DC has revealed official concept art for the suit design in the upcoming live-action Blue Beetle movie, and it’s incredibly loyal to the original comics. Written by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer and directed by Angel Manuel Soto, the new film will star Xolo Maridueña (Miguel in Cobra Kai) as Jaime Reyes/ Blue Beetle. Blue Beetle is planned to premiere on HBO Max at an as of yet undisclosed date.
Over the years since the original Blue Beetle first appeared in the DC Comics, the look of the hero’s iconic suit has gone through various changes. However, it’s always remained a central part of the character. The alien tech behind the scarab suit’s powers is both a blessing and a danger to Jaime Reyes in the comics, but the young hero has used it to tremendous effect countless times in DC canon. Because the Blue Beetle suit is so central to everything about the character, bringing the design to live-action is a difficult challenge.
Thankfully, if the concept art released at DC Fandome 2021 is truly reflective of what’s to come, the Blue Beetle HBO Max movie is off to a great start. The Blue Beetle concept art is almost a carbon copy of Reyes’ comic book look, complete with the same striking black and blue color palette, the Iron Man-esque helmet, and even small details like the layout of the lights on the armor’s chest piece. There are some creative divergences, like the addition of more cyber-looking lights across the suit body and the exact sleekness of the arms and legs, but with a suit like Blue Beetle’s, such things are bound to change slightly with each iteration.
Some recent DC live-action movies have featured more altered versions of their characters’ classic comic looks, to varying responses. The black Superman suit in Zack Snyder’s Justice League was received quite well, for instance – though to be fair, the comics have seen similar iterations in the past. Ezra Miller’s Flash suit, by contrast, proved more divisive with its more cyberpunk aesthetic. Transferring superhero costumes from the page to the screen is certainly no easy feat, especially with such beloved characters.
Fortunately, it looks like the Blue Beetle movie will be sticking pretty close to the comics when it comes to the costume. It’s possible that some notable things could change in the shift from concept art to live-action, but the core of what the film seems to be going for has the same neo-mystical vibe of the classic Blue Beetle. The new suit has just enough modern touches to keep it up to date in the field of contemporary superhero movies, and it should be exciting to see Maridueña’s Jaime Reyes step into the suit when Blue Beetle releases on HBO Max.
