In DC Showcase – Constantine: The House of Mystery, Matt Lanter voiced the role of Blue Beetle Ted Kord. With the Jaime Reyes version of Blue Beetle about to get his own feature film, it’s a bit surprising that Kord even appears — but what’s even cooler about the animated short is that it features not just Ted Kord, but The Question, Captain Atom, and other characters from Charlton Comics, the company that owned the character before DC took them over. In a trio of short videos provided to ComicBook.com by Warner Bros. Animation, Lanter talked about the thrill of playing the fan-favorite character and stepping into the world of pre-Watchmen Charlton Comics.
Videos by ComicBook.com
The relationship between Blue Beetle and The Question isn’t exactly like the one he’s best known for (with fellow Justice Leaguer Booster Gold). Still, it’s at the core of the short, which features an animation style reminiscent of the 1960s Spider-Man cartoon.
“So I think the relationship between Ted and The Question certainly is a fun one to play,” Lanter says, acknowledging that The Quesiton can drive Ted a little nuts at times. “I think Ted just kind of wants to get it done. He wants to get in there, make it happen, get it done. Question asks a lot of questions. He’s the analytical type. He’s the one who wants to do the research and make sure that…ther’es a process, and Ted is like ‘let’s go for it.’”
Lanter hopes that this version of the world can come back again in the future, calling a “classic superhero tale” and saying that he really thinks the dynamic between Beetle and The Question is something audiences would come back for again and again.
“When I first read the script for this, I was in love with it because it was so much fun,” Lanter said. “It’s witty and funny and it’s kind of your classic superhero tale. You’ve got good guys, you’ve got bad guys, you’ve got henchmen, and we’ve got cameos from a few other superheroes that people might be surprised to see. The relationship between Blue Beetle and the Question is so much and the banter between the two is kind of a buddy cop superhero, just fun time. I hope we see a series out of this; I really do.”
Lanter himself is certainly among those who wouldn’t mind seeing more. Like most actors these days, he’s quick to point out his love for the superhero genre, and his excitement to provide a voice for a character with a global fan base and decades of lore. He’s enough of a geek in his personal life, that in the final video, he broke down how Star Wars saturated his wedding, from the vows to the final procession.
In DC Showcase – Constantine: The House of Mystery, occult detective John Constantine is trapped in the House of Mystery, a secret domain where none can escape from.
You can get the movie now on DVD, Blu-ray, or digital. It is not yet streaming for free, but should be headed to HBO Max soon.
