2023 was a transitional period for DC. James Gunn and Peter Safran, appointed as co-chairmen and co-CEOs of the newly formed DC Studios in late 2022, wouldn’t launch their slate of films and TV shows until after Warner Bros. burned off the remaining movies in the DCEU (DC Extended Universe). In the span of nine months, DC Films’ Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Flash, Blue Beetle, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom came and went, and the DCEU was dead and buried. But then characters from the Gunn-directed The Suicide Squad and spinoff Peacemaker popped up in the Gunn-written Creature Commandos, the launch of Gunn and Safran’s rebooted DC Universe.
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Now that Peacemaker has been retconned into the new DCU (and, consequently, parts of The Suicide Squad), Gunn is teasing another DCEU carryover: Xolo Maridueña’s Blue Beetle. “You know, I won’t say you’re not in luck,” Gunn told IMDb about a potential Blue Beetle appearance on Peacemaker season 2.
Is Blue Beetle in the DCU?
Although Blue Beetle was produced by DC Films and Safran for The Safran Company, Gunn has described the film as “totally disconnected” from the DCEU. Back in 2023, Gunn told ComicBook and other outlets during a press brief that Jaime Reyes “can totally be a part of the DCU,” which would begin with Creature Commandos before continuing in Superman and Peacemaker.
“The one thing that we can promise is that everything from Superman forward, or from our first project forward, will be canon and will be connected,” he added. “We’re using some actors from the past. We’re not using other actors from the past. But everything from that moment forward will be connected and consistent.”
Put another way, Maridueña’s Jaime Reyes can be DCU canon even if the Blue Beetle movie itself is not. That same year, Gunn remarked that Jaime “will be an amazing part of the DCU going forward.”
After Gunn referred to Blue Beetle as “the first DCU character,” Maridueña confirmed he’s voicing Jaime in a Blue Beetle animated series produced by DC Studios and Warner Bros. Animation. “We’re hitting hard this animated project, hoping to get this settled out this year to show everyone next year,” the actor revealed in a recent interview. As for Gunn’s plans for the character, Maridueña added, “He’s got his hands [full] in his kitchen. I don’t want to walk in while the chef is doing his thing. But I can say that once they’re finished with this three-course meal, I’m ready.”
Besides John Cena’s Peacemaker, other actors to reprise their DCEU roles in the DCU include Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Jennifer Holland and Steve Agee as A.R.G.U.S. agents Emilia Harcourt and John Economos, and Sean Gunn as Weasel, all of whom appeared in 2021’s The Suicide Squad.
Tell us your thoughts about Blue Beetle becoming DCU canon in the comments below.
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