2023 is the year that Warner Bros. scheduled four different DC movies for theatrical release. So far, it’s been a pretty rough year with Shazam! Fury of the Gods and The Flash both failing to live up to their respective box office expectations. Until Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom arrives in December, Blue Beetle is the best chance for DC to right its ship. But it’s far too soon to say how casual fans will respond to this movie.
Cobra Kai‘s Xolo Maridueña stars in the film as Jaime Reyes, the young man who becomes Blue Beetle after a sentient alien Scarab known as Khaji-Da (Becky G) bonds with his body. Jenny Kord (Bruna Marquezine), the daughter of the previous Blue Beetle, Ted Kord, gave Jaime the Scarab to keep it away from her corrupt aunt, Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon), and her right-hand man, Ignacio Carapax (Raoul Max Trujillo).
George Lopez also stars in the film as Jaime’s conspiracy theory-loving uncle, Rudy Reyes, with Damián Alcázar as Alberto Reyes, Elpidia Carrillo as Rocio Reyes, Belissa Escobedo as Milagro Reyes, Adriana Barraza as Nana, and Harvey Guillén as Dr. Sanchez. Ángel Manuel Soto directed the film from a script by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer.
Now, we’re going to tell you how Blue Beetle ends, and what it means for the future.
Warning: the rest of this post contains spoilers for Blue Beetle.
How does Blue Beetle end?
During the final battle of the film, Jaime and Khaji Da spare Carapax and restore his lost memories of his childhood, which in turn reveals that Victoria Kord was personally responsible for the death of Carapax’s mother and his transformation into a child soldier. Rather than continuing to fight Jamie, Carapax allows him to leave and triggers a self-destruct sequence that claims his life as well as Victoria’s when the island is rocked by explosions.
In the aftermath, Jenny takes over Kord Industries and vows to give back to the community while renouncing Victoria’s plans to make weapons like the OMAC suits. Meanwhile, Jaime and his family finally have a chance to mourn his father, Alberto, who died from a heart attack when Victoria’s men attacked the family and destroyed their home earlier in the film while attempting to reclaim the Scarab. The Reyes family’s spirits are lifted when their friends and neighbors arrive to celebrate Alberto’s life and to offer their support to rebuild the home.
Jenny also comes to the event and promises the Reyes family that she will make sure that their home will remain theirs. She and Jaime also appear to start a romantic relationship, which links the daughter of the second Blue Beetle, Ted Kord, to his successor, Jaime. And they fly off together at the end.
What’s next for the Blue Beetle?
Assuming that there is a sequel, which is far from certain at this point, the mid-credits scene reveals that Jenny’s long-missing father isn’t dead. Ted Kord is alive, but not necessarily well. Because Ted’s computers have reactivated in his lab, he is able to send a message where he begs the recipient to tell his daughter that he’s still out there.
However, Ted never actually says where he is or why he can’t come home by himself. It seems very reminiscent of Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp‘s Quantum Realm rescue of Janet van Dyne. This is clearly a setup for more stories, but it’s more likely that this plotline will remain unresolved if Blue Beetle is a one-and-done franchise.
Blue Beetle is now playing in theaters.
