The DC Cinematic universe went through a rough transformation in the first half of the 2020’s with a series of lack luster sequels and flops (for lack of a better term) that culminated in a complete revamp of the franchise. 2025’s Superman was the first official foundational film set in James Gunn’s “new” universe, but another solo film that came out prior to Kal-El’s reboot might also be making a comeback in Gunn’s newly established narrative.
Gunn has already teased that Blue Beetle was the DCU’s “first DCU character”, headlining a film that came out during the weird in-between period after the dumpster fire that was The Flash movie but also way before last year’s Superman reboot. It was assumed that the character would be getting a revamp at some point in the new DCU, but as it turns out the main character from the 2023 film, Jaime Reyes, may be making a comeback in Gunn’s new timeline.
The original film did not do too well in the box office, but the post credit scene did tease that the original Blue Beetle, Ted Kord, was still alive. It is unknown if either Reyes or Kord will be coming back as the titular character to a potential follow up – or if both characters will be sharing the spotlight much like Hal Jordan and John Stewart in the upcoming DC streaming series Lanterns. Either way, it sounds as if the character could be making a return in some form.
The director or the 2023 film, Ángel Manuel Soto, spoke to the website The Direct about the possibility of Jaime Reyes’ return, and his comments were all but a confirmation that we very well may be receiving a sequel set in Gunn’s new DCU. Soto confirmed that there have in fact been discussions and echoed Gunn’s earlier comments that the character will be included in the new DCU:
The Direct: You directed ‘Blue Beetle.’ I was wondering, with James Gunn’s DCU officially up and running, do you think a sequel to that might still be on the table? And have you had any conversations with Gunn about returning to the DCU in any way?
Ángel Manuel Soto: “Yeah, there have been conversations, and that’s all I can say. I mean, that’s fair. Conversations have been happening. And there’s definitely… James [Gunn] has been very vocal about keeping Blue Beetle in the DCU. So good things are coming for Jaime Reyes and his family.”
The director did not elaborate on what this actually meant, but if we actually look at it in context then we can surmise that Gunn’s original comments on the character still hold true and Jaime Reyes (and possibly Ted Kord) may be making a return in an official DCU sequel. As of right now, we have Superman, Creature Commandos, Peacemaker, Supergirl, Clayface, Superman: Man of Tomorrow, and Lanterns as the foundation of the DCU and outside of that lineup we still don’t know what to expect from the DCU, but it sounds as if a sequel might be on the calendar in the next round of films that are eventually announced. It’s also worth noting that the show would be receiving an animated series as a follow up on HBO Max from the same creative team, but as of right now nothing else on that project has come to fruition.
It is also worth noting that the film was originally targeting a 2026 release date for the sequel, but nothing has come to fruition on that timeline either. For now, take this report as speculation based on past reports, but it seems like the name Blue Beetle keeps floating around the new DCU and could somehow become a reality. It also seems like James Gunn is being very careful with what projects he is choosing to include in his new narrative, so if the sequel does in fact go into production at any point, it will be carefully planned out and will need to fit somewhere nicely in the new timeline.
Do you want to see a sequel to the 2023 films set in the new DCU? What did you think about the first film in the franchise, do you think it could support a sequel? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments!
Source: The Direct
