‘We’re building from the ground up’: ‘Blue Beetle’ knows it’s the lonely awkward step-child of two different DC universes

Embarrassing bombs they might’ve been, but at least The Flash and Shazam! Fury of the Gods received a lot of publicity thanks to being the last gasps of the dying DCEU. Blue Beetle, on the other hand, seems to be seriously flying under the radar due to it coming out amid the actors’ strike and also its confusing claim as a vague, ill-defined precursor to the incoming rebooted DCU.

In a brave (and bold) attempt to embrace its curious canonical conundrum, then, the latest featurette for the Warner Bros. movie tries to make its lone wolf status its main appeal and USP. “Blue Beetle is a movie that we’re building from the ground up,” says star Xolo Maridueña in the behind-the-scenes sneak peek, which is a very polite allusion to the fact Jaime Reyes’ first cinematic outing is very much on its own island in the wide world of DC.

“It has all the action, the world-building,” director Angel Manuel Soto continued, again teasing that Blue Beetle exists in its own self-contained corner of the multiverse. “It’s a movie that invites you to be part of it.” Of course, Soto himself is eager to explore its eponymous hero’s ties to the wider franchise in a potential sequel, what with his outspoken desire to achieve a Batman crossover, even if it’s with George Clooney.

As for Maridueña, the Cobra Kai veteran has aims to remain in the DCU for a looong time yet, with the actor admitting he’d stick around for 12 years if he had his say. Well, luckily for him, James Gunn counts Jaime as the very first DCU character, so he may get the opportunity. Although that likely depends on whether Blue Beetle will manage to shift the needle at the box office at all once it crawls into theaters this Aug. 18.