Blue Beetle Confirmed to Be the First Character in James Gunn’s New DC Universe

The Flash will soon conclude the DC Extended Universe, which originally began a decade ago with Man of Steel.

However, that’s not the end of the line for live-action DC films, as the studio’s new heads, James Gunn and Peter Safran have unveiled plans for a new universe.

The new DC Universe will officially begin with Superman: Legacy, which is directed by director James Gunn. Other projects will see characters like Supergirl, Batman, Robin, and many others will join soon as well.

It seemed like the Man of Tomorrow was going to be the first entrant in the universe with 2025’s Superman: Legacy. However, Gunn recently confirmed that another character will join his new universe before that.

That character is none other than Jaime Reyes, who makes his live-action debut with the upcoming Blue Beetle film. Gunn talked about his addition during a recent interview with actor Michael Rosenbaum in the Inside of You podcast.

“The first DCU character, for sure, is Blue Beetle, and the first full DCU movie is Superman,” he said. The character will be played by Cobra Kai star Xolo Maridueña, who stars in the upcoming Angel Manuel Soto-directed film. The film is centered around the Latino grad student, who gains powers, when he becomes the symbiotic host of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology called the Scarab.

It’s unclear how the film connects to the larger DC universe, as it seems like it won’t feature any other prominent DC superheroes. However, the film’s teased the presence of Batman, and the mantle of Blue Beetle is also heavily connected to Booster Gold, who will be part of Gunn’s universe.