DC Hero Blue Beetle Has A Lot In Common With Marvel's Spider-Man

This is not a drill — our first official look at Blue Beetle is here!

In May 2022, JustJared Jr. first published a series of photos from the Atlanta set of the DC Comics film. Now, the first trailer for the film has arrived, and fans can't wait to see the character of Jaime Reyes brought to life by actor Xolo Maridueña (Cobra Kai).

While most are fawning over that oh-so perfect superhero suit, others are sharing their thoughts regarding the character's place in the overall franchise. Many believe that if his story is told right, Blue Beetle could be the Spider-Man of the DCU.

With that said, let's take a look at the comic book origins of Blue Beetle and see if he could be DC's answer to Spider-Man.

We admit: Blue Beetle is quite similar to the MCU's Spider-Man. Not only are they both teenage superheroes with bug namesakes, but they also have experience with alien life forms.

However, that's all these two really have in common — they have completely different upbringings and superpowers. Speaking of superpowers, what are Blue Beetle's powers?

For starters, Blue Beetle is a legacy hero moniker that has so far applied to three different characters: Dan Garrett, Ted Kord, and Jaime Reyes. The upcoming film centers on the superhero's third incarnation, Jaime Reyes, but will reportedly reference his predecessor Ted Kord.

Introduced to DC Comics in 2006, Jaime is a Mexican-American teenager from El Paso, Texas, who retrieves archeologist Dan Garrett's ancient scarab after it lands on Earth. As a result, the retconned alien tech fuses itself to Jaime's spine, eventually presenting him with a suit of extraterrestrial armor that he uses to defeat enemies who dare infiltrate his hometown.

The Blue Beetle scarab offers Jaime various superpowers and abilities, including but not limited to: superhuman strength, flight, speed, durability, instant weaponry, combat skill, and shapeshifting.

Now that we know more about Jaime, let's get to know the actor portraying him in the live-action Blue Beetle film!

In August 2021, several outlets reported that Xolo Maridueña was cast as the lead in the DCEU's Blue Beetle. The 21-year-old actor, who's best known for playing Miguel Diaz in Cobra Kai, has previously spoken about how grateful he is to be leading the first Latino-centered superhero film.

"Visibility is so important," Xolo said during a March 2022 radio interview with Power 106 Los Angeles. He later added: "To see a Latino in positive light and who's the hero of the story .... I think it's going to be really crazy for the world and show the world that Latinos are not a monolith."

He also noted that getting to see this representation in a movie will be "super impactful."

If you're eager to see Xolo in action as the Blue Beetle, make sure to check out the film exclusively in theaters on Aug. 18, 2023. To hold you over until then, you can always watch more of his work in shows such as Cobra Kai and The Boys Presents: Diabolical.