Blue Beetle's Mid-Movie Reveal Actually Highlights A Big Problem With Its Story
"Blue Beetle" seems to do a good job of only lightly linking to the comic book world it's a part of, but could just as easily not be. Unlike the most recent chapters coming out of the world that we're soon to see the end of, the links between the new film starring Xolo Maridueña don't lay on too thick that other champions are saving and protecting their turf elsewhere and instead keeps all eyes on hero-in-the-making, Jaime Reyes. This guy is handling his own problems and does a pretty good job of it, thanks to alien AI, Khaji-Da (voiced by Becky B), and his family.
That being said, there's one part of the "Blue Beetle" big screen debut that, while tapping into the legacy of the titular hero is a part of, actually ends up opening a somewhat unnecessary plot hole. It arrives around the halfway mark of the film, and had it been handled with a bit more care, it could've sent the film in a more logical and more thoughtful direction than it ended up going in. It all involves the original Blue Beetle, Ted Kord, whose whole identity was built off the scarab that has now turned Jaime into looking exactly like him. Weird, right?
Ted Kord's Blue Beetle is a hero from the past, so why did no one connect it to Jaime's future?
After Jaime, Jenny (Bruna Marquezine), and Uncle Rudy (George Lopez) flee from their first encounter with Carapax (Raoul Trujillo), they head to the old Kord Estate to restrategize. There, they discover that Jenny's father, the missing billionaire and former head of Kord Industries, Ted Kord, was, in fact, the original Blue Beetle. However, to say "the original" would suggest his existence is documented and well-known among the public, which doesn't seem to be the case. Until now, there's been no mention of Kord's lost heroic legend until Rudy drops an info dump on his nephew that he knows all about him. The question is, why is he only bringing him up now?
An easy cover would be to say that Jaime's conspiracy-obsessed Uncle may have learned about Blue Beetle over the years. Still, given how kitted out Kord's lair was and the tech involved, he must've been a prominent force for good in Palmera City — enough to at least be deemed on the same level as Batman. If that's the case and this blue-tinted vigilante was well-known, why did Ruby and the other elder members of the Reyes family join the dots sooner and, after seeing that Jaime's new get-up was so similar to the forgotten hero, go off in search of him for more answers? Perhaps that's a story for another time and one that, given the post-credit tease, might actually lead to the issue being rectified in the future.
The return of Ted Kord could look more into the legacy of the Blue Beetle
As clearly stated in "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," anyone can wear the mask, and just like the mantle of that web-throwing hero, there's a torch-passing portion to Jaime's story that is just waiting to be explored. In the comics, Jaime Reyes is the third hero to take the name of Blue Beetle after Ted Kord, providing an excellent opportunity for the next installment (if it ever comes to fruition) to focus on the veteran hero teaming up with young blood. If that's the case, it would also be an easy chance to explain why the Reyes family never saw the comparisons between what seems to be a Golden Age hero and the space-aged version their son has turned out to be.
Of course, just like so many superhero movies that have teased what lies ahead (we're looking at you, Mister Mind), there's a chance we might not see Kord return to teach Reyes the ropes, which is a shame. It would be nice to see the locals be as hyped to see a seasoned Blue Beetle back in action alongside the new one, if only to tie up a loose end that didn't need to be here. Typical, really, whether it's on the comic book page or the big screen, Blue Beetle never can catch a break.