DC boss James Gunn has confirmed that Blue Beetle is the "first DC character" in the new DC Universe.
Blue Beetle, which hits cinemas in August, stars Cobra Kai's Xolo Maridueña as the titular character.
Speaking on Michael Rosenbaum's podcast, Gunn revealed: "The first DCU character, for sure, is Blue Beetle, and the first full DCU movie is Superman."
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![costa mesa, california march 29 xolo maridueña attends north american premiere of ballet like water for chocolate hosted by the american ballet theater at segerstrom center for the arts on march 29, 2023 in costa mesa, california photo by jerod harrisgetty images](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/xolo-mariduena-6429e3aa0b2f6.jpg?crop=1.00xw:0.446xh;0,0.0329xh&resize=980:* "The American Ballet Theater Hosts North American Premiere Of Ballet "Like Water For Chocolate"")
The film follows Maridueña as Jaime Reyes, who returns home after college graduation and finds himself in possession of an alien relic known as the Scarab. The Scarab bonds with Reyes and gives him a suit of armour and superpowers.
Blue Beetle also stars Bruna Marquezine, George Lopez, Adriana Barraza and Susan Sarandon, with Angel Manuel Soto directing.
Directed by Angel Manuel Soto, Blue Beetle will be the first DC Studios movie to be centred on a Latino character. Maridueña previously opened up about this, explaining what makes the film stand out from the superhero pack.
"We see some of these other superheroes, who are able to hide from their family the fact that they're a superhero, but [Jaime's] family is right there, on that first transformation," Maridueña said.
"To come through this journey together is something that we haven't seen before in superhero movies, and that really is the beating heart of this movie. Although this was my first time being a superhero and coming into a character like this, it can't happen without the family."
He continued: "That theme, whether or not you're Latino, transcends ethnicity and color of skin because that's something that we can all relate to. That's been the most exciting part. Although it is undeniably and unapologetically Latino, everyone will understand. Everyone understands Jaime."
Blue Beetle will be released in cinemas on August 18.
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Stephanie is a writer who specialises in pro wrestling, covering everything from AEW and WWE to NJPW.
After graduating with a degree in history from Queen Mary University, London, she went on to study journalism at Birbeck University.
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