byJordan King|Published on14th July 2026 at 11.00pm
People:
Xolo Maridueña
James Gunn
Follow Empire on Google
Of the many casualties sustained in the fall of the DCEU, Angel Manuel Soto’s Blue Beetle — which introduced Xolo Maridueña as DC Comics’ Mexican-American, alien scarab powered superhero — was surely one of the roughest. Maridueña was a breath of fresh air as Jaime Reyes, the movie’s Hispanic-American cultural specificity lent the whole movie an air of genuine originality, and Blue Beetle easily had the coolest supersuit of the DCEU era. Happily then, we mourn Blue Beetle’s loss no more, as Variety is reporting that Xolo Maridueña is coming back back back in James Gunn’s upcoming Superman sequel Man Of Tomorrow. Yes, really!
Now, technically speaking, Gunn did confirm that Blue Beetle would factor into the DCU when Soto’s movie first came out. Speaking on Inside Of You With Michael Rosenbaum at the time, Gunn clarified, “The first DCU character, for sure, is Blue Beetle, and the first full DCU movie is Superman.” And star Xolo Maridueña, who has always been very vocal about his pride in having portrayed DC’s first Latino superhero lead, has done his part in keeping the Blue Beetle flag flying during the hero’s between-two-cinematic-universe-stools era. But with the DCU slate having been jigged and rejigged multiple times over the last three years, the reappearance of Jaime Reyes has never truly felt like an iron-clad done deal… until now, that is.
With production already underway on Man Of Tomorrow, which is set to see David Corenswet’s Man of Steel team up with arch nemesis Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) to take on Lars Eidinger’s big-bad Brainiac, the wheels are already very much in motion on the movie that will bring back Blue Beetle. All that remains to be seen now is just how exactly writer-director Gunn pulls off his DCEU-to-DCU transition, what the DC Studios head honcho has in mind for Jaime Reyes, and whether the next Blue Beetle suit can live up to the sheer awesomeness of the last. We’ll find out all this and more though when Man Of Tomorrow flies into cinemas on 9 July, 2027. Until then, Blue Beetle is back, baby! ¡Qué padre!
Variety
Just so you know, we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this website – read why you should trust us
