It is no surprise that Blue Beetle, a movie showcasing a Latino superhero, Jaime Reyes (played by Xolo Maridueña), would hit theatres just before Latinx Heritage Month. This iteration of the Blue Beetle, the Scarab, and all the history it contains, certainly leans into this, as well, depicting the Blue Beetle as a powerful Latinx figure dating back to ancient times during the opening of the film.
History of the blue beetle
To clarify what I mean by “DC fan,” I grew up on DC animated cartoons (Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, Batman Beyond – I love them all). I’ve seen several of the animated movies, and staunchly maintain that they are far better than the live-action ones. I have, unfortunately, not had the opportunity to read the original comics.
I was introduced to the character of Jaime Reyes with the show Young Justice, a cartoon dedicated to the younger heroes (Robin, Superboy, and Kid Flash, to name a few), and I found myself quite captivated. He was the bearer of an incredibly powerful device, one that was sentient yet remembered nothing of its own past, and there was nothing else like it on the face of the Earth. To my young, impressionable self, that was the jackpot, especially when paired with a sweet, funny, and admittedly gullible boy.
Officially, and ignoring my own personal experience, Jaime Reyes debuted in 2006, and was the third known (and named) Blue Beetle, but only the second to actually use the Scarab. He was from El Paso – we love a local hero – until Palmera City was added to the DC universe, though still residing in Texas. Now that the basics are out of the way, let’s dive into the movie.
origin alterations
First of all, Jaime’s family. While most of them are unchanged, his uncle, Rudy Reyes (played by George Lopez), is entirely invented for the movie. He was a delightful character, without a doubt, but, in terms of accuracy, Rudy confuses me. DC usually sticks to characters that they already have – my mother was certainly surprised to find that Ra’s al Ghoul was not invented strictly for the live-action Batman movies – but I could not recall Rudy ever appearing before, and I was not mistaken.
Furthermore, the understanding of the Scarab was entirely altered. Both in the comics and cartoons, it is revealed after diligent investigation by Jaime that we discover its true, destructive purpose. In Blue Beetle, Jenny Kord casually reveals that it is a “world-destroying device,” which very much startled me in the theatre. I remember the episode this was revealed, one where another Beetle was introduced, one from another planet. It was framed as though these new Beetles could be friends, protectors as they traveled the universe. It was only revealed later that they were no longer truly people, they had entirely been taken over by the Scarabs they wore. To hear what I had found to be such a horrifying revelation after nearly a full episode of suspense – and, before then, a full season of loving the Blue Beetle – shared in a single sentence while sitting in the Reyes’ living room…it was disappointing, to say the least.
The Useless romance
Just like Uncle Rudy, so, too, was Jenny Kord (played by Bruna Marquezine) invented, and here is my first strong gripe with this movie. I tend to ascribe to the idea that if you have to make two characters kiss to show they’re in love, then you wrote a bad romance. That is precisely how I felt about Jenny and Jaime getting together. In addition to that, Jaime’s entire motivation throughout the movie is supposed to be his family, yet, at one of the last climactic points of the movie, it is Jenny he reaches for. I would have much preferred it be his mother or his sister – both of whom played more background roles compared to Rudy and his father – to be the one to save him, but no. It was the love interest.
Even further, she makes zero sense plot-wise. She’s half Brazilian – possibly because Brazilian women are widely considered to be attractive, possibly to tailor the role to her Brazilian actress – yet she speaks Spanish, not Portuguese, because she needed to speak Spanish for the plot. Why was she not Mexican? Peruvian? Costa Rican? Those would have made more sense for the language, but she was Brazilian. Even if it was to make Bruna Marquezine’s casting accurate to her nationality, why did they not simply cast a different actress? I am deeply, deeply confused.
She also seemed to replace Jaime’s close friends from the comics, Brenda and Paco, for emotional reasons, but also Danni Garrett for plot reasons. Jenny Kord is the daughter of Ted Kord, the second Blue Beetle, whereas Danni Garrett was the granddaughter of the first Blue Beetle, Daniel Garrett, and provided information about the Scarab to Jaime in the comics, much as Jenny does in the movie. Adding a nonessential romance is one thing, but replacing the close, well-known friends of the main character is another, and bundling their roles with that of another character is an entirely new level of character creation, one I am very unimpressed by.
All in all? Not bad
I hate to say it, but DC does not have the best track record for live-action movies. Were I comparing this to the wonders of film that are their animated movies, like Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, there would be no contest. However, pitting this movie against Wonder Woman, Shazam, and Aquaman, it holds up. It’s funny, endearing, and I got chills during the opening sequence from excitement. As certain as I am that I could make a better version, I think fans of any franchise see every movie that way, and I enjoyed (minus Jenny Kord) Blue Beetle.