The latest DC superhero movie is upon us, this
time introducing the world to Blue Beetle. But though he may be new to the big screen,
there are plenty of references to his long history hidden in the margins. These are the
secrets we spotted. Warning: Spoilers ahead! The first character we see in "Blue Beetle"
isn't Jaime or the villain Victoria Kord. It's Conrad Carapax, Victoria's lieutenant and
bodyguard who acts as the direct foil to Jaime. It's an interesting choice, making the first
face we see be that of a supporting villain, but Carapax ends up being much more central to
the overarching themes of the movie. Of course, if you've read the comics, you're already
well acquainted with the character. In the "Blue Beetle" comics, Carapax
is known as the Indestructible Man. His mind becomes one with a powerful
robot body due to a strange accident, making him a formidable threat to anyone
he comes up against. His robot body in the comics is pretty similar to his depiction in
the movie when his full OMAC suit is activated: red in color with angular shoulder plates
and a massive helmet with a Y-shaped visor. Though his story in the "Blue
Beetle" movie is quite different, Carapax retains some of his comic book essence.
We see how injury after injury in the service of Victoria led to a gradual replacement of his
body parts with mechanical augmentations. Slowly, he becomes a full cyborg, always the one who has
to sacrifice for the good of Kord Industries. It's a brutal twist on Carapax's comic origin
story, but it works well on the big screen. Carapax in "Blue Beetle" is actually a combination
of two different characters from the comic books. In the past, Indestructible Man has been
completely separate from Buddy Blank, OMAC, the so-called "One Man Army Corps." The acronym
has that same meaning in the "Blue Beetle" movie, but it refers instead to a weapon system,
an approximation of the Scarab battlesuit exoskeleton that Victoria Kord is attempting
to mass-produce for private policing. The original OMAC is actually
a hero, a superspy of sorts, but the name was later applied to a
cyber-virus that assimilates subjects into robotic warriors. The acronym came to stand
for "Omni-Mind and Community," the name given to the group of enhanced fighters. Controlled
by Brother Eye, an artificial intelligence that circles the Earth from space, the OMACs
first appeared in 2005's "OMAC Project" #1. Neither of these versions is
really represented in the film, but combining the idea of cyber-assimilation
with the backstory of Carapax is a nice fit. Victoria does want to create a whole army
of soldiers, which is similar to the second incarnation from the comics. If nothing else,
it's a fun nod to a deep-cut DC character, Buddy Blank, who was created by Jack
Kirby and first appeared back in 1974. At the beginning of "Blue Beetle," Jaime
has just graduated from college, earning a bachelor's degree in pre-law. Because
of his family's financial circumstances, continuing his education in law
school is out of the question, but we get a small glimpse of what a different
future for Jaime might have looked like. In an early scene, Jaime has a heart-to-heart
chat with his father Alberto in their garden. Alberto points out some plants that he planted
with Nana when Jaime was just a little kid, plants that Nana later salvages to replant at
the end of "Blue Beetle." They talk about the journey of life and the importance of family.
It's a tender moment and an emotional high point of the film's first half. During the whole
scene, Jaime is wearing a Gotham Law sweatshirt. It seems likely that in another reality, Jaime
would have attended the school. Regardless, going to law school in Gotham City is
a bold move. Sure, you'd get on-the-job experience dealing with the most corrupt criminal
community in the world, but is that really worth the danger of living there? It's likely
that this detail is just a little Easter egg with no larger narrative significance,
but it's cool to picture Jaime in Gotham. "Blue Beetle" has become something of a bridge
film for DC, the point at which we cross over from the DCEU to James Gunn's all-new
DCU. It's an important film in that sense, but it's far from original in terms of its tone.
Fans of superhero movies won't fail to notice that "Blue Beetle" has a lot in common with the Tobey
Maguire and Andrew Garfield "Spider-Man" films. The goofy sequence of Jaime trying to understand
his powers, the evil corporation that's creating sci-fi weapons for the military, the scene
where a hapless protagonist stumbles into a tech facility by coincidence and walks out
with superpowers — it all evokes an earlier era of comic book movie. There's even a moment
where Jaime's mask gets ripped just like Peter Parker's in the original "Spider-Man,"
during his battle with the Green Goblin. Some moments also evoke more recent superhero
fare. The mildly cyberpunk neon aesthetic of Palmera City and the thumping synthwave
soundtrack will surely draw comparisons to the "Spider-Verse" films. And Jaime's
cosmic dream meeting with his dead father feels directly inspired by "Black Panther."
Fortunately, "Blue Beetle" combines all of these disparate elements into a whole that's greater
than the sum of its parts. You can easily see the sources of inspiration, but the movie
itself feels distinctly like its own thing. "You are a superhero, cabron." It's clear from the start of "Blue Beetle" that
Victoria Kord and her company are up to no good. She's such an outlandish, cartoonish villain that
she feels ripped from the early 2000s. But even with Susan Sarandon's scenery-chewing
performance, the true villainy of Kord Industries isn't as front-and-center.
We get all the pieces, but you have to put them together yourself. In an early video
montage that plays in the Kord Industries lobby, we see that the company has mining operations
in Guatemala. Victoria later mentions that she chose Carapax as her primary OMAC subject
because of his valiance in "anti-communist, counter-terrorist" operations in the same country.
By the end of "Blue Beetle," we learn that Carapax was actually abducted as a child and forced into
military service after his home was destroyed. Kord's operations in Guatemala used the guise
of liberation to establish a local stake and start plundering natural resources. The Kord
real estate signs around the Keys also show how active the company is in pushing out
the local Latino community in Palmera and gentrifying the neighborhood, tripling rent
on the Reyes family with full knowledge that they won't be able to pay it. And that's without
going into all of Victoria's microaggressions, which just reiterate that she sees the Latino
community as something to be exploited. "Blue Beetle" is more show than tell when it
comes to explaining the actual powers of the Scarab. Jaime's frantic test sequence, in which
he flies into outer space, cuts a bus in half, and blasts two holes in his family home,
demonstrates the exosuit's capabilities pretty well. The rest of the movie shows his new powers
in combat, such as his ability to conjure weapons from his imagination Green Lantern style, various
projectile devices, and deployable shields. "Whatever you can imagine, I can create." Most of these abilities, like the design
of the Blue Beetle suit itself, are ripped straight out of the comics. Blue Beetle's look is
incredibly loyal to his incarnation on the page, and details like his dual swords, translucent
wings, energy blasters, and healing factor are all key pieces of Jaime's comic book counterpart.
Because of the nature of the Scarab, Jaime is kind of a catch-all when it comes to powers, more
like Iron Man than the more singular focus of someone like Aquaman or the Flash. But the
movie incorporates all of Blue Beetle's different powers and abilities in a cohesive way, making his
action scenes in the third act super fun to watch. One of the smaller DC Easter eggs in
"Blue Beetle" is Big Belly Burger, a fictional fast food chain that pops
up regularly in the comics and in on-screen adaptations. First introduced in
"Adventures of Superman" in the late 1980s, the eatery has been a staple in
Man of Steel stories ever since, while also leaking out into other areas of the DC
universe. More recently, Big Belly Burger has made numerous appearances in Arrowverse shows like "The
Flash," "Supergirl," and "Legends of Tomorrow." "Blue Beetle" marks the fake brand's debut
in a live-action DC movie. A couple of Big Belly Burger ads can be seen around Palmera
City, but its biggest part in the story comes when Jaime first acquires the Scarab. When
Jenny Kord steals it from her aunt's lab, she hides the artifact in a
Big Belly Burger takeout box. "Guard it with your life, but do not open it." She gives it to Jaime in the box so that he can
safely get it out of the Kord Industries building. Blue Beetle is a superhero with a long
and storied history. Jaime Reyes may be the latest and most well-known character to use
the name, but he's actually the third person to do so in the comics. The first incarnation, Dan
Garret, with one "t," debuted for Fox Comics all the way back in 1939. This early version
gained his powers from a special vitamin, and it wasn't until he was relaunched by
Charlton Comics as the almost-identically named Dan Garrett, now with two "t's," that
the Scarab, a magical Egyptian artifact, was introduced. The next character to use
the Blue Beetle moniker, Ted Kord, was also introduced by Charlton, but he later became
part of the DC mythos. Unlike his predecessor, Kord never bonded with the Scarab, instead
using various gadgets to get the job done. The "Blue Beetle" movie pays tribute
to these previous versions of the hero. Ted Kord is hugely important as
Victoria's brother and Jenny's father, and we spend a lot of time in his Batcave-esque
superhero lair, complete with his old suits. While digging through Ted's old files, Rudy
uncovers the previous host of the Scarab, whose name is Dan Garrett. They even mention
Garrett being a professor, which is his job and relationship to Ted in his second comic book
incarnation. Like his illustrated counterpart, the film's Ted never uses the Scarab,
instead creating his own superhero devices. While not quite Batman, and made fun
of in the movie for that exact reason, Ted Kord was clearly an impressive inventor.
His old lair is packed with comics-accurate Blue Beetle suit designs, energy-based weapons
created using the Scarab's technology, and various other gizmos. Not only is this
aspect of Ted's character true to the comics, but the items themselves include
numerous references and Easter eggs. In his comic book adventures, Ted uses various
energy and sonic weapons to fight off bad guys. These devices are represented in the arsenal
of gear that the Reyes family uses to free Jaime. However, the biggest Easter egg among
Ted's Blue Beetle gear is the Bug, the giant, armored, flying vehicle that Jenny and the
family take to Victoria's island fortress. The Bug is a staple of Ted Kord's Blue Beetle,
and it features many familiar abilities in the film. From its impenetrable armor and
swift flying speed to the physical design, a blue scarab shape with six legs and two giant
yellow eyes, the movie version is a great match. Latino culture and history are important in
"Blue Beetle. Director Ángel Manuel Soto, screenwriter Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, and many
members of the cast have spoken in interviews about the importance of representation
and authenticity in the project. The support he gets from his family and
community is Jaime's true superpower, and the film also deals heavily
with the immigrant experience. Given that Dunnet-Alcocer was born in Mexico,
it shouldn't be surprising that "Blue Beetle" takes the opportunity to reference a few Mexican
TV classics. The 1990s telenovela "María la del Barrio" is referenced several times, with Jaime's
family jokingly comparing him to the protagonist. The original series follows a young woman named
María who's taken out of poverty and brought up by a wealthy businessman. In one scene of "Blue
Beetle," Nana can even be seen watching the show. The other Mexican TV show referenced is the 1970s
superhero parody comedy "El Chapulín Colorado." The original series follows the adventures
of the eponymous hero, whose name translates to either "The Red Grasshopper" or "The Cherry
Cricket." Given the show's cultural staying power and the familiar idea of a colorful, bug-themed
superhero, it's a perfect inclusion. Specifically, Uncle Rudy hacks the Kord Industries security
cameras, replacing their footage with claymation clips of "El Chapulín Colorado." The "Blue Beetle"
post-credits scene features additional footage. "Blue Beetle" evokes an older
era of action-adventure movies, one where corny lines, goofy gags, and
snarling villains reigned supreme. It's a movie that loves being a movie, and it includes
a bunch of references to some cinematic greats. In a nod to "Back to the Future," Jaime calls
Uncle Rudy "Mexican Doc Brown," given his penchant for homemade gadgets. Jaime's sister Milagro
refers to Victoria Kord as "Cruella Kardashian," referencing both the famous reality TV family
and "101 Dalmatians." Right before Victoria's soldiers infiltrate the Reyes house, Nana's tea
vibrates slightly as the helicopter approaches, evoking the iconic dinosaur stomp shot from
"Jurassic Park." Later, during his climactic duel with Jaime, Carapax declares boldly that
"There can only be one of us." This may well be a reference to the 1986 fantasy classic
"Highlander," which spawned the famous line, "There can only be one." "Blue Beetle" doesn't stop
at classic movie references, either. During his big hallway fight
scene in Victoria's island fortress, Jaime spears a lackey with one of his stinger
arms and pulls him through the air, shouting "Get over here!" as he does. It seems likely that
it's a "Mortal Kombat" reference, as the character Scorpion always says the same thing after yanking
an opponent toward him with his own spear. "Get over here!" Though "Blue Beetle" spends a lot of
time developing Jaime, his family, and Kord Industries, it spends much less time
explaining the Scarab itself. We're told that it's some kind of world-destroying
weapon, that it's of alien origin, and that the sentience within it is called Khaji
Da. Beyond that, though, no real info is revealed. If you've read the "Blue Beetle" comics, then
you'll know all about the Reach, the alien race of violent conquerors who created and sent the
Scarab. You'll also know that Khaji Da's purpose was to conquer Earth in the name of the Reach.
If you're coming to the film more casually, you may have no idea that the device is so sinister,
though the few clues we do get point to this fact. As of now, it's unclear how closely the
DCU Scarab will resemble its comic book counterpart in origin and purpose. That
will be a subject for the hypothetical sequel to address. However, Jaime's cosmic
dream sequence at the end of "Blue Beetle" hints at Khaji Da's greater powers. Is this
moment a glimpse of the Scarab's abilities? Will it have some connection to the DCU's
version of the Reach? Only time will tell.
