Zack Snyder Says This Alien-Powered Hero Might Join The DC Movie Universe
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In their quest to challenge Marvel’s ridiculous success at the box office, DC recently announced a multi-year film slate that includes new Superman and Batman movies, two Justice Leagues, and solo films for Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, Shazam, Green Lantern, and Cyborg. That last one’s still a surprise to me. Although Cyborg is a founding member of the Justice League in DC’s rebooted New 52 universe, he’s still considerably more obscure than anybody else on that list. It makes you wonder how far into the deep cuts director Zack Snyder might venture as the DC Cinematic Universe continues to expand. To hear Snyder tell it, a few years down the line we might actually see somebody like the Blue Beetle get his time in the spotlight.
While speaking to a Detroit radio station, Snyder hinted that future DC movies might continue to showcase more than just DC’s A-list heavy-hitters. You can listen to the full interview below, but the relevant section begins at the 7:35 mark, when Snyder says, “As we add to the justice League we bring in some of the more obscure, like Blue Beetle or something.”
If you’re not a serious DC fan, there’s a good chance you’re still asking, “Who the hell is Blue Beetle?” There have actually been several Blue Beetles over the years, the best known being Ted Kord, a brilliant inventor who uses an array of tech and gadgets to fight crime. The current incarnation of Blue Beetle is a young El Paso teenager by the name of Jaime Reyes, who gains powers after an extraterrestrial artifact called a “scarab” attaches to his spine, allowing him to encase himself in biological armor that lets him fly, fire energy blasts, and generally cause a ruckus.
If the movies do bring in Blue Beetle, I’d say the Reyes incarnation of the Beetle is the one most likely to be used. For one thing, his armor would make him powerful enough to at least have a chance up against rumored Justice League villains such as Braniac, Lex Luthor, or Darkseid. It also just makes business sense, since Ted Kord isn’t currently appearing in the comics anywhere (to the best of my knowledge).
But there’s one other element that could make Beetle a very fascinating addition to the DCCU mythology. The scarab, far from being a benevolent bit of technology, is actually a vanguard of a world-conquering alien force known as The Reach. Essentially they drop a scarab on a planet, it bonds with a local, and that host then becomes The Reach’s tool to subjugate and defeat the planet’s forces before the bulk of the fleet arrives. Reyes’ scarab, however, was damaged, so he is able to control it, rather than the other way around. The Reach and the scarab warriors are also avowed enemies of the Green Lantern Corps. With a Green Lantern solo film due in a few years, I could see The Reach serving as both primary antagonists and an excuse to bring Blue Beetle into the big-screen canon.
What do you think? Would you like to see Blue Beetle join the DC Cinematic Universe?
