Last weekend, DC FanDome gave audiences the first information about the upcoming Blue Beetle movie, which will premiere on HBO Max in the near future. Cobra Kai actor Xolo Maridueña will play the title role, introducing the character to mainstream audiences.
Maridueña will play the third interaction of the Blue Beetle, Jaime Reyes, a teenager living in El Paso, Texas. Much of the Beetle's backstory was retconned with Reyes' introduction to modernize the character for current audiences. His upcoming movie provides the perfect opportunity to learn more about his and the scarab's rich and complex backstory.
Before The Scarab
Jaime Reyes led an everyday life as a teenager living in El Paso, Texas. His father ran a garage, and his mother was a paramedic. He had a younger sister who usually acted like a brat. He had two best friends, Brenda and Paco, and often acted as a mediator between the two.
His parents and friends describe Jaime as responsible and down-to-earth. He sometimes expressed a desire to help at the garage, but his father turned him down because he wanted Jaime to focus on his studies. Jaime is of Mexican and American ascent, and one of his grandmothers lives in Mexico City.
Ted Kord & The Scarab
After Dan Garrett, Ted Kord became the second host of the Blue Beetle. However, the scarab seemingly died early in Kord's superhero career. Years later, Kord would find it inside a pyramid in the Middle East, only to lose it again during a visit to the Rock of Eternity, home of the wizard Shazam and one of the coolest lairs in DC Comics.
During a battle between Shazam and the Spectre, the Rock got destroyed, and its contents spread around the world. Through circumstance, the scarab fell in El Paso, where Jaime found it and took it home. That night, the scarab awoke and bonded with him, turning him into the third Blue Beetle.
Meeting Booster Gold
The friendship between Booster Gold and Blue Beetle is one of the best in Justice League comics. The two became breakout stars and DC's definitive bromance. Ted Kord's death profoundly impacted Booster, so he immediately sought the new host when he felt the scarab's presence again.
After their first meeting, Booster took Jaime to the Batcave to meet Batman, knowing the scarab would aid the Dark Knight in finding the rogue satellite, Brother Eye. Jaime indeed proved helpful in locating the Eye, but the scarab tried to escape to another dimension using the Eye's dimensional stabilizer. The action resulted in Jaime missing an entire year of his life.
One Year Later
Jaime returned to Earth and found himself fighting Guy Gardner, Earth's other Green Lantern. After Gardner left, Jaime returned to his family and friends, discovering his father now walked with a cane after an accident. He came clean about his identity as the Blue Beetle to them, earning his mother's distrust.
After a series of confrontations with local meta-human gang Posse, Jaime learns the scarab's alien nature from Peacemaker. His search led him to Dan Garrett's granddaughter, who claimed to be the rightful heir to the scarab. However, she let the matter go when she understood the scarab had latched itself onto Jaime's back.
The Reach
Jaime's most prominent role came during the invasion storyline. His endless search into the scarab's origin led him to the Reach, the alien civilization that created it and left it on Earth. The Reach meant for the scarab to earn Earth's trust before moving in to conquer it. However, throughout the years and because of the magical influence it suffered, the scarab began to develop free will.
After bonding with Jaime, the scarab eventually overrode the Reach's programming. However, the aliens still planned to conquer Earth and had already begun their invasion by posting secret underground facilities. Being the only one who could see the Reach, Jaime sought to stop them.
Teen Titans Tenure
Considering Jaime and the scarab a threat, the Reach sought to eliminate him by employing several henchmen. Eventually, they contract Lobo, prompting Jaime to seek help from the Teen Titans. The mission led to him permanently joining the team, forming the Titans of Tomorrow.
Eventually, Jaime becomes a valued member of the Titans. He also succeeds in stopping the invasion, although he destroys all evidence of the Reach's treason in the process. By that point, the scarab had developed an independent personality and even gave a name to itself, Khaji Da. Together, they infiltrated the Reach's ship, allowing the scarab to hack into its security system and broadcast their domination plans to the world.
Powers & Abilities
Blue Beetle has a set of unique abilities that make him one of the most powerful Teen Titans members. The scarab's alien technology provides him with a distinctive blue armor. While in the armor, Jaime has enhanced durability, superhuman strength, stamina, accelerated healing, and the ability to fly.
The armor can also create several weapons, including canons and laser beams. The scarab has an excellent tracking system and can trace anything that produces energy. It possesses something Jaime calls "scarab sight," allowing it to scan people and reveal their vitals and physical conditions. The scarab can also analyze thought patterns and identify hostile agents, create matter by manipulating Jaime's waste and skin, and access the Bleed at will. The scarab is weak to the Green Lantern's powers and considers them "the enemy."
Relationship With The Scarab
Jaime's dynamic with Khaji Da is one of the best and most intriguing relationships in the Teen Titans comics. As previously stated, Khaji Da has a personality of its own, effectively making it a separate being sharing Jaime's body. The two eventually develop a loyal relationship with each other, although they'll usually engage in complex arguments stemming from their opposing views.
The scarab favors confrontation and lacks empathy for humans, seeing everything under "ally" or "enemy" terms. Jaime can override the scarab whenever he feels like it might become hostile. Likewise, the scarab can take control of the body if Jaime's mind falls prey to manipulation.