The following contains spoilers forBlue Beetle.The first unofficial chapter of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe debuts with theBlue Beetlemovie, which also features a lot of DC comic book Easter eggs and nods to the wider movie universe. The movie follows Jaime Reyes (Xolo Mariduena) and his family as he accidentally bonds with an alien artifact called a Scarab and becomes a new superhero. It’s the big-screen debut of Blue Beetle, who will be a part of the larger DCU moving forward, though the movie itself might not be part of the main timeline.
In DC Comics, Jaime isn’t the first person to hold the Blue Beetle mantle and that is reflected in the movie. In fact, many of the Easter eggs in the movie speak to Jaime’s place in the Blue Beetle legacy. DC Fans will also be glad to find nods to characters like Batman, Superman, Flash, and even a sneaky Green Lantern Easter egg.
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WB And DC Studio Logos
For every DC movie released, the studio logos see a slight change in appearance. In Batman movies, for example, the WB logo often features bats flying from it. InThe Flash, the lightning associated with his speed featured on the logo. Here, the studio logos are created as extensions of the Scarab’s abilities.
Blue Beetle History In The Opening Credits
The opening credits of the movie run through a lot of images that allow Blue Beetle’s history to be hinted at without bogging down the movie’s story. Newspaper headlines about Dan Garrett and Ted Kord both feature as well as schematics for some of the devices both used as Blue Beetle. Dan Garrett was the first Blue Beetle in the comics, just as he was in the movie universe, leaving the Scarab and the mantle to Ted Kord, again, just like the movie. While that’s revealed later in the movie, it’s hinted at in the opening credits.
The Scarab History
The Scarab’s historyis also hinted at during the opening of the movie as it’s shown being sent out into space and crashing into Earth. While it is mentioned inBlue Beetlethat the Scarab is alien, the Reach never appear as aBlue BeetleEaster egg. The Reach are the alien race that create the Scarab in the comics, and as the opening of the movie indicates, the Blue Beetle Scarab isn’t the only one created.
Several colors representing Scarabs are seen being sent into space, but the one that lands on Earth is the only one the movie follows. During its path to Earth, the Scarab also appears to collide with something green in space, which could be a hint to history with a Green Lantern since Green Lanterns exist throughout the far reaches of space, each assigned to protect a different part of the universe, in the comics.
Palmera City And Pago Island
Both Palmera City and Pago Island are comic book locations that exist in DC Comics. While Palmera City, with its Mexican influence, is often depicted as being in Texas in the comics, it’s never explicitly stated that the city is in Texas in the movie. It also appears that the design of Pamera City with its skyscrapers and beachside resorts is modeled after Miami Beach and the surrounding Latin neighborhoods.
Pago Island’s history with theBlue Beetlefranchise goes back to before Jaime Reyes took on the Blue Beetle mantle. The location is the secret base of Ted Kord’s uncle in the comics, where he looks to build his own robot army, and it’s the location where Dan Garrett dies in battle. It’s also whereCarapax becomes the Indestructible Man in the comics, becoming one with a robot that Kord’s uncle was experimenting with. Nods to that history are present with Victoria Kord’s plot on Pago Island as she seeks to build her army of OMACs.
OMAC
Victoria Kord’s OMAC project in the movie is a little different from the original plan for the acronym in the comics. In the comics, it was originallyObservational Metahuman Activity Construct, a way to log and observe metahuman activity. ForBlue Beetle, it’s One Man Army Corps, which is a later version of the acronym in the comics as the idea is combined with Kord’s robotic army.
Promethium
Victoria Kord makes mention of Kord’s promethium mines in the promotional video for the company. That particular element is a very rare material in the DC world. It’s used in the creation of suits for some DC characters. It helps to create the materials used to make Victor Stone into Cyborg, and it’s used in a lot of the weapons and armor for Deathstroke
Gotham Law
While there was plenty of attention given to Rudy’s line about Batman being a fascist in theBlue Beetletrailer, the movie demonstrates more DC connectivity than just that line. A news broadcast even features a story about Bruce Wayne now being the owner of a dating app. Jaime also wears a Gotham Law sweatshirt in the movie after it’s revealed that he was pre-law (and the first Reyes to go to college). It’s still not revealed which Batman the movie is referencing, but that works in its favor asBlue Beetlecan still fit in the larger DCU.
Big Belly Burger
Batman isn’t the only DC character who gets a mention in Blue Beetle. Rudy also mentions the Flash in Central City, and the Scarab itself is given to Jaime by Jenny in a box associated with the Flash. She hides the Scarab in a Big Belly Burger box when she smuggles it to Jaime. While Big Belly Burger is present in many different DC properties, it’s most-often associated with Flash in Central City thanks to its prominence in the CW series and theArrowverse.
Superman Nods
Purple As The Kord Color
While blue is obviously associated with Blue Beetle and red with Carapax,Victoria Kordand Kord industries as a whole have a purple color pallet. Not only is Victoria most often seen wearing purple, but the lighting in the company is also purple and so are a lot of the clothing pieces worn by employees. With blue and red combining to create purple, it’s a nice way of demonstrating that Victoria Kord has a hand in the creation of both Carapax and the new Blue Beetle.
