With Xolo Maridueña set to play Jaime Reyes in the live-action Blue Beetle movie, many general viewers will be experiencing the character for the first time. Blue Beetle is a bit of a cult-favorite superhero who only recently rose in popularity thanks to his presence in animation and video games like Injustice 2.
After the first look at Xolo Maridueña in the official Blue Beetle suit hit the internet, fans of the character got more excited than ever because there is a lot to the hero that most people might not know. His alien super suit is something that first comes off as something familiar: an armored and technologically advanced suit that turns a boy from a regular teen to a world-saving hero, but there is a lot more to it than just that. The suit itself is actually a character with unique aspects that are unlike anything else seen in the DC universe.
8 The Suit Is More Organic Than Expected
With one look at Blue Beetle, it's easy to think that he's wearing a fully-armored suit in the same vein as Iron Man. That is not quite the case, it's more of a bio-organic suit that is infused within Jaime Reyes' skin.
Even the bits of armor seen on Blue Beetle are less like plating and closer to an exoskeleton seen on many forms of insects, including beetles. In a way, this makes Blue Beetle more akin to Venom with a parasite coating the host in a powerful suit that grants him powers.
7 Is Limited By Jaime's Imagination
The Scarab provides Jaime with quite a few weapons and gadgets to work with: blasters, arm blades, flamethrowers, tasers, jetpack-like wings, and many others. However, the truth is that the Blue Beetle's capabilities are nearly endless.
All it takes is for Jaime Reyes to think of a weapon or gadget and more than likely the suit will generate it. So the limits of the suit are basically up to the host, which makes the Blue Beetle one of the most dangerous weapons in the DC universe.
6 Was Worn By A Golden Age Hero
Three people have donned the title of the Blue Beetle. Before Jaime Reyes, it was Ted Kord, but he couldn't bond with the Scarab that he inherited from the Blue Beetle before him.
The first Blue Beetle was Dan Garrett, an archeologist who discovered the Scarab in Egypt where it bonded with him and transformed him into the superhero persona of Blue Beetle. Dan Garrett's history with the Scarab has been retconned multiple times due to the evolution of the Blue Beetle franchise after DC bought it.
5 It's More Than A Suit
The Scarab is more than just a housing unit for Jaime's suit. It is actually a living bio-organism that bonds with Jaime, communicate with him, and even forms a friendship with the young Earthling.
Jaime even ends up learning that the Scarab has a name: Khaji-Da. This name also doubles as the call to trigger a transformation into Blue Beetle. This continues the similarities to Venom from the Marvel universe as both that character and the Blue Beetle feature a humorous comradery between a human and an alien.
4 Weak To Green Lanterns
Blue Beetle has very few physical weaknesses but one of them happens to be another cosmic hero of the DC universe: Green Lantern. The latter's power of will is one of the few power sets in DC that can cripple Blue Beetle with ease.
It's a bit ironic considering their signature weapons operate in very similar ways, utilizing the host's imagination to create whatever they need for a situation.
3 Khaji-Da Is A Learning AI
When Jaime Reyes is first bonded with the Scarab, Khaji-Da began as a killing machine that resorted to obliterating everything as an answer to everything. However, Jaime, being the good-hearted teen that he is, managed to change the artificial intelligence.
Their adventures together allowed Jaime and Khaji-Da to grow and learn from one another. Jaime learned to become a responsible superhero that even the Justice League respects while Khaji-Da continued to learn, form a genuine friendship with its host, and discover that there's more to its existence than just destroying enemies.
2 A Plethora Of Powers
The weapon generation system is only one of many powers that Blue Beetle is capable of, making him one of many heroes that deserve their own video game. The suit gives Jaime the ability of Mechanokinesis, allowing him to control nearly any form of technology. He acts as a universal translator, able to communicate with nearly any race in the galaxy.
Blue Beetle also sports many of the basics: superhuman strength, durability, a healing factor, enhanced agility, and more. Some of his more unique powers include Scarab Sight which allows him to see into other dimensions or find someone invisible. The suit can also allow him to analyze the battlefield and react accordingly.
1 Designed To Be A Weapon Of Mass Destruction
It was actually a good thing that Jaime and Khaji-Da formed a bond because the Scarab was never meant to be used for superhero work. Instead, it was meant to aid in the slow infiltration of its creators: The Reach, an alien race who attempts to conquer worlds through false peace treaties.
Jaime and Khaji-Da defy this purpose and fight back against the invaders, preventing the human race from becoming enslaved. It also showcased that even though Blue Beetle is a more fun-loving and family-friendly hero, he's still capable of saving the world as the Justice League would.