Blue Beetle(2023)

Submitted by Jeremy

Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) returns to his home in Palmera City after graduating college, learning that his family is in danger of losing their house. While trying to find a good job to help them out, he meets Jenny Kord, daughter of Kord Industries founder Ted, and niece of current CEO Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon). The latter is trying to restart a weapons program called OMAC that Ted had previously shut down before he mysteriously disappeared, with help from an artifact called the Scarab. Jenny steals the Scarab and gives it to Jaime to protect, but the Scarab attaches itself to Jaime’s body and turns him into the Blue Beetle, an unwitting superhero who can use his suit to summon weapons and defend himself.

Victoria sends her henchman, Ignacio Carapax (Raoul Max Trujillo), plus a team of armed guards to go after the Reyes family. Jaime fights back but loses his father Alberto when he suffers cardiac arrest, and Victoria captures Jaime. Jenny leads the family to use her father’s tech to go to an island where Victoria is conducting her experiments to go and rescue Jaime. Victoria tries to use the Scarab’s power off Jaime’s body to transfer to the OMAC suits, starting with Carapax. While it nearly kills him, Jaime sees a vision of his father encouraging him to embrace his destiny, so he fully synchronizes with the Scarab and fights back.

The family helps fight Victoria’s goons, and Jaime fights Carapax, who now has his own body suit. Jaime prepares to kill Carapax, until Khaji-Da (the entity controlling the Scarab) shows Jaime memories of Carapax’s life, which was destroyed by Victoria since she had his mother killed before she turned him into her weapon. Jenny stops Victoria from escaping the island, and Carapax begins to overload the OMAC core to destroy the island, along with himself and Victoria.

Jenny takes over Kord Industries and vows to help the Reyes family rebuild their home that was lost in the earlier attack. Jaime starts a relationship with her as well. Later, Ted sends a message to Jenny to let her know he is still alive.