Contrary to The Batman or some of the other superheroes in the DCEU pipeline, such as Aquaman and The Flash, Blue Beetle is a relatively unknown comic book, which is why the film starring Cobra Kai protagonist Xolo Maridueña has attracted a different kind of attention. Of course, one of the leading factors in play for that is the novelty that Blue Beetle will be the first live-action adaptation of any Latinx superhero, something director Angel Manuel Soto has highlighted as defining element for the movie.

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With that in mind, the new faces joining Blue Beetle include some impressive Latino talent like Academy Award nominee Adriana Barraza (Babel), highly-decorated Mexican actor Damián Alcázar (Narcos), Elpidia Carrillo (Predator), and the aforementioned Lopez. Per The Wrap, all four additions will be part of the Reyes family, with Barraza playing Nana, Alcázar as Alberto, Carrillo as Rocío, and Lopez stepping in as Uncle Rudy. The new cast members join young Mexican Americans Belissa Escobedo, Harvey Guillen and Maridueña, of course.

Out of the last two supporting cast members, only Escobedo’s part has been confirmed to be that of Jaime Reyes’ sister Milagros. Guillen’s role remains a mystery, though it could still potentially be that of a Blue Beetle villain. The only other confirmed cast member is Brazilian actor Bruna Marquezine, who is set to play Penny, Jaime’s love interest in the movie.

Faithfulness to the character’s diverse background is one of the things fans can expect from Blue Beetle, as well as the almost guaranteed chance to see a full origin story for a character who is way closer to Peacemaker than Superman in the DC popularity tier list. Rest assured, there are a lot of great Blue Beetle comic books to go through in order to fully dive into Jaime Reyes’ story, especially those published after 2006 when the character underwent a big retcon.

In terms of representation, Jaime Reyes is only preceded by Miles Morales’ Into the Spider-Verse and its upcoming sequel as the sole two Latino superheroes in modern film culture. Maridueña has already suited up as Blue Beetle, and judging from his Cobra Kai training, he should be more than up to the task.

Blue Beetle will be released exclusively in theaters on August 18, 2023.

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Source: The Wrap