10 best Blue Beetle villains explored ahead of DCEU film's release next year
DC Comics’ very own Blue Beetle will soon appear on the silver screen. DC’s newest blue alien beetle armored superhero is the talk of the town as Jaime Reyes, played by the Cobra Kai fame star Xolo Maridueña is set to join DCEU. While not a lot has been revealed about the film that is set to release on August 23, 2023, fan theories have started doing the rounds.
It was revealed that new character Victoria Kord, played by Susan Sarandon, will be the antagonist of the film, and fans are pretty much convinced that she cannot be the only villain in the film. Just like any other superhero, Blue Beetle boasts a long list of supervillains who can be worthy contenders to appear in the beetle’s debut film.
Here is a list of the top 10 villains of Blue Beetle who deserve their spot on the big screen.
Maxwell Lord, Dr. Polaris, Black Beetle, and others are among Blue Beetle’s nemesis
1) Chronos
David Clinton, aka Chronos, is a villain who is attracted to the concept of time. His face resembles a clock, he has weapons like sundials and clock hand knives and is known to trap his foes in huge sand clocks. While he might look and sound funny, Chronos is a true maniac.
First appearing as the villain of Ray Palmer aka Atom, Chronos is said to be a constant thorn in the side of the Blue Beetle. The two have fought on various occasions. In the animated series, Justice League Action, Batman and Blue Beetle can be seen time traveling in the past to stop Chronos.
2) La Dama
There are two versions of Amparo Cardenas aka La Dama. Post the events of Flashpoint, Amparo Cardenas is an all-powerful being older than the constructs of space or time, or so she claims. While it is unlikely that Blue Beetle’s first film will feature such an overpowered villain, the second version of La Dama is a perfect fit for the film.
The pre-Flashpoint version of Amparo Cardenas is an immensely powerful drug lord in Texas. What makes La Dama a perfect candidate is that she is Jaime Reyes’s best friend Brenda’s aunt giving the story more of a personal touch.
3) Overthrow
Overthrow had a personal vendetta with Ted Kord, the second Blue Beetle. Arnold Daniel Beck was an employee at Ted Kord’s company named Kord Omniversal Research and Development. After he was fired from the company, Arnold Daniel Beck swore to destroy Kord and his company.
He was recruited by the Manhunters, a group of interstellar police forces, and was given the armor that made him fly, offered durability against powerful attacks, and made him shoot powerful balls of energy from canons on his wrist.
4) Dr Polaris
Dr Polaris is DC’s answer to the master of magnetism, Magneto. After being exposed to immense heat, Neal Emmerson developed the power to manipulate magnetic fields. He controls ferrous materials and their alloys. He can even levitate using magnetism and explode ferrous materials.
It would be interesting to see a man who can manipulate metal and go up against someone who is encased in alien metal armor.
5) Mento
Steve Dayton, aka Mento, is a meta-human and one of the richest men in the world. With his wealth, he created a powerful helmet with immense telepathic prowess. While wearing his all-powerful helmet, Mento can read minds, use telekinetic force as well as manipulate and control people’s minds.
Mento married Doom Patrol's Elasti-Girl and adopted Beast Boy, but after the death of Elasti-Girl, he went insane and turned evil. Mento is primarily a Teen Titans villain and he could be the perfect villain to bridge the Titans into the film.
6) The Coyote
The coyote, as the name suggests, he is a human – coyote hybrid, just like a werewolf, he is a were coyote. He first appeared in September 2011 in Blue Beetle vol. 8 #1. The Coyote is a prominent villain of the Blue Beetle.
The two have battled occasionally. As of the current DC Comics continuity, the Coyote is dead. He might not be the primary antagonist like others on the list but can surely work as a henchman or a secondary villain in the upcoming film.
7) Maxwell Lord
Another telepath on the list, Maxwell Lord, is a villain way above Jaime Reyes’s league. However, it would be inspiring to see Reyes take on an antagonist of such caliber. Other than being an expert marksman and trained in combat, Lord has the power to take control of people’s minds.
He has even taken control over the mind of Man of Steel Superman himself. Superman under the spell of Lord was brought back to reality only after Wonder Woman killed Maxwell. Pedro Pascal played the character Maxwell Lord in the Wonder Woman sequel. However, he can return back to star against Xolo Maridueña.
To add to the woes, Maxwell Lord is infamously known for killing the second Blue Beetle, Ted Kord.
8) Doctor Alchemy
Initially meant to be the villain of the Flash, the fastest man alive, Doctor Alchemy could be the perfect villain for the Blue Beetle. Albert Desmond suffered from multiple personality disorders. His criminal personality took on the persona of Doctor Alchemy. He has the power to manipulate elements and states of matter.
He is said to possess the powerful philosopher’s stone, an artifact known to be in the possession of the powerful wizard Merlin. He wreaked havoc using the philosopher’s stone but his plans failed prematurely, thanks to Flash’s super speed.
The second Blue Beetle, Ted Kord, and Dr. Alchemy have fought each other on various occasions. Blue Beetle Vol 6 #4 saw the hero take on Doctor Alchemy in his quest to obtain the philosopher’s stone.
9) Jarvis Kord
We all know that the new character Viktoria Kord will be the antagonist in the upcoming Blue Beetle flick. However, she is likely related to Ted Kord, the second Blue Beetle. Ted Kord’s uncle Jarvis Kord was a well-known criminal who manipulated his nephew to hand him the blue scarab. He planned to over-ride the scarab and make a beetle army of his own.
Fortunately, Jarvis was defeated by Ted Kord, but he would soon rise to manipulate the successor of the scarab Jaime Reyes. However, Jaime, after getting to know his plans, defeated Jarvis with Batman's help. It is rumored that Victoria Kord’s character might be inspired by Jarvis Kord, so technically this villain is appearing in the film.
10) Black Beetle
If Batman has Joker, Flash has Reverse Flash, similarly Blue Beetle has Black Beetle. A resident of the future Earth, Black Beetle disguised himself as Blue Beetle and traveled back in time to Jaime Reyes and Dan Garett to convince them that he is the successor of the scarab. He made them believe that they needed to save Ted Kord from his death.
It was actually Black Beetle’s elaborate plan to prevent Jaime Reyes from getting the scarab. Jaime and Black Beetle have fought on various occasions. The Black Beetle is more powerful than Jaime in brute strength, but Reyes is smarter than him in many ways.
Black Beetle’s iteration in Young Justice was also noteworthy. Nonetheless, the character is rumored to be teased in the post-credit scene of the movie.
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