Blue Beetle (film)

## DC Universe

*"The universe sent you a gift, and you need to figure out what you're gonna do with it."*
―Rudy Reyes to Jaime Reyes**[src]**
***Blue Beetle*** is a 2023 superhero film based on the DC Comics superhero of the same name. It is the fourteenth installment in the DC Extended Universe and the first installment of the DC Universe. The film was released in the United States on August 18, 2023.

The film is directed by Angel Manuel Soto and written by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer and Gary Dauberman. The film stars Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle, Adriana Barraza as Nana Reyes, Damián Alcázar as Alberto Reyes, Elpidia Carrillo as Rocio Reyes, Bruna Marquezine as Jenny Kord, Raoul Trujillo as Ignacio Carapax/OMAC, with Susan Sarandon as Victoria Kord, and George Lopez as Rudy Reyes

## Synopsis

Recent college grad Jaime Reyes returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose in the world, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab. When the Scarab suddenly chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he is bestowed with an incredible suit of armor capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the Super Hero Blue Beetle.

## Plot

In the remote tundra of Antarctica, members of Kord Industries, led by the company's co-founder and CEO Victoria Kord, locate an ancient alien artifact known as the Scarab.

Meanwhile, Jaime Reyes returns to his hometown of Palmera City after graduating from Gotham Law University, only to learn that his family is facing eviction from their home due to financial difficulties. Jaime's sister Milagro manages to get him a job at Victoria's mansion. However, both are fired after Jaime stops a confrontation between Victoria and her niece Jenny. Jenny later tells Jaime to meet her at Kord Tower the next day to discuss a "job opportunity."

The next day, Jenny finds that Victoria is using the Scarab for her One Man Army Corps (OMAC) projects. She steals the Scarab and avoids security by giving it to Jaime, hidden inside a Big Belly Burger to-go box. At home, Jaime's family convinces him to open the Scarab box. When Jaime touches it, the Scarab activates and fuses with him, encasing him in an armored exoskeleton.

Jaime later finds Jenny for answers, rescuing her from Victoria's armed forces. She tells Jaime that the Scarab is a sentient weapon and that it has willingly chosen Jaime to be its host. With the help of Jaime's uncle Rudy, Jaime and Jenny break into Kord Tower to retrieve a smartwatch that once belonged to Jenny's father Ted, but are attacked by Victoria's bodyguard Ignacio Carapax, who has an OMAC prototype infused in his body. The Scarab revealed to be named Khaji-Da, temporarily takes over Jaime's body and battles Carapax. Rudy and Jenny help incapacitate Carapax, then escape to Jenny's childhood home with Jaime.

Jenny uses Ted's watch to activate his secret laboratory and reveals to Jaime that Ted was originally a vigilante named Blue Beetle who spent his life studying Khaji-Da before mysteriously disappearing, leaving his company in Victoria's hands. When they notice Victoria's helicopter flying toward Jaime's home, Jaime summons Khaji-Da and returns to protect his family. As they escape, Jaime's father, Alberto, suffers a cardiac arrest and dies, distracting Jaime and allowing Carapax to capture him. Jaime is taken to an island fortress in Cuba, where he is strapped to a machine that downloads information from Khaji-Da to the OMACs. While unconscious, Jaime sees a vision from his father, who encourages him to embrace his destiny as the new Blue Beetle. Jaime awakens and escapes as Carapax's OMAC suit activates and evolves into a more powerful form.

Jenny and the Reyes family use Ted's Bugship and its weapons arsenal to storm the island. Jaime reunites with his family, then encounters Carapax and battles him. Jaime nearly kills Carapax before Khaji-Da reveals to Jaime memories of Carapax's enslavement by Victoria for the OMAC experiments, including Carapax's mother's death at Victoria's hands, leading Jaime to spare him. Carapax rebels against Victoria and sets his OMAC suit to explode, destroying the island, himself, and Victoria with him as vengeance for his mother. As the Reyes family escapes from the island, they take time to mourn Alberto.

In the aftermath, Jenny becomes the new CEO of Kord Industries and promises to repair the damage caused to the Reyes family, helping them rebuild their home. As the neighbors gather around the remains of the Reyes family's home and provide support, Jaime kisses Jenny and then offers to fly her to the Kord Estate.

In a mid-credits scene, a distorted recording is broadcast in Ted's laboratory, attempting to inform Jenny that he is alive.

## Cast

* Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle
* Adriana Barraza as Nana Reyes
* Damián Alcázar as Alberto Reyes
* Elpidia Carrillo as Rocio Reyes
* Bruna Marquezine as Jenny Kord
	+ Isabella Aparicio as young Jenny Kord
* Raoul Trujillo as Ignacio Carapax/OMAC
	+ Ayden Rivera as young Ignacio Carapax
	+ Xol Gonzalez as teen Ignacio Carapax
* Susan Sarandon as Victoria Kord
* George Lopez as Rudy Reyes
* Belissa Escobedo as Milagro Reyes
* Harvey Guillén as Dr. Sanchez
* To-be-confirmed actor as Ted Kord/Blue Beetle (voice)
* Becky G as Khaji-Da (voice)
* Jorge Jimenez as Chema
* Eyra Agüero Joubert as Maru
* Gabriella Ortiz as Letty
* Modesto Lacén as General Crane
* Oshún Ramirez as Nayeli
* Carlos Ponce as Bentley Owner
* Jon Z as Dude #3

## Appearances

### Locations

* Earth
	+ Central America
		- Cuba
			* Pago Island
		- Guatemala (flashback)
	+ North America
		- United States of America
			* Texas
				+ Palmera City
					- Edge Keys
						* Reyes Household
					- Kord Estate
						* Beetlecave
					- Kord Plaza
					- Victoria Kord's Mansion
			* Gotham City (poster; mentioned)
				+ Gotham Law University (mentioned; logo)
			* Central City (poster; mentioned)
			* Metropolis (poster; mentioned)
		- Mexico (mentioned)
			* Sonora (mentioned)
	+ South America (indirectly mentioned)
		- Brazil (mentioned)

### Events

* Search for Khaji-Da
	+ Theft of Khaji-Da
	+ Skirmish at Kord Plaza
	+ Attack on the Reyes Household
	+ Battle at Pago Island
	+ Guatemalan Civil War (flashbacks)

### Items

* Blue Beetle Suit
* Bug Shield
* El Chapulín
* OMAC Armor
* Khaji-Da
* Blue Beetle Armor
* Tedwatch
* Promethium Ore

### Vehicles

* Victoria Kord's Helicopter
* Bug Ship
* The Taco

### Organizations

* Kord Industries
* Starbucks
* Reyes Motors
* Ace Chemicals
* Big Belly Burger
* Galaxy Broadcasting System
* Green Lantern Corps
* LexCorp
* Soder Cola
* Daily Planet (newspaper)

### Mentioned

* Thomas Kord
* Dan Garrett/Blue Beetle
* Jenny Kord's Mother
* Bruce Wayne/Batman
* Clark Kent/Superman
* Barry Allen/Flash
* Firefist
* Doctor Emmett Brown
* *María la del Barrio*
* *El Chapulín Colorado*