Warner Bros.’ next DC live-action movie, Blue Beetle, is the first solo film for a Latino superhero. It follows recent college grad Jaime Reyes (Cobra Kai’s Xolo Maridueña) who returns home to Palmera City searching for his purpose when he comes into contact with the Scarab, an ancient relic of alien biotechnology. As seen in the new trailer, the Scarab chooses Jaime to be its host, fusing itself to his spine while also bestowing him with a suit of blue armor capable of all sorts of incredible powers. Jaime chooses to use his newfound abilities to protect Palmera City as the superhero Blue Beetle.
At a trailer launch Q&A last week, Maridueña and director Angel Manuel Soto (Charm City Kings) discussed being able to take representation in Hollywood to the next level by making not only Jaime but the entire Reyes family the focus of a tentpole superhero film.
Starring alongside Maridueña are Adriana Barraza (Rambo: Last Blood, Thor) as Jaime’s grandmother, Nana, Damían Alcázar (Narcos, Narcos: Mexico) as his father, Elpidia Carrillo (Mayans M.C., Predator) as his mother, George Lopez as Jaime’s Uncle Rudy, and Belissa Escobedo (American Horror Stories, Hocus Pocus 2) as Jaime’s sister, Milagros.
“One of the things that we really wanted to do with the cast was to be able to be as authentic as we can. We wanted to tap into almost three generations. We wanted to see the first immigrant family,” Soto explained. “Not the Hallmark cookie-cutter Latinos. Something that feels like, ‘Yeah. That's my uncle. I can totally relate to those [characters].’”
Most comic book movies depict the protagonist keeping their superhero identity secret from their loved ones but as the trailer shows, Jaime’s family is present for his very first transformation into Blue Beetle. “To come through this journey together is something that we haven't seen before in superhero movies and that really is the beating heart of this movie,” Maridueña said.
“Whether or not you're Latino, it transcends ethnicity, it transcends color or skin because that's something that we can all relate [to]. The most exciting part is that although it is undeniably or unapologetically Latino, everyone will understand Milagros. Everyone understands Jaime because they're the people who we've interacted with in our daily life and the problems that they're facing are problems that we know.”
“We are not a genre and we're not a buzzword either. It is a superhero movie that happens to have a Latino at the forefront. That's it,” Soto said. The director later added he hopes his movie “starts a conversation that allows us to be part of a global community and embrace each other's differences in a way that's exciting.”
Soto cautioned, though, that the only way fans will get to see other DC superheroes of color on screen, such as the Green Lantern Jessica Cruz, is for audiences to go see Blue Beetle when it opens this August.
“If you'll help us and this movie becomes a massive fucking hit, we're going to see a lot of those [characters]. That's what needs to happen. If we want to see more variety and really celebrate differences, celebrate culture, celebrate other worlds because it's fun. The lores are so spectacular. The only way is by supporting movies. Supporting a movie like this.”
