Blue Beetlehas had an exciting pre-release life. The movie has a lot going for it as it not only escaped a planned streaming-only release and the shake-up at HBO and DC, but has also been confirmed to bepart of the newJames Gunn-led DCU! This looks like a fantastic film and one the studio strongly believes in. After seeing the latest Blue Beetle trailer, we’re even more excited for this film’s August 18th release. Seeing Blue Beetle’s amazing powers definitely made us want to learn more about the hero and his world. We’re especially intrigued by the Scarab, the symbiote that attaches toXolo Maridueña’s Jaime Reyes.
Voiced by singer and actressBecky G, the Scarab, which goes by Khaji Da, not only gives Blue Beetle his power but also serves as the artifact that the villainous forces in the movie are trying to obtain. We can’t blame them though, considering the powers the Scarab can grant its host!
Blue Beetle
An alien scarab chooses Jaime Reyes to be its symbiotic host, bestowing the recent college graduate with a suit of armor that’s capable of extraordinary powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the superhero known as Blue Beetle.
Blue Beetle’s Comic History
While the comic character Blue Beetle has been around since the 30s, it wasn’t until the 1960s that his powers were linked to a scarab at all. In early versions of the character Blue Beetle was powered by a special vitamin. In the 1960s, the origin was changed to having Dan Garrett, an archaeologist, find a sacred Egyptian scarab artifact. This granted him powers when he said the magic words Kaji Dah. (Egypt and Egyptology were very trendy at the time,thanks in part to the success of theElizabeth TaylorfilmCleopatra.) Amulets made in the shape of scarab beetles are a common artifact found at ancient Egyptian sites.
By the late 60s, Ted Kord had taken over the mantle of Blue Beetle. (Yes, Kord as in the last name of Susan Sarandon andBruna Marquezine’s characters in theBlue Beetlefilm.) In the comics, Ted Kord’s Blue Beetle was primarily an inventor who did not use the Scarab though. It wasn’t until 2006 that Jaime Reyes became the Blue Beetle, with Khaji Da referring to the Scarab’s serial number or personal name instead of a magical phrase.
The Blue Beetle property has belonged to more than a few different companies during its long history, starting at Fox Comics, then Charlton, and eventually being purchased by DC in 1983.Watchmenfans might notice more than a few similarities between Ted Kord’s iteration of Blue Beetle and Owlman, asthe initial plan forAlan Moore’sWatchmenhad been to use the Charlton comics characters which DC had recently acquired.Watchmenended up being reworked with original characters, as DC would never have been able to use the characters they acquired from Charlton in the larger universe otherwise.
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So How Does the Scarab Work?
The newer retcons of the Scarab explain it as a piece of living alien biotechnology. The Scarab chooses a host and then grants them incredible powers, whether the host likes it or not. The Scarab also is under no obligation to do what the host wants, though it does always attempt to protect the host. Khaji Da is a symbiote similar toclassic Marvel symbiotes like Carnage and Venom. However, unlike Venom, which generally appears as a dark liquid goo when not bonded to a host, the Scarab appears as a beetle amulet until picked up by the right host. When activated by the chosen host, the Scarab then bonds to their spine, much to the horror of Jaime and his family.
While in earlier comics, the Scarab is shown as purely helpful, most of the more recent properties have retconned the Scarab as a significantly more threatening force and a tool of a violent alien species called the Reach. If the Scarab had chosen someone other than Jaime they would have almost certainly ended up helping the Reach with their slow infiltration and colonization of Earth. Fans of the cartoon seriesYoung Justicemight remember there being at least one possible future where Khaji Da and Jaime subjugate Earth under the direction of the Reach.
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What Powers Does the Scarab Have?
The Scarab bonds to its host and provides them with advanced armor that can hold up to almost any threat. That exoskeleton armor looks amazing in the trailer andstylish promotional imageswe’ve seen so far. The crackling electricity, strange pincers, and other appendages that grow from Jaime’s back make us fascinated to see how he’ll use the suit.
As we saw in the trailers, the Scarab also has “an arsenal at [its] disposal,” and whatever Jaime can imagine, it can create. With the host’s imagination being the primary limiting factor for the Scarab, we’re looking forward to seeing how Jaime uses this power. The Scarab can also allow its host to breathe and fly in space. The trailer shows Blue Beetle easily cutting a bus in half, flying, and welding a massive sword, all thanks to Khaji Da. These feats all correspond topowers we know Blue Beetle has in the comicsas well, with the symbiote also able to enhance Jaime’s strength, speed, and healing ability. Other impressive powers from the comics that we hope make their way to the big screen include the ability to control technology and something called “Scarab Sight'' which allows Jaime to see different dimensions and view things and people that would otherwise be invisible.
The Scarab’s evolution from a magical artifact to a morally questionable alien symbiote was long. We’re looking forward to seeing the upcomingBlue Beetlefilm put its own spin on Khaji Da. Jaime’s origin story looks like a great jumping-in point for anyone curious about checking out DC’s films since this movie shouldn’t require any knowledge of earlier films, and it is part of the same universe as the films made under James Gunn that will start making their way to theaters next.Blue Beetle’s fantastic cast and crew and jaw-dropping trailers have us counting the days until August 18th.
