The Blue Beetle trailer has finally arrived. Despite the fact that the titular has been around for more than two decades, the third incarnation was introduced in Infinite Crisis #3. Mexican-American teenager Jaime Reyes gains superpowers when a mysterious scarab binds to his spine. It furthermore equips him with a powerful suit of blue alien armor. The film stars Cobra Kai lead Xolo Mariduena, George Lopez, and Susan Sarandon.
This is the first time the Blue Beetle has been adapted to live-action. For the most part, the character was reserved for the comics and animated shows. The trailer for the new film looks promising, though a great trailer doesn’t always guarantee a strong film. Given how crowded the superhero market is, Blue Beetle needs to stand out. On that note, here are several mistakes that the upcoming movie should avoid making.
Blue Beetle Should Not Offer A Traditional Origin Story
A good portion of the mainstream audience has no clue who or what Blue Beetle is. So naturally, there needs to be some explanation of what the alien armor is. However, one concern about the movie is that it doesn’t come across as fresh based on the trailer.
A teenager finds a mysterious item and suddenly gains superpowers. Check. The newfound hero must understand how to use his/her powers. Check. Throw out sarcastic quips because EVERY hero is snarky or funny. Check. This is just a trailer, so there’s no telling if it follows the usual origin story model. However, it’s clear that the Blue Beetle’s journey isn’t different from most origin stories.
In today’s culture, it’s extremely hard to bring in a new superhero because it’s been done to death at this point. The Blue Beetle scarab itself is an interesting character where it’s naturally prone to violence. In a lot of the comics, the scarab tries to bring out the inner demon in Jaime to get him to fight or, worse — kill.
It’s genuinely a fascinating internal battle, and there’s a unique story to tell there. The problem is that doesn’t seem to be the direction when it comes to the live-action film. Jaime comes across as another quippy/everyday hero who gained immense power. Blue Beetle can’t rely on a formula that’s been beaten to the ground since 2000. They need to keep the audience captivated by making something bold that elevates the genre into new territory.
The Superhero Movie Should Avoid A Generic “I Want To Take Over The World” Villain
Part of the fun of superhero films is a big bad who wants to conquer the planet. Needless to say, there’s nothing wrong with that per se. The problem is that many of these big-budget blockbusters tend to rely on this generic superhero trope. There has to be more than a traditional villain looking to take over the world. Films like The Dark Knight, Spider-Man 2, and Avengers: The Infinity Saga have these elements of the world being in peril. But there’s the personal and emotional journey that elevates them beyond an ordinary superhero film.
Blue Beetle has the tough task of not copying and pasting most of its superhero counterparts. They need a three-dimensional villain who has a purpose beyond taking over the world. Joker wanted to bring out the monsters within humans. Doc Ock was a scorned and misguided man being controlled by his evil voice. Thanos felt that the world was already dying and believed that the best way to save humanity was to first destroy it. Blue Beetle is already fighting an uphill battle since it’s not included in James Gunn‘s Phase One plan. So the movie desperately needs to subvert superhero conventions and be something viewers have never seen before.
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