Who doesn't love a good superhero origin story? A person who can fly or shoot lasers is always exciting, but the backstory behind their gifts must be unique and interesting. Alien biology, ancient fighting techniques, misguided lab experiments, and mystical sorcery have all been a hundred times or more. With Blue Beetle joining the DCU, it's time to examine the nature of his powers.
Blue Beetle represents some much-needed fresh blood in the new DCU. The traditional Justice League icons have been struggling on their way to a new start. It's up to new heroes like Jaime Reyes to make their big-screen debut and bring some excitement to the DCU.
Who Created the Scarab?
Countless years ago, an immensely powerful race of conquerors called the Reach waged war with the Guardians of the Universe. The Guardians are best known for their creation of the Green Lantern Corps. The Guardians and the Reach were, respectively, the first and second intelligent species in existence. As soon as there were two species, they went to war. More than 40,000 years ago, the Reach's battle with the Green Lanterns ended in a stalemate, forcing both sides to sign a peace treaty. That treaty stipulated that the Reach could no longer conquer worlds or expand its empire. This forced them to turn to infiltration rather than open assault. The Reach genetically engineered their newest tool to take over worlds and called them the scarabs.
The scarabs are small devices that can be covertly dropped onto an unsuspecting planet. Once they've landed on their target, they'd lie in wait. Scarabs only activated after a planet's dominant species naturally reached certain technological milestones. The scarab then selects a suitable host and physically bonds with them, overwriting their personality and breaking them to the will of the Reach. The scarab also grants its new host a suit of armor with incredible powers to act as a solo conquering force and take over a planet from within. This strategy can take centuries and feature hundreds of additional strategic steps, but it allowed the Reach to add another 10,000 planets to their list without directly violating their treaty. However, their plan hit a snag when they attempted to conquer Earth.
The scarab that reached Earth was known as Khaji Da. The first person to find Khaji Da was an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh. Kha-Ef-Re used the scarab to defend his kingdom, then kept it with him when he died. Khaji Da sat undisturbed on Kha-Ef-Re's sarcophagus for hundreds of years. An archaeologist named Dan Garrett was the first to find Khaji Da. Sometime between its landing on Earth and its discovery by Garrett, Khaji Da was damaged. Since it was incomplete, the scarab didn't purge its user of free will. Garrett was able to use the scarab without surrendering to it. He became the first Blue Beetle. After Dan died in combat, the mantle was passed to his student, Ted Kord. Khaji Da went through some unusual phases during Ted's tenure, but it eventually settled on the Rock of Eternity. When that legendary site exploded, Khaji Da landed in El Paso, Texas. Young Jaime Reyes found it buried under rubble in an empty lot, took it home and became the new Blue Beetle.
Is the Scarab Technology or Magic?
In the current continuity, Khaji Da is an accomplishment of technology. They are biological weapons that the Reach genetically engineered from an existing species on one of their many planets. Khaji Da was damaged by magic, allowing it to be used for good. Magic is consistently one of the weaknesses of the current Blue Beetle. This was not always the case. The Blue Beetle's modern backstory incorporates the story of Dan Garrett and Ted Kord, but it changes the details. Garrett, the first Blue Beetle, was introduced in 1939. He was a cop who wore a bulletproof suit and gained superhuman strength using a vitamin. He was reintroduced in the Silver Age as an archaeologist with a magical Egyptian scarab. Khaji Da gets its name from the magic words he'd shout to activate its magic. Ted Kord was a scientist without superpowers, but he invented various gadgets to help him fight crime. Jaime's version of the scarab is all technology, but it combines the powers of both previous versions into a new form.
Khaji Da is a genetically engineered living organism with a mind of its own. Jaime Reyes gets his powers as the Blue Beetle by bonding with a powerful alien weapon. The Reach turn out to be one of Jaime's greatest enemies in his comic book appearances. Adding Blue Beetle to the DCU opens the door to a ton of interesting new space adventures and deep cosmic lore. The scarab is designed to give its host power at the cost of its free will. Jaime has the strength to have both.