Blue Beetle opens today, and surprise!--it's certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Which means the movie you said you weren't going to see is now a movie you're probably going to see. And to make the case even more compelling, James Gunn says that Jaime Reyes is sticking around in the DCU. Plot twist!
Therefore, you should probably know a thing or two about this relatively obscure hero before heading to the theater.
1. Jaime (pronounced "Hi-May") Reyes a young, Mexican-American highschooler who discovered the alien Blue Beetle scarab and "bonded" with it.
2. The Scarab is extraterrestrial technology created by a race of alien conquerors. When Jaime comes into contact it, the ancient device bonds with his body, becoming a suit of armor that can reconfigure itself into weapons, shields, and other tools. But we'll get more into that in a bit.
3. He is the third Blue Beetle, after Ted Kord, of 80's-90's era and Dan Garrett of the classic Charleston Comics era. All of them manifested different power sets.
4. Marketed as DC's answer to the Iron Man suit, Jaime’s scarab produces a weaponized suit of armor with incredible capabilities in both offense and defense. The armor that the scarab produces is durable, and has shielded Jaime from all sorts of damage over the years. On the offensive, the suit can produce sonic attacks, firing energy blasts, and create weaponry.
6. Oscar-winning actor Susan Sarandon plays Victoria Kord, Ted’s sister and the film's big baddie. An original character created for the film, Victoria wants the Scarab and its power after she takes over her brother’s business following his disappearance (sequel fodder?). There’s also Ted’s daughter, Jenny Kord, portrayed by Brazilian actor Bruna Marquezine. It’s through Jenny that Jaime gets the Scarab in the first place.
5. Blue Beetle has a new ongoing comic book series which hit stands this week and has many collected editions available in our store located in downtown Lima.