Credit: Warner Brother Studios While James Gunn and Peter Safran work hard to save Warner Brother’s comic book properties from box office failure with their new DCU, the old DCEU is winding down with its latest installment, Blue Beetle (2023).
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For those needing clarification, the new DCU will be a whole different slate of films separate from the DC Extended Universe series, which started with 2013’s Man of Steel. James Gunn and Peter Safran are busy creating a new story structure for future DC films to compete with the likes of Marvel. After several box office duds, Warner Brothers entrusted Gunn to scrap the old DCUE films and start from scratch. How many previous characters, actors, and storylines will spill over into Gunn’s new DCU is still being determined. Although speculations of the Blue Beetle sticking around have kept us guessing for months, fans can expect the films after 2024 to no longer be canon, with anything set to release after that.
Until it’s set in stone, fans can enjoy the final remains of the current DCEU, with films such as The Flash and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom set to release this year. Also included in this year’s lineup is Blue Beetle (2023), which just had its first trailer dropped today on DC’s YouTube channel.
Blue Beetle (2023) is significant for a few reasons. It marks the final new character to be introduced during the DCEU, seeing how the other movies slated for release are sequels or continuations of characters who have already been established. This could be why it would lend itself well to the new DCU since there are no ties to the existing DCUE. However, Batman does get a mention in the trailer. Most importantly, Blue Beetle (2023) is the first major superhero film centered around a Latinx protagonist.
What should fans take away from Blue Beetle Trailer?
If you don’t focus too much on the overall universe and how it may be coming to an end as Blue Beetle is just now entering the franchise, there is a lot to enjoy about the trailer. First of all, the Mexican-American representation.
The Latinx community has gotten a spike in superhero films lately. Fans saw America Chavez come to life in Dr. Strange and The Multiverse of Madness last year. They will later see Oscar Issac’s Miguel O’Hara in Sony’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023). This DC film will focus on Jaime Reyes, a Mexican-American thrown into action when he finds a suit that gives him superhero-like abilities.
The trailer shows Jaime with his family, who are all there to witness him get his powers for the first time. The Reyes Family is highlighted several times in the trailer, giving the impression that family will play a theme in the film. George Lopez plays Jaime’s uncle and steals the show with his incredible mullet. It’s refreshing to see a Mexican-American family be a part of a superhero film, the likes audiences have yet to see.
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Another aspect worth pointing out is the film’s resemblance 1997’s Star Kid. In both films, a young boy finds a suit that gives him powers, and mayhem ensues. Jaime Reyes’s situation is similar to Spencer Griffith’s as he’s just a regular kid with a not-so-glamorous life until everything changes when a talking robot suit emerges. And both suits are known to “protect the host”. With Jaime being just a kid, this film also seems to have similar vibes to Shazam! (2019). There’s also a mention of Jaime cutting a bus in half, reminiscent of the time Shazam saved a busload of people.
Whether or not this film is the beginning off the DCU or the end of the DCEU, fans should still get a kick out of the trailer with its charm and Latinx representation. Audiences will see more of Jaime Reyes when Blue Beetle hits theaters on August 18, 2023.
Are you hoping Blue Beetle will stay for Gunn’s DCU? Let Inside The Magic know in the comments.