Blue Beetle finally allows an underrated hero in the DC pantheon the chance to shine on the big screen, with Cobra Kai veteran Xolo Maridueña pioneering the role of Jaime Reyes — a regular twentysomething fresh out of college whose life is turned upside down when he bonds with an alien scarab that can produce an armored exoskeleton. And yet, while DC’s cinematic world might’ve shown Jaime little attention until now, he’s definitely no stranger to finding love in other media.
As is the norm for superhero movies since Christopher Reeve flew above Metropolis with Margot Kidder, Blue Beetle gives Jaime a love interest, a character who is worth paying attention to for DC fans who know their stuff. That said, our hero’s on-screen romance is just the beginning of his relationship history, as those familiar with the comics and his animated appearances will know. So, let’s take a crawl through Blue Beetle’s private life.
Blue Beetle introduces a new love interest for Jaime with a DC legacy
While Blue Beetle is very much a refresh of the character’s mythology, this film — technically the first in the rebooted DCU — nevertheless pays homage to the long, storied history of the Blue Beetle in the comics. And while Jaime’s predecessor as the hero, Ted Kord, is not a major player in the film, his legacy is very much felt through the introduction of a new character fresh for the screen, Jenny Kord.
Jenny Kord is Ted’s daughter and, therefore, the heir of Kord Industries, which is how she encounters Jaime, given that the alien scarab is viewed as the company’s property by Jenny’s aunt, Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon). With Sarandon’s character serving as the film’s main villain, though, Jenny’s arc in the movie sees her being torn between her family loyalties and her growing closeness to Jaime and his family.
Jenny is played by Brazilian actress Bruna Marquezine, and director Angel Manuel Soto has teased that he thinks she could go far alongside Maridueña’s Jaime in the future of the DCU. So, watch out, Superman and Lois, as the franchise could have another power couple on its hands.
Jaime Reyes has a different girlfriend in the comics and other media
As Jenny doesn’t exist outside of the movies, Jaime’s main love interest in other media is teen sorceress Traci Thirteen. Presumably, she was not utilized for Jaime’s big-screen debut as she brings quite a lot of extra baggage with her, including tapping into the magical side of the DC mythos, which might’ve overloaded the movie’s storyline.
That’s something of a shame, though, as Jaime and Traci have managed to find each other in numerous Earths out there in the multiverse. Ironically, the daughter of magic skeptic Doctor Thirteen, Traci — also known as Girl 13 — once formed a trio of Metropolis-based superheroines along with Steel’s niece Natasha Irons and the Cir-El version of Supergirl. She first encountered Jaime when needing his help battling Eclipso, and their romance blossomed from there. Traci even turned down a place on the Teen Titans because she thought working alongside her boyfriend would be weird.
The only reason this relationship ended was due to a universal reset. In the post-Flashpoint timeline, which has carried over into the DC Rebirth era and beyond, Traci’s backstory is different, and she’s depicted as a lesbian, dating her former friend Natasha. Jaime and Traci’s romance has been adapted in the Young Justice animated series, however, with the pair being an item since Traci was introduced in season three as Zatanna’s mystical protégé. Likewise, Jaime has a girlfriend named Traci (who wears a shirt with “13” on it) in the animated film Teen Titans: The Judas Contract.