Virtually ignored by its own production company, Blue Beetle (74%) was eventually released commercially, and although many critics praised the project for its Latino portrayal and the work of Xolo Mariduea, the adaptation failed to make it to the box office. There are many factors to this failure, but Snyderverse fan resentment and James Gunn’s makeover were big parts of it. Despite these conflicts, director Angel Manuel Soto took some liberties with his final edit, taking the opportunity to make several free nods to the DCU, such as an odd cameo on Green Lantern.
The Blue Beetle Deception
For many years, Warner Bros. tried to find new superheroes to incorporate into its cinematic universe to bring more diversity to the franchise, but many of the original ideas quickly failed due to internal conflicts within the company. When Walter Hamada Came to the company, his priorities were to distance himself from Zack Snyder’s work and give space to the streaming service, then known as HBO Max. In addition to approving further adaptations of well-known heroes, the producer greenlighted several films that would be released exclusively on the platform and would bring exposure to other characters that are not classic pillars of the brand.
Batgirl did not survive the changes David Zaslav made when he arrived at the company, but Blue Beetle went from being a streaming film to one that would have a major commercial release. Unfortunately, due to fan division and Warner Bros. Discovery’s undue attention to the premiere of “The Flash” (60%), that momentum was quickly lost, which ultimately proved to be a flop in many ways. In this way, the film fell into obscurity amid executive disinterest, viewer indifference, and Hollywood strikes that failed to allow for better publicity.
Despite all this, James Gunn confirmed that a long time ago, Blue Beetle presented a hero who will be part of his cinematic universe, even if he didn’t oversee the film at the outset and is considered Superman: Legacy as the first episode of the new DCU. Fans of the Latino character can then look forward to future appearances by the hero, which will certainly appear in other films as well since a sequel seems unlikely. In that sense, the director is grateful for the changes because, while they have impacted his product, they also give him a unique opportunity to be a part of something more meaningful and enduring.
Blue Beetle in the revised DCU
Even before the film was released, Angel Manuel Soto explained that since he didn’t know whether or not his adaptation would be part of the Snyderverse or Hamadas universes, he was able to work with some freedom on this character, who wasn’t dependent on those other heroes at all. However, the director wanted to make it clear that the world of Blue Beetle Is not completely separate, as the protagonist is aware of the existence of Superman, Batman, etc. In fact, a comment about Batman being a faAone of the most intriguing moments in the trailer for fans.
But the references don’t end here. Without having to be tied to any line, the creator has placed several Easter Eggs, some of which have already been discovered by connoisseurs and others not, and a very small but interesting one has to do with Green Lantern, a hero with a complicated story from Warner Bros. Discovery. In an interview with Heroic Hollywood, The director revealed:
There are many Easter eggs. I always say that if you watch it a second time or even three times, you will find different references each time because they are minimal. Did you notice the green flash in the title sequence? This is Green Lantern. Do you see? You have to watch this again!
Although a sequel doesn’t seem possible and Gunn doesn’t seem particularly interested, the director hopes to get a chance to explore the character further independently and is already considering using Black Beetle for future stories. Unfortunately, the box office Bue beetle It’s not good at all, and while there’s a post-credits scene that offers an interesting twist on the hero’s legacy, it’s almost certain that this idea will remain in the pipeline to follow the new DCU’s original plans.
