Editor’s note: The following article contains spoilers for Blue Beetle.
StarringCobra Kai’sXolo Maridueñaas its titular hero,Blue Beetlebreathed new life into the DC cinematic universe upon its release back in August, just asJames GunnandPeter Safranprepare to reboot it. While that could meanBlue Beetleis a standalone story with no bigger repercussions for the future of the DCU, directorÁngel Manuel Sotoalready went on record to sayJaime Reyes is the first official superhero of the new universe.
With all that in mind,let’s break down the main events ofBlue Beetleand discuss what happened in that explosive ending.
Blue Beetle
An alien scarab chooses Jaime Reyes to be its symbiotic host, bestowing the recent college graduate with a suit of armor that’s capable of extraordinary powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the superhero known as Blue Beetle.
What Is ‘Blue Beetle’s Scarab?
Blue Beetlerevolves around a high-tech scarab that fuses with its host at a cellular level, granting them superhuman fighting skills, nearly indestructible armor, and the ability to conjure any weapon they can imagine. While the movie doesn’t explore the Scarab’s origins, it underlines how the object is a world-destroying weapon of extraterritorial origin. The Scarab, named Khaji-Da (voiced byBecky G), has a mind of its own, choosing a worthy host according to its will. As such, the Scarab cannot be activated by most people.
Many decades before the events ofBlue Beetle, a man named Dan Garrett found the Scarab and fused with it, becoming the first hero to bear the mantle of Blue Beetle. At some point, Dan became the teacher of Ted Kord, the wealthy heir of the technological conglomerate known as Kord Industries. After Dan’s passing, the Scarab detached from its host and became dormant again, and Ted was unable to awaken Khaji-Da. However, thanks to his wealthy and scientific mind, Ted manufactured weapons he used to become the second Blue Beetle hero.Ted’s incredible tools were also inspired by his research on the Scarab, whose alien origin allowed the scientist to design things never dreamed of by human minds.
While ahead of Kord Industries,Ted dedicated his life to crime-fighting while steering the company from the weapons business.On the other hand,Ted’s sister, Victoria(Susan Sarandon), wanted to keep the company’s legacy by investing in deadlier technology. The opportunity came after Ted’s disappearance, which happened more than a decade before the events ofBlue Beetle. Since then, Victoria searched for the Beetle while developing her prototype of a symbiotic armor called O.M.A.C. or One Man Army Corps. Victoria’s breakthrough happens at the movie’s beginning when she finally acquires the Scarab.
Jaime Reyes Embraces the Scarab
InBlue Beetle, the Scarab chooses Jaime Reyes as its host, turning the young man into a target for Victoria. Knowing how close Jaime is to his family, Victoria sends a battalion of goons to harass them and capture the boy. In the attack, the Reyes house is burned down, Jaime’s father, Alberto (Damián Alcázar), dies from a heart attack, and Victoria’s enforcer, Conrad Carapax (Raoul Max Trujillo), captures the young man. Jaime is taken to Pago Island, a private fortress near Cuba that the corporate villain uses to develop her O.M.A.C. weapons. Victoria’s goal is to download the alien code of Jaime’s Scarab, giving her prototypes the final boost they need to function just as the original thing.
The transfer process is successful, with Carapax becoming a version of theIndestructible Manfrom DC Comics.Furthermore, Victoria transmits a copy of the Scarab’s code to hundreds of O.M.A.C. weapons she keeps on the island. The villain also backs up the data in a portable device she can take anywhere. To make matters even worse, downloading the Scarab’s data almost kills Jaime, who’s saved at the last moment by his supporting family and an unlikely ally.
When Jaime is kidnapped by Victoria and Carapax, Nana Reyes (Adriana Barraza) gathers the troops and convinces the whole family to rescue him. Ted Kord’s daughter, Jenny (Bruna Marquezine), still has access to her missing father’s tech and helps to arm the family. Together, they all use a flying ship shaped like a bug to invade Pago Island. Nana’s experience as a Mexican revolutionary puts her in charge of devising a plan. While the family distracts the soldiers, Jenny and Jaime’s sister, Milagro (Belissa Escobedo), sneak into the fortress underground to blow up its power generators. They are successful, but Jenny and Milagro split up after the explosions cause a cave-in, with the young Kord being captured by her aunt and taken to a helicopter.
In the lab, Jaime’s soul goes to the afterlife, where he meets his dead father.The spirit of Alberto convinces Jaime that his time has not yet come and that the Scarab has chosen the young man for a reason. Motivated by his father’s words, Jaime embraces Khaji-Da’s power, fully bonding his brain with that of the Scarab. As one being, Jaime and the Scarab unlock their true potential. Jaime comes back to the world of the living moments before Jenny and Milagro blow up the fortress’s generators, releasing him from his electric shackles. Unfortunately, the Scarab must reboot after the transfer process, leaving Jaime helpless to fight Carapat at full power.
Jaime is saved by Dr. Sanchez (Harvey Guillén), who’s tired of serving Victoria’s selfish commands and helps Jaime escape. Then, the young man is saved by Nana, who uses one of Ted’s weapons to defeat a goon squad. However, once the whole Reyes family is back at the Bug ship, Jaime learns that Jenny was lost in the way. So,he returns to save her, leading to his final fight against Carapax.
The Rise and Fall of Carapax, the Indestructible Man
During their final confrontation, Jaime is almost killed by Carapax. Since they both have the same technology at their disposal, Carapax has the upper hand due to all his years of military training. Jaime is once more saved at the last minute when Uncle Rudy (George Lopez) throws a piece of rubble at Carapax, distracting the villain. Carapax tries to kill Uncle Reyes, awakening Jaime’s anger. Fueled by his love for his family, Jaime defeats Carapax. Unfortunately, consumed by his grief after losing his father,Jaime decides to kill the villain.
The Scarab stops the young man, revealing they saw Carapax’s memories during the data transfer.As it turns out, Carapax’s mother was killed in Guatemala by an explosion caused by a Kord Industry bomb. After that, he was kidnapped and forced into a military school, trained to be a killer from childhood. Carapax also lost some of his limbs after stepping into a mine and has undergone brutal surgery to become Victoria’s O.M.A.C. prototype. Jaime understands Carapax’s pain led to his horrible actions and decides to spare the villain. Moved by Jaime’s kindness and aware of the childhood memories he had suppressed, Carapax turns against Victoria.
While Jaime is fighting Carapax, Jenny escapes her aunt’s clutches by stealing her gun, taking down their helicopter, and using a high-tech bubble gum that turns into a protective foam to survive the fall. Jenny also breaks Victoria’s portable device, destroying the copy of the Scarab code. Once Caparax realizes Jaime is right and Victoria must be taken down, he activates the self-destruction mode of his armor, blowing the entire island, all the O.M.A.C. weapons, and Victoria. Meanwhile, Jaime, Jenny, and Reyes escape on the Bug ship.
Jaime Reyes Is Not the Only Blue Beetle
In the aftermath of Pago Island’s battle,Jenny takes over Kord Industries and stops the production of weapons.She also decides to rebuild the Reyes home and before the credits roll, Jaime and Jenny share their first kiss, before they fly off together.
That’s not the end of Jaime’s journey, though. In the movie’s first post-credits scene, we are taken back to the secret Blue Beetle headquarters under the abandoned Kord Estate. Thanks to Ted’s computer being turned on by Uncle Reyes, Jenny’s father can send a message to warn his daughter that he’s alive. We don’t know where he has been, and no one in the lab can hear Ted’s news. Still,ifBlue Beetlegets a sequel,Jaime may not be the only hero in Palmera City.
Blue Beetleis now available to watch on Max in the U.S.
