Blue Beetle Bug Ship Revealed in New Trailer

DC’s Blue Beetle movie trailer had a lot of fun surprises for longtime fans of the comic character – including an unexpected appearance by one of the key signatures of a previous Blue Beetle character! As the trailer clearly indicates, Blue Beetle tells the story of how young man Jamie Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) finds the Scarab and unlocks the power of its armor, weapons, and the sentient system inside of it that can steal control. However, one part of the trailer reveals that a much more classic staple of Blue Beetle lore will also play a big part in the film! 

At about (2:05) in the Blue Beetle trailer, we get a reveal that Silver Age Blue Beetle Ted Kord’s iconic ship “The Bug” is part of this Blue Beetle movie. From what the trailer depicts, The Bug has been left in Ted Kord’s workshop (presumably underground) for some time, and it has seen better days (as evidenced by the graffiti on its front. Other scenes suggest that Jamie Reyes’ uncle, Rudy (George Lopez), has the mechanical skills to get Ted’s old equipment working again – including The Bug. We see Rudy piloting the ship in one sequence, and it does not look like he’s all that confident in his flying. 

Ted Kord’s Blue Beetle Ship – Why It Matters For The Movie

The set piece of Ted Kord’s former HQ featured in the Blue Beetle trailer contains enough East egg inferences to an entire established history of Blue Beetle within the DC Universe franchise. Both the  Dan Garrett and Ted Kord versions of Blue Beetle – their respective heroic careers, endings, and time with the Scarab – are deftly put in place with simple details like classic costumes and The Bug all appearing onscreen, (hopefully) without having to do too much heavy exposition. 

The establishment of that lore also shows the approach that DC Studios is taking with this version of the DC Universe. We’re entering a universe that will already have much history behind it, just as there’s hopefully an exciting future in front of it. Blue Beetle is one of the first pieces of the new DCU, coming just after The Flash movie resets the franchise timeline. Booster Gold is one of the first TV series coming in the DCU Chapter One storyline; fans have been wondering and/or speculating that the series could revolve around Booster Gold’s time travel attempts to save his hero buddy Ted Kord – who seems to already be dead and gone when this Blue Beetle movie takes place. 

Blue Beetle will be in theaters on August 18th.