and sent the Scarab. You'll also know that Khaji Da's purpose
was to conquer Earth in the name of the Reach. If you're coming to the film more casually, you
may have no idea that the device is so sinister, though the few clues we do get point to this fact.
As of now, it's unclear how closely the DCU Scarab will resemble its comic book
counterpart in origin and purpose. That will be a subject for the hypothetical
sequel to address. However, Jaime's cosmic dream sequence at the end of "Blue Beetle"
hints at Khaji Da's greater powers. Is this moment a glimpse of the Scarab's abilities?
Will it have some connection to the DCU's version of the Reach? Only time will tell.