Is Blue Beetle in the DCU or DCEU?

Warner Bros. has released the first trailer for Blue Beetle, showcasing and an exciting glimpse of Jaime Reyes in his magic-powered exoskeleton suit. The young hero will soon be blasting into DC’s live-action cinematic universe. But which one?

Zack Snyder began the DCEU with Man of Steel (2013), which he followed up with Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), along with several other releases, including Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Suicide Squad, Flashpoint, Cyborg, Green Lantern Corps. However, negative critical reception, a scuffle between the creative and executive teams, and reshuffling of management has since led the franchise to undergo changes in continuity, storylines, and narrative tone. The DCU, or as fans call it, the SnyderVerse, is now history, and you know why.

What’s next is the multi-year, interconnected, and cross-format narrative of DC Comics’ properties under a new regime – DC Studios, led by co-chairs James Gunn and Peter Safran. The latest continuity, now called DC Universe or DCU, will unravel previously unexplored stories from comics but with specific elements retained from the old franchise. After this year’s Shazam!: Fury of the Gods, two more films set in DCEU are still to release. In his unveiling of Chapter One: Gods and Monsters, Gunn confirmed that The Flash will mark a reset or a soft reboot of the franchise, allowing him and Safran to formulate a series of arcs comprising both new stories, as well as revitalized elements from the previous ones.

Blue Beetle was Conceptualized within the DCEU

Blue Beetle was conceptualized back when Walter Hamada was in charge, with plans to give the young hero a more prominent place in the DCEU. The idea was to introduce Blue Beetle in his solo venture, which would have been a part of Hamada’s less connected and more character-focused mythos. At the time, Blue Beetle was supposed to be an HBO Max exclusive alongside Batgirl before the latter was canceled and the former was upgraded to a theatrical release.

Canceling Batgirl

Right after Warner Bros.’ merger with Discovery, CEO David Zaslav announced a Marvel-esque franchise centered around DC Comics’ adaptations, confirming imminent changes to the DCEU continuity. In the process, the studio canned Batgirl and cast shadows on Blue Beetle before it was confirmed for the big screen. Meanwhile, DC Films pushed back its entire release slate.

At the time, it was said that the decision was to support the VFX teams with the proper execution of their work. Still, it could have been because there was a management change underway.

DC Studios later confirmed that Blue Beetle is actively developing and is looking forward to a theatrical release in August 2023.

Blue Beetle’s Storyline – DCU or DCEU?

Blue Beetle is an origin story of a character placed at a safe distance from the mainstream events set in the DCEU. He doesn’t share a strong connection to the events of Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman, or even Shazam!, for that matter. The film features an all-new cast without any reprisals from previous films. There are no confirmed cameos from other DC superheroes in the movie, further separating Blue Beetle from the original timeline.

With the new DCU over the horizon, Blue Beetle has a better potential to be included in the Gunn-led franchise for DC Studios. Without significant references to the old regime and being an origin story of a relatively young and budding superhero, Jaime Reyes would have a chance to join the big league if Gunn ends up making a Justice League movie. The only reference to other DC heroes in the trailer was one to Batman. But, if the film does not refer to specific DCEU events, it can steer clear of such obstacles, and these mentions can be retrospectively connected to the DCU versions of those characters.

However, at the same time, the DCU will not begin until July 2025, with Gunn’s Superman: Legacy. And though he’s yet to reveal the entirety of the DCU’s Chapter One, Blue Beetle will find it tough to get a spot between those titles, so we might not see Reyes in his next solo venture for a long time.

Blue Beetle’s Chances of Being in DCU

There are a few ways to include Blue Beetle in the DCU. One obvious move would be to take some aspects of the story after The Flash’s reset and continue them in the franchise, just like Gunn plans to do with Peacemaker and The Suicide Squad. Just like Viola Davis can return as Amanda Waller in DCU, so too can Maridueña as Reyes.

In case Blue Beetle doesn’t reference DCEU events, Gunn could easily confirm that it’s set after The Flash, automatically shifting the film’s place in the timeline to accommodate its entry into the DCU.

With a new character and having no relation to past DCEU, Blue Beetle has a better chance than Aquaman to fit in the DCU. And the trailer glimpse at an exciting entry of the hero in his live-action version. With the likes of Booster Gold and Swamp Thing in development, giving it a spot in between will make for a fresh, unique, and somewhat unusually creative mix for the franchise.

For now, Blue Beetle is labeled as the 14th installment of the DC Extended Universe, and Gunn will ensure that Superman: Legacy gets the proper marketing as the first venture of his DC Universe. So, there may not be an explicit confirmation of Blue Beetle’s inclusion into Gunn-DCU for some time.

Right now, all eyes are on The Flash, and fans and film enthusiasts are keen to understand how the film resets the timeline, giving everyone some idea of how they can perceive the commencement of DCU. Maybe, as DCEU resets, the picture of Blue Beetle’s fate may become more apparent.

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