Photo Credit: Warner Bros. DiscoveryWarner Bros. decided to go big today with its trailer reveals, starting with its first look at the upcoming Wonka reboot with Timothee Chalamet. However, the company was not done, as it released a brand-new Blue Beetle trailer. The new trailer and star Xolo Maridueña’s recent comments prove that DC has not learned from their recent mistakes.
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The confusing aspect of this new film is that DCU leader James Gunn isn’t even sure where it fits into his grand reset. While promoting Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Gunn stated that Blue Beetle is the “first DCU character,” but Superman: Legacy is the “first DCU movie.” It seems odd that the new DC venture is half in and half out.
To be fair, Gunn took over long after Blue Beetle was in production, so it could be that it was too far along for his input to be applied. In hindsight, we imagine Gunn would have wanted to turn back the clock on Shazam 2 and The Flash, as both have bombed horribly at the box office; though the beetle is hoping to be the catalyst that starts the DCU off right, it might be marred by the same issues as its predecessors.
‘Blue Beetle’ Promises Many Cameos
During a conversation with The Wrap, Xolo Maridueña let it loose that DC fans will be happy with the familiar characters shown in the film. According to Maridueña, “I think if you’re a DC fan, there’s going to be more than just one character that you recognize. I can tell you that.”
One of the biggest issues that DC has been facing is its inability to leave the past behind. The Flash may have been full of fan-service cameos, but it didn’t make the film land with fans any more than it would have without them. The issue is that people want to forget about the DCEU and everything that links to the past era of its superhero films.
The DCU is also far too new, so who is supposed to appear in this film that is not linked to the DCEU? James Gunn barely set up his DCU and announced the first slate of movies and shows in January. We doubt Blue Beetle would go through reshoots to add in new characters, and if they did, it might feel a bit forced at this point.
The best way to do so is to stop trying to jam-pack all these characters in films just for shock value. It’s not working, and it needs to be done away with. Interestingly, the director of Blue Beetle, Angel Manuel Soto, explained that the DCU entry wouldn’t be about Jamie Reyes trying to save the world. Instead, the film will focus on family and Reyes attempting to understand his place in the world as a superhero.
While we would love to believe that, the above trailer points to the new film striking the same cords that films like Shazam 2 and The Flash did. While those dealt with more otherworldly threats, Blue Beetle is a more contained story featuring the same notes of an overproduced VFX light show.
We could be completely wrong; the new film might blow us all away. However, from the trailers alone, it might be time for DC fans to hold out for a better future.
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It makes a bit more sense why James Gunn has stated that Blue Beetle is the first DCU character, as the new film might just be used as setup fodder to bring the character into future titles under Gunn’s leadership.
Are you excited about Blue Beetle? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!