DC fans say their prayers for ‘Blue Beetle’ after ‘Batgirl’ cancellation

Blue Beetle fans are on a knife’s edge after news of Warner Bros. canceling Batgirl after it had already finished filming.

In the latest entry into “what is Warner Bros. actually doing with their most valuable property”, Batgirl has been shelved by the studio just months before it was intended to release. Originally pictured as an HBO Max exclusive, one of its sister productions Blue Beetle will now be anxiously waiting for the email if it comes at all.

Perhaps even more anxious are the fans of the DC property as speculation takes hold on social media. Intended to star Xolo Maridueña as the titular character, with Angel Manuel Soto attached as director, is it truly safe? Fans are far from convinced.

Intended for a 2023 release, Blue Beetle had recently seen concept art released as well as a handful of production stills with Maridueña in the costume. Could Warner Bros. really do fans this dirty again?

It’s definitely not been a great time to be a fan of the DC Universe’s more diverse characters, as one Twitter user points out a recent trend from DC productions.

Blue Beetle isn’t one of DC’s landmark characters in terms of popularity, but has a strong following. A teenage superhero who discovers an Iron Man-meets-Batman like suit, he’s often paired up with Booster Gold for comic books. For a while, it looked like the Blue Beetle project would be double-billed with Booster Gold but that particular rumor has faded away.

Fans may be waiting a while longer to see the character in live-action if Batgirl isn’t the end of Warner’s remorseless slashings of comic book properties.