The long-awaited second trailer for Blue Beetle is here, showcasing Jaime Reyes in action at last. Starring Cobra Kai’s Xolo Maridueña, Blue Beetle is, according to James Gunn, the first DCU character, so this is an exciting moment. This trailer focuses on Jaime’s family, and the efforts of the villainous Victoria Kord to get the powerful and ancient Scarab away from Jaime, and into her clutches. We also see Beetle fight Carapax, the second Blue Beetle Ted Kord’s enemy from the comics. You can check out the full trailer below:
So what can we glean from the Blue Beetle trailer? Well, it sure looks like Blue Beetle is a mix of Shazam! (young kid teen boy powers from out of nowhere) with a dash of Iron Man (high-tech armor with a talking AI program). There’s also a bit of Green Lantern to Blue Beetle simply because his armor can create anything he can imagine. Although given the Ryan Reynolds movie, we doubt that Warner Bros. would want to lean into any Green Lantern comparisons. We also see “the Bug,” the ship that Blue Beetle II Ted Kord once flew around in; the ship inspired Nite-Owl’s vehicle in Watchmen.
There have been several Blue Beetles in the comics. In fact, one was a prominent member of the Justice League, this Beetle first appeared in 2006. Similar to the comics, it looks like the movie version of Jaime Reyes is just an ordinary kid. Then he discovers the alien Scarab, which gives him incredible powers. Not to mention ties him to a legacy of superheroes going back decades. This movie, directed by Angel Manuel Soto, looks to keep very true to the source material.
Blue Beetle hits theaters everywhere on August 18.