‘Latino is not a genre’: Director Angel Manuel Soto explains why ‘Blue Beetle’ is a movie for everyone

At long last, the Blue Beetle trailer has arrived, and we can’t stop watching. Following the exploits of teenager Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) after coming into contact with an alien artifact known as the Scarab, this heroic adventure is shaping up to be unlike anything the DCU has done before.

Watch it through at least once to how your mind blown. Watch it again because it’s awesome.

Heavily inspired by Latinx culture, along with a cast and crew filled with Latino creatives, Blue Beetle has officaly broken the mold. Yet According the film’s director Angel Manuel Soto — this movie isn’t about being a Latino.

Sitting down with Collider to discuss his upcoming film, Soto didn’t hold back.

“Because I am like everybody. Xolo (Maridueña) is like everybody. I’m as special as all of you. I’m no less than everybody. My culture is not a buzzword. We exist and we co-exist. Being able to integrate those things that makes us special adds flavor. It’s like laughter. People laugh differently, yet it’s still laughter. We grieve differently, we cry and we deal with loss differently, but it’s still loss.”

Focused more on entertaining than identity, Blue Beetle has something for everyone. Perpetuating the idea that our beautiful differences make us more similar than we realize.

“It’s always nice to see something that we’re used to seeing with other superheroes that we love and we cherish, but we see it our way and we invite the audience to not feel repelled by it. Come to our party. Latino is not a genre, and we’re not a buzzword either. It’s a superhero movie that happens to have a Latino at the forefront. That’s it.”

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Knowing that the future of cinema rests in the very capable hands of a director like Angel Manuel Soto, or actors like Xolo Marideuña, gives hope to where the heck motion pictures are headed.

There’s no denying that Blue Beetle, as a character, has a rich Latinx heritage. That culture and influence undoubtably adds a beautiful layer to his otherworldly story, and still, his human struggle is able to overcome his inherent archetype.

Jaime Reyes is a hero first and a Latino second, and there’s something amazing about that. To rely on the content of his character, rather than the color of his skin. Like Soto said “Come to our party.” August 18 can’t come soon enough.