'Blue Beetle' Will Be the First Latino Superhero Movie From DC Films

By Joshua Summers First Posted: Feb 24, 2021 02:07 AM EST

Blue Beetle, First Latino Superhero Flick from DC

(Photo : Craig Barritt)
Cosplayer pose as Blue Beetle during New York Comic Con 2019 Day 3 at Jacob K. Javits Convention Center October 05, 2019 in New York City.

Blue Beetle will be the DC Films' first Latino superhero movie. Latino Angel Manuel Soto was tapped to direct the film starring Mexican-American hero Jamie Reyes.

Whitewashing is slowly going out of the picture in the Hollywood movie scene as creators make a diverse storyline involving cultures and representation from minority groups. Superhero movies are also getting in the wire.

According to DC Comics, three different men from very different backgrounds took on the Blue Beetle's heroic mantle over the course of a century, making their mark in different ways.

The original Blue Beetle was an archaeologist named Dan Garrett with superpowers that came from ancient Scarab in an old Egyptian tomb. Ted Kord, who used his wits, fists, and gadgets to fight crime, succeeded him.

The third individual to bear the name Blue Beetle is Jaime Reyes, a teenager from El Paso, Texas, who got an incredible alien armor after he bonded with Garrett's Scarab.

What to Expect From Warner Bros. and DC Film's Blue Beetle?

New York Post reported that Warner Bros. signed on Charm City Kings' Soto to helm the Blue Beetle, featuring a screenplay by Mexican-born Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, the writer of the 2019 crime-thriller Miss Bala and Universal's upcoming remake of the Scarface.

According to Variety, the Blue Beetle is one of the oldest comic book superheroes in the DC franchise, first appearing as a Fox comics character way back in 1939 from its creator Charles Wojtkowski. It added that the character bounced or changed to different owners as various comics publishers unravel through the twentieth century until it finally lands in the DC Universe in the 1980s.

The Variety also reported that Angel Manuel Soto's version of Blue Beetle would focus on the teenager Jamie Reyes, a Mexican American teenager introduced in 2006.

Jamie Reyes' power comes from the Scarab that binds to his spine, giving him abilities and a suit of blue alien armor. The suit will provide him wings and weapons to use against the forces of evil.

"It is an honor to direct 'Blue Beetle,' the first Latino superhero film for DC," Soto said in a statement to the Wrap.

Angel Manuel Soto also expressed his appreciation to DC and Warner Bros. for trusting him to bring Jaime Reyes to life, adding that he "can't wait to make history together."

Other Superheroes Representing Minorities

Representing minority groups in films and media is essential as they indicate their presence. According to Entertainment Weekly, superhero movies are slowly getting more representative from the global population, and DC is one of the companies that dive into the movement.

The report pointed out that DC represented women and feminism in their film Wonder Woman. On the other hand, Marvel was also diving into the trend when they released the Black Panther, featuring an independent African country populated by entirely black heroes and cast and the inclusion of several powerful women.

With DC Film and Angel Manuel Soto's direction of the Blue Beetle, the Latino community will surely celebrate this first Latino superhero film.