The name Blue Beetle has been given to numerous superheroes over the years, but the two most common are Ted Kord and Jaime Reyes, both products of DC Comics.
Some superhero fans at this point may be wondering if the Blue Beetle is actually a superhero. In all seriousness, who would want the name Blue Beetle? But then again, think about how the names Batman or Superman sounded when they first hit the superhero stage. Now Blue Beetle must not be confused with the ridiculous joke of a superhero named the Tick. Blue Beetle at least has a legitimate career in comics.
The first Blue Beetle was named Dan Garret, and his comic series was published by Fox Feature Syndicate. Other Golden Age versions were published by Holyoke Publishing, AC Comics, and Charlton Comics, but it was DC who gave the Blue Beetle the superhero legacy he has today.
Ted Kord was a student of Dan Garret (also spelled Garrett) and assumed the Blue Beetle identity after Garret died. Despite Blue Beetle’s unpopularity, Kord gave him a prominent role in DC’s canon by joining the Justice League and taking part in the fight against Doomsday during the Death of Superman. He also played an important part in taking down the supervillain organization Checkmate.
Blue Beetle Screen Test
Jaime Reyes becomes a younger Blue Beetle when he finds the magic scarab that gave the Dan Garret superpowers (Kord didn’t possess this because of his writer’s desire to have a powerless superhero). The biggest battle Reyes faces as Blue Beetle is with Brother Eye. Reyes joins the Teen Titans and becomes a contributing member of the team.
The magic scarab is a type of artificial intelligence device that gives Jaime and Dan special powers during use, especially infiltration abilities. It also acts as a suit of armor, and it can replicate weapons (sword, guns, shield), communication devices, and wings.
Blue Beetle makes several appearances in Batman: The Brave and The Bold TV series, voiced by Will Friedle, who was also the voice of Terry McGinnis in Batman Beyond. But the two most exciting appearances of the Blue Beetle have yet to even happen. The Jaime Reyes version of the Blue Beetle is scheduled to make an appearance in the seventeenth episode of Smallville’s final season, along with Booster Gold. Even bigger news is that Geoff Johns, a DC Comics and Smallville writer, let fans know that there has been a screen test for the Blue Beetle to determine the possibility of a TV series featuring Jaime Reyes. Blue Beetle fans can only hope that this test is successful. The screen test has recently been released to the public.
The only actual Blue Beetle costume available is a simple children’s version on Amazon.
Which actor do you think should play the part of the Smallville Blue Beetle and Reyes in the potential new series? Do you think a Blue Beetle series would be successful?
Jack Stewart is a writer for Superhero Legacy
