The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is the DC and Warner Brothers answer to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) of Marvel Studios. It has been in existence since 2013, and has all DC characters at its disposal. Sailing has not always been smooth for this interwoven cinematic operation. Its offerings have been wildly inconsistent from film to film.
Wonder Woman and The Suicide Squad received nearly universal critical acclaim. Aquaman received sort of flat applause from critics, despite earning a walloping $1.1 billion worldwide at the theater. Meanwhile, Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League were significant critical flops.
To date, part of the DCEU’s problem has been an over-reliance on familiar characters and well-trodded ground. Batman has been a character that over-saturates silver screens for the past couple of decades, for example. Superman has been in movie theaters since the 1970s. Wonder Woman, while new to the big screen, has been an icon since World War Two. The DCEU looks to be looking to make bold moves in 2022 with Black Adam and The Flash in particular. However, the floundering cinematic universe has a chance to really elevate itself with 2023’s Blue Beetle. Audiences largely do not know who Blue Beetle is, which gives the DCEU a chance at a fresh start. Blue Beetle can avoid previous DCEU pitfalls and be successful while staying true to what has made some DCEU films special.
A PROPER ORIGIN STORY
Since audiences are largely unaware of who Blue Beetle is, DC and Warner Brothers have the rare opportunity to tell a proper and rich origin story. There is already a DCEU origin story template with Wonder Woman, which was very well done. DC and Warner Brothers should have audiences effectively follow Jaime Reyes on his journey to becoming the Blue Beetle.
Blue Beetle will sort of mirror Spider-Man in that Jaime Reyes is a young teenager who comes into contact with advanced technology that gives him metahuman abilities. The exploration of a superhero who is also entangled with the trials and tribulations of youth could be an interesting and perhaps somewhat relatable origin story.
DO NOT GO TOO DARK
The DCEU started off on a very dark note and only recently has started to steer the ship in a different direction. Man of Steel portrayed an unusually dark Superman story. Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice went extremely heavy into the darker side of superhero stories, almost to Watchmen levels.
Blue Beetle should do its best to avoid this tired trope and pitfall. After all, Jaime Reyes is a teenager. Having a lighter touch with a more youthful character that is a relative unknown to the general public would be the proper approach here.
INCREASE DIVERSITY AND REPRESENTATION
The DCEU has been a woeful place for diversity and representation thus far. Ray Fisher, who was cast as Cyborg in Justice League, produced allegations of racism on the set that have hung like a dark cloud over the franchise.
Furthermore, DCEU films have not had a great track record when it comes to diversity and inclusion. The first Wonder Woman movie barely delivered any lines of dialogue to its Black Amazons, for example.
The DCEU has the opportunity to right the ship with Blue Beetle. Jaime Reyes is a Mexican-American teenager who lives in El Paso. This is the perfect setting to explore his heritage alongside his journey to becoming the Blue Beetle. Latinx representation has been particularly neglected in superhero flicks, so Blue Beetle has the chance to essentially carry the torch on this matter.
THE CITY AS A CHARACTER
In DC Comics lore, the places that the superheroes dwell in are almost characters unto themselves. Themyscira for Wonder Woman, Metropolis for Superman, Gotham City for Batman – they all feel like living, breathing entities.
This has proven less true for the DCEU. Metropolis just felt like a place that Superman happens to go to before essentially reducing it to rubble in Man of Steel. The same is true for Gotham City in Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice. However, Blue Beetle can turn El Paso into a thriving city. Given Jaime Reyes’ cultural heritage and El Paso’s place along the Texas-Mexican border, there is a lot that can be done to make El Paso feel like a unique place in the DCEU.
GIVE SUPERHEROES AND SUPERVILLAINS MOTIVES THAT ARE TRUE TO THEIR CHARACTER
In Man of Steel, Superman kills General Zod. In Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Batman kills incessantly, particularly with the Batmobile. In Wonder Woman 1984, Diana is essentially reduced to a naive fool when facing cataclysmic consequences, and essentially gets lucky.
Blue Beetle should honor its protagonist and supervillain(s) by giving them motives and actions that ring true to their characters. Savvy comic book readers and audience members alike are smart enough to know when filmmakers are taking too many artistic liberties.
Blue Beetle is set to release in theaters on August 18th, 2023.