The persnickety poindexters at CoveredGeekly have been consistent about Blue Beetle and the “respect” not put on its name. So, when DCU majordomo James Gunn doubled down on Jaime Reyes becoming a part of the new Warner Bros. and DC Studios collective, we may have high-fived a little.
Some Snyderites were butthurt. Other DC fans were confused.
Yet, everyone is coming to the realization that Gunn kinda’ gets this whole nerd thing so DC may be in good graces moving forward. And since Blue Beetle is going to be in the DCU, we need to understand three important things before Superman: Legacy gets here in July 2025.
1. Can you draw a straight line from Blue Beetle to Superman in DC Comics?
2. Do you think if Gunn and Safran have already made a future commitment to Blue Beetle, maybe you should have given it a shot?
3. What kind of odd macrocosm is the DC Universe going to be?
Let’s answer those queries in reverse order as directly as possible.
3. One with a cosmos of opportunity, unpredictability, and diversity. Gunn is drawing upon The Authority, after all. It should be a cornucopia of fun, non-stop action, and bewildering character arcs.
2. Uh, yeah. Buy the DVD and make it up Angel Manuel Soto and friends. That movie deserved better.
1. That’s why we are here in the first place because the only straight line you can draw from Superman to Blue Beetle is the one intersecting all the turns that relationship could create in the new DCU.
First, the Blue Beetle References
Like any person skilled at jigsaw puzzles, a master storyteller finds a cornerstone and locks pieces around each one. Eventually, they all meet in the middle. If you don’t think James Gunn and Peter Safran know what they’re doing with Blue Beetle, watch this…
- Jenny gets a little grub from Big Belly Burger. In the comics, that burger franchise is set up in Coast City–home to Green Lantern Hal Jordan.
- Evidently, there is a business opportunity in Palmera City, because LexCorp was represented.
- That Blue Beetle ship is renowned in comics, as seen in 1967 when it first appeared in Captain Atom #86. (He would end up partnering with Superman in the Justice League.)
- Also, Uncle Rudy noted “Palmera City has the Blue Beetle,” just like “Superman has Metropolis” and “Central City has The Flash.”
- Jaime is a student in Blue Beetle. Where? Gotham Law–of course, home to Batman.
- Lastly, when panning the skyline of Palmera City, we see the headquarters of ACE Chemicals, infamously known for where The Joker fell in a vat of acid.
Connections to the Superman story abound in Blue Beetle, but there is one more that is a “golden” moment and could be the lynchpin from the hobbled DC Extended Universe and the nubile DCU.
Blue Beetle Digs for Booster Gold
When it comes to DC, the relationship between Blue Beetle and Booster Gold is the greatest story never told. However, with Angel Manuel Soto selecting Jaime Reyes as his Blue Beetle, there is a little maneuvering to connect him to the Kord Family seen (and heard) in the movie.
In 2006, Keith Giffen, John Rogers, and Cully Hamner said RIP to Ted Kord and gave the iridescent, azure scarab to an El Paso teenager named Jaime Reyes. The comic was Infinite Crisis #5, and since then, Jaime has been connected to Young Justice, Smallville, and Batman: Brave and the Bold (See there? James Gunn does have a plan.)
The peculiar part of that now much-ballyhooed post-cred scene is that Ted Kord is not Booster Gold, as some casuals believe. His best friend, Michael Jon Carter, is the man behind the golden goggles. (“Booster” is a nickname he earned playing high school football.) Ted Kord is the second Blue Beetle, so what now? Two Blue Beetles in the DCU?!
Whatever James Gunn has planned, these two are inseparable, but Booster Gold is the key to the greater DCU.
Connecting the Dots
Blue Beetle had ample references to the Tier One DC superheroes. James Gunn is rebooting all of it with Superman: Legacy. But, as posed when this article began, how will Jaime Reyes connect to Kal-El?
Most importantly, Booster Gold is based on a small fictitous city called Metropolis. Yes, Superman and Booster Gold are neighbors. Well, kinda. The interesting thing about Booster Gold is that he was born in the 25th century! This is not a parallel universe. Rather, it was an accident.
When Michael Jon was playing football becoming “Booster,” he got a gig at the Metropolis Space Museum. There, he met one of the most advanced robots ever made named Skeets. The two climbed into a time bubble and within seconds, showed up in our timeline. The two have a rich history together–both are snarky, have been killed and resurrected, heroes when they have to do it, and Superman isn’t a fan of either of them — namely, Goldielocks.
As part of canon, Booster Gold is a superhero for the money. That’s it. No pride to stop the bad guy. And no drive to do what’s right for the innocent. Guy wants to get paid, which is why Big Blue hates his guts at first. He resents Gold. Eventually, the two sing “Kumbaya” and fight the ills of the universe together.
That is important because Goldie is the key to Jaime Reyes. He has to get together with Ted Kord who will lead us to Booster Gold, who leads us to Superman and his 2025 legacy. And, if that’s not exciting enough, Booster Gold gets his own MAX series in the Gunn “Gods and Monsters” slate. This is happening, people. We just have to wait for some old prospector to dig up the “Gold.”
