What is ‘Blue Beetle’ about? The ‘Blue Beetle’ synopsis, explained

With Blue Beetle currently out in theaters, DC has brought the world a surprise critical hit after a string of flops in the same genre earlier this year. We know it’s a superhero movie, but what is Blue Beetle truly about and how is it different from other comic book films?

Blue Beetle’s origin does not depend on a radioactive beetle biting a teen’s hand like Spider-Man, nor does it revolve around an entrepreneur creating a suit of tech-filled armor to escape imprisonment like Iron Man. However, the film does involve a super suit — just not the kind you’d typically expect. 

The plot of Blue Beetle revolves around Xolo Maridueña’s Jaime Reyes, a college graduate who is chosen by an ancient alien scarab that imbues the young man with superpowered armor. As amazing as his powers are, which include the ability to create extraordinary structures such as weapons with his mind, they can also be somewhat uncontrollable and unwieldy, an aspect of the movie Jaime has to overcome. 

It is notable the Jaime character differs slightly in the film than in his comics origin since he is originally depicted as a teen rather than a recent college graduate. In addition, there have been three different Blue Beetles, in total, in the comics with the character stretching all the way back to 1939, according to DC. The previous two include an Egyptian archaeologist named Dan Garrett who initially discovers the Scarab (later inherited by Jaime) and a reimagined version of the character, Ted Kord, whose lack of superpowers and reliance on intellect and fighting ability made him more akin to Batman.

Blue Beetle is currently playing at a theater near you.