SPOILERS for Blue Beetle. Consider yourself warned. Although Blue Beetle may not be performing at the box office the way Warner Bros. was hoping it would, the movie has received warmer reviews than the last few DC movies. The film also has a connection to the new DC Universe as James Gunn has said that Blue Beetle is the first DCU character. Blue Beetle director Ángel Manuel Soto told THR that the mid-credit scene could provide a clue to that DCU future.
The Blue Beetle mid-credit scene reveals that Ted Kord, the original Blue Beetle, is still alive. As Warner Bros. didn’t tell Ángel Manuel Soto to cut the tease, he’s optimistic that it will have the chance to be continued.
Yes. 100 percent. This is a movie with a Latino cast and no A-list stars running the show, and it’s a demographic that hasn’t had this type of spotlight. So we always wanted to continue the story. This movie is the first act of a saga. [Screenwriter] Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer and I always had that mantra, and we wanted to push for it. So that’s why the first film feels like an introduction to the family. That’s also why we started with no rush to the explosions. We knew they’d come; it’s a superhero movie. But we wanted people to fall in love with the family, the community and to really understand everything that makes up this hero.
Soto continued: “And by introducing the character of Jenny Kord, played by Bruna Marquezine, we wanted to keep the energy of Ted Kord alive. We really wanted to find a way to bring Ted Kord back. It’d not only be a part of the family drama that we’ve explored in the movie, but canonically, it’s also something very special. We’ve always liked that relationship between Jaime Reyes and Ted Kord, as a mentor, but also Booster Gold. So, when James Gunn and Peter Safran came into power, they already promised the whole idea of exploring Booster Gold, and it helped us to keep the idea that Ted Kord is still alive. Now, where is he? Well, what happens next is up to the success of the film. The movie has to perform in the eyes of the studio. So, in my mind, if the movie can perform, there’s more adventures to come for Jaime Reyes, and Ted Kord is a part of that setup.“
“As he searches to find his purpose in the world, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab,” reads the official Blue Beetle synopsis. “When the Scarab suddenly chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he is bestowed with an incredible suit of armor capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the Super Hero Blue Beetle.”
In addition to Xolo Maridueña as Jaime, Blue Beetle also stars Adriana Barraza (Rambo: Last Blood) as Jaime’s grandmother, Nana, Damían Alcázar (Narcos: Mexico) as his father, Elpidia Carrillo (Mayans M.C.) as his mother, Bruna Marquezine (God Save the King) as Jenny Kord, Raoul Max Trujillo (Sicario) as Carapax, with Oscar winner Susan Sarandon (Dead Man Walking) as Victoria Kord, and George Lopez (Rio) as Jaime’s Uncle Rudy. The film also stars Belissa Escobedo (American Horror Stories) as Jaime’s sister, Milagro, and Harvey Guillén (What We Do in the Shadows) as Dr. Sanchez.
Blue Beetle is now playing in theaters, so be sure to check out a review from our own Brad Hamerly right here and let us know what you thought of the film as well.