Blue Beetle is the name of three superheroes appearing in a number of American comic books published by a variety of companies since 1939. The most recent of the companies to own rights to Blue Beetle is DC Comics, which bought the rights to the character from Charlton Comics in 1983, using the name for three distinct characters over the years.
The original Blue Beetle was created by Charles Nicholas Wojtkoski and Fox Comics and later owned by Charlton Comics. The first Beetle was Dan Garret (later spelled Dan Garrett), who initially gained superpowers from a special vitamin, which was later changed to gaining powers from a "sacred scarab". The original Blue Beetle was featured in not only his own comic but also a weekly radio serial.
The second Blue Beetle, created by Charlton and later taken over by DC Comics, was the successor to Dan Garrett known as Ted Kord. Kord "jumped" to the DC Comics universe during the Crisis on Infinite Earths alongside a number of other Charlton Comics characters. The second Blue Beetle later starred in his own 24-issue comic. Kord never had any super powers but used science to create various devices to help him fight crime. He became a member of the Justice League of America and was later killed during the prelude to DC Comics' 2005 Infinite Crisis cross over.
The third Blue Beetle, created by DC Comics, is Jaime Reyes, a teenager who discovers that the original Blue Beetle scarab morphs into a battle suit allowing him to fight crime and travel in space. Over the years, Reyes became a member of the Teen Titans and starred in two Blue Beetle comic series. In DC Comics' 2011 "The New 52" reboot, Jaime Reyes was the primary Blue Beetle character, only occasionally referring to past versions. With the subsequent continuity revision "DC Rebirth" in 2016, the previous versions were restored.
The characters have appeared in a variety of other media. The Jaime Reyes incarnation appears in the 2023 DC Extended Universe film Blue Beetle, portrayed by Xolo Maridueña.
Contents
Publication history
The original Blue Beetle, Dan Garret, first appeared in Fox Comics' Mystery Men Comics #1 (cover-dated August 1939), with art by Charles Nicholas Wojtkoski (as under the house name of Charles Nicholas), though the Grand Comics Database tentatively credits Will Eisner as the scripter. A rookie police officer, he wore a special bulletproof costume and took "Vitamin 2X" which endowed him with super-energy, and he was assisted by a neighborhood pharmacist in his fight against crime. Blue Beetle starred in a comic book series, comic strip and radio serial, but like most Golden Age superheroes, he fell into obscurity in the 1950s. The comic book series saw a number of anomalies in publication: 19 issues, #12 through #30, were published through Holyoke Publishing; no issue #43 was published; publication frequency varied throughout the run; and there were gaps where issues were not published, with large ones occurring in early 1947 and between mid-1948 and early 1950.
In the mid-1950s, Fox Comics went out of business and sold the printing plates for some stories featuring the Blue Beetle to Charlton Comics. Reprinted stories from the original Blue Beetle series were initially published in Charlton's anthology comic Space Adventures #13-14 (Oct. 1954, Jan. 1955). Charlton Comics then began publishing their own Blue Beetle series, taking over numbering from the horror anthology series The Thing!, beginning with issue #18 (Feb. 1955). Issues #18-19 consisted entirely of reprinted Fox Comics stories; #20-21 included new adventures of the Golden Age character. The series was cancelled after these four issues, with numbering taken over from #22 onwards by Mr. Muscles. One more original story starring the Golden Age incarnation of the character was published as a backup feature in Nature Boy #3 (Mar. 1956).
In 1964, Charlton Comics began publishing a new series of Blue Beetle which substantially revamped the hero, reinventing him as a university professor and altering the spelling of his name to Dan Garrett. The first issue (Jun. 1964) was a new origin story that depicted Dan Garrett coming into possession of a mystical Egyptian scarab that granted him superpowers and beginning his career as the Blue Beetle. After five issues were published, the next issue was numbered as #50 (Jul. 1965), taking over numbering from the anthology comic Unusual Tales. The series ended with issue #54 (Feb.-Mar. 1966), its numbering taken over afterwards by the anthology comic Ghostly Tales. Issues #1-5 and #50-53 were written by Joe Gill and issue #54 by Roy Thomas; art for all ten issues was by Bill Fraccio and Tony Tallarico.
Characters
Dan Garret / Dan Garrett
The original Golden Age Blue Beetle is Dan Garret, son of a police officer killed by a criminal. This Fox Feature Syndicate version of the character debuted in Mystery Men Comics #1 (August 1939), and began appearing in his own 60-issue series shortly thereafter. Fox Feature Syndicate sponsored a "Blue Beetle Day" at the 1939 New York World's Fair on August 7, 1940, beginning at 10:30 a.m. and including 300 children in relay-race finals at the Field of Special Events, following preliminaries in New York City parks. The race was broadcast over radio station WMCA.
Charlton Comics reprinted some stories in its anthology titles and in a four-issue Blue Beetle reprint series numbered 18–21, although there is no evidence that they obtained the rights to the character - just that they purchased the printing plates to earlier stories.
In 1964, during the Silver Age of comics, Charlton revised the character for a new Blue Beetle series. Charlton's new Blue Beetle retained the original's name (adding a second "t"), but none of his powers or origin, making him a different character. This Beetle was archaeologist Dan Garrett, who obtained a number of superhuman powers (including super strength and vision, flight, and the ability to generate energy blasts) from a mystical scarab he found during a dig in Egypt, where it had been used to imprison an evil mummified Pharaoh. He would transform into the Blue Beetle by saying the words "Kaji Dha!". This version, by writer Joe Gill and artist Tony Tallarico, was played at least initially for camp, with stories like "The Giant Mummy Who was Not Dead". The Charlton Dan Garrett version of the Blue Beetle ran only until 1966 before his replacement debuted.
The Charlton version of Dan Garrett was spotlighted in the second issue of DC's 1980s Secret Origins series, in which his origin was retold along with that of Ted Kord. Subsequent appearances by Dan Garrett (in flashback stories) include guest spots or cameos in Infinity, Inc., Captain Atom, JLA: Year One, and Legends of the DC Universe.
The character briefly returned in DC Comics' first run of Blue Beetle, resurrected by his mystical scarab to battle against his successor. He can also be seen in various flashback stories. His 1940s incarnation is briefly glimpsed in DC's 1993 limited series The Golden Age.
Ted Kord
The replacement Blue Beetle created by Charlton Comics, and later published by Americomics and DC Comics, is Ted Kord, a former student of Dan Garrett, a genius-level inventor and a gifted athlete. Kord and Garrett were investigating Kord's uncle Jarvis when they learned Jarvis was working to create an army of androids to take over Earth. Garrett changed into Blue Beetle, but was killed in battle. As he died, he passed on to Kord the responsibility of being Blue Beetle, but was unable to pass on the mystical scarab.
Ted had the scarab for some time, but never used it. He carried it during the Crisis on Infinite Earths when he was chosen by the Monitor to protect the multiple Earths, but it only reacted when he was attacked; it did not give him superpowers.
During the "Death of Superman" saga, the Blue Beetle and the other JLA members tried to stop Doomsday's path of destruction. Doomsday displayed his near-invulnerability and, while brutally defeating the League, put the Blue Beetle into a coma. Upon recovery, he continued his tenure with the JLA as well as its offshoot, Extreme Justice.
Blue Beetle discovered a renewed Checkmate organization led by Maxwell Lord, with a database containing information on every metahuman on Earth. He was captured and executed with a single gunshot to the head. Before dying, he had used the scarab in an attempt to contact Captain Marvel, but was forced to leave it with the wizard Shazam in the Rock of Eternity when the wizard sent him back to Earth.
Some time later, Booster Gold, along with Jaime, Dan, and the Black Beetle in the guise of a Blue Beetle from the future, travels back in time to rescue Kord moments before his death.
Jaime Reyes
Jaime Reyes is a teenager who lives in El Paso, Texas, with his father, mother, and little sister; his father owns a garage and his mother is a nurse. Jaime has offered to help his father out at the garage, but his father has turned him down. He feels Jaime should enjoy his childhood for as long as he can, and should attempt to further his education. He finds the scarab in a vacant lot and it fuses with him while he sleeps. After Booster Gold revealed Jaime's new powers to him, Jaime was swept up in the climactic battle with Brother Eye during Infinite Crisis. He later becomes a member of the Teen Titans, and is good friends with Rose Wilson (Ravager), Static, and others. In Teen Titans (vol. 3) #83, he takes a break from the team to be with his mother.
Jaime has a girlfriend, the young sorceress Traci Thirteen, who gets along well with Jaime's family. His large and loving family is a major source of strength and guidance for Jaime. Christopher Smith / Peacemaker also became a mentor for the young Blue Beetle.
Jaime co-starred along with the rest of the former Justice League International in Justice League: Generation Lost.
Following DC's "Flashpoint" storyline Blue Beetle was one of 52 monthly titles launched in September 2011, again starring Jaime Reyes. The series was cancelled after 17 issues in January 2013.
The Scarab – Khaji Da
The Blue Beetle scarab, previously shown as an artifact of magic, is later retconned as a tool of war of the Reach, an ancient race of cosmic marauders. After being defeated by the Guardians of the Universe thousands of years ago and forced into a truce, the Reach poses as benevolent aliens lending their advanced technology to budding civilizations. The scarab is a gift for that world's champion, giving him amazing powers and the knowledge of the Reach to protect their peers. Secretly, the scarab is part of an advanced hive mind, with its own artificial intelligence covertly supplanting the wearer's own. The wearer is turned into the "ultimate infiltrator", a covert agent intended to take over its own world. However, the Blue Beetle Scarab is damaged and so instead of it controlling the host, it forms a symbiotic relationship with them.
The Blue Beetle scarab uses its serial number, Khaji Da, as its name.
In the New 52, the Reach forgoes the secrecy, and each wearer immediately becomes possessed by the scarab. It then uses its host's knowledge to decimate the world and prepare it for a full invasion by Reach forces.
In DC Universe: Rebirth, Ted Kord and Jaime Reyes believe the scarab is an alien device that bonded to Jaime's spine. Kord is fascinated by this scarab and wants to investigate its potential, while Jaime fears it. When Jaime leaves Kord's lab to get to school, Doctor Fate appears in the lab to warn Kord that the scarab is not an alien device, but it is instead magic. This further sparks Kord's interest in the potential of the scarab.
Supporting cast
The Blue Beetle has many friends and family throughout his series, such as Mike Manniguen, Sparky, and Luri Hoshid. Ted Kord's supporting cast includes Tracy, Melody Case, Jeremiah Duncan, Angela Revere, Murray Takamoto, Booster Gold, and Lt. Sam Fisher. Jaime Reyes' supporting cast includes Paco, Brenda Del Vecchio, Traci Thirteen, Yellow Beetle, the Reyes family, and Green Beetle.
Enemies
The Blue Beetle faces many enemies throughout his storylines, beginning with The White Face Gang in Mystery Men #1 (August 1939). As Ted Kord, he later faces several notable enemies, including Doctor Alchemy (Showcase #13), Chronos (The Atom #3), his uncle Jarvis Kord (Blue Beetle vol. 5 #2), Enigma (Charlton Bullseye vol. 2 #1), Carapax the Indestructible Man (Blue Beetle vol. 6 #1), Hybrid (New Teen Titans vol. 2 #24), Maxwell Lord (Justice League #1), and Overthrow (Blue Beetle vol. 6 #15). As Jaime Reyes, the Blue Beetle takes on La Dama as an archenemy, beginning in Blue Beetle vol. 7 #3. They also oppose Typhoon (Blue Beetle vol. 7 #17), Black Beetle (Booster Gold vol. 2 #5), and Doctor Polaris (Justice League of America vol. 2 #17).The Reach are also another major foe as they created the scarab and Victoria Kord Ted's sister.
Other versions
Several alternate universe versions of the Blue Beetle appear in Countdown: Arena, such as the Scarab of Earth-26, a swarm of sentient insects that form a humanoid body.
A possible apocalyptic future incarnation of the Blue Beetle called the Blue Scarab appears in Justice League: Generation Lost. He is stated to be the "descendant of the Blue Beetle" and sports an alien appearance.
In other media
Television
The Jaime Reyes incarnation of the Blue Beetle and Ted Kord appear in the Smallville episode "Booster", portrayed by Jaren Brandt Bartlett and Sebastian Spence respectively.
The Jaime Reyes, Ted Kord, and Dan Garrett incarnations of the Blue Beetle appear in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, with Reyes and Kord voiced by Will Friedle and Wil Wheaton respectively while Garrett is silent. Additionally, Kanjar Ro briefly uses the Blue Beetle scarab in the episode "The Rise of the Blue Beetle!" while Ioan Gruffudd voices Khaji Da in the episode "Revenge of the Reach!".
In 2010, Geoff Johns announced a live-action TV series featuring the Jaime Reyes incarnation of the Blue Beetle, with Garrett Plotkin in the title role. However, no further announcements were made.
The Jaime Reyes, Ted Kord, and Dan Garrett incarnations of the Blue Beetle appear in Young Justice, with Reyes and Khaji Da voiced by Eric Lopez while Kord and Garrett are silent.
The Jaime Reyes incarnation of the Blue Beetle appears in Justice League Action, voiced again by Jake T. Austin.
The Ted Kord incarnation of the Blue Beetle appears in the second season of Teen Titans Go!, voiced by Jess Harnell.
The Ted Kord incarnation of the Blue Beetle appears in the second season of DC Super Hero Girls (2019), voiced by Max Mittelman.
Film
The Dan Garrett incarnation of the Blue Beetle appears on the cover of a comic book in Under the Hood, a fictional documentary released as a tie-in to the film Watchmen.
An unidentified alternate universe version of the Blue Beetle appears in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths as a minor member of the Crime Syndicate.
The Jaime Reyes incarnation of the Blue Beetle appears in the DC Animated Movie Universe (DCAMU) Justice League vs. Teen Titans, voiced by Jake T. Austin.
The Jaime Reyes incarnation of the Blue Beetle appears in the DCAMU Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, voiced again by Jake T. Austin.
The Ted Kord incarnation of the Blue Beetle makes a cameo appearance in Teen Titans Go! To the Movies.
The Jaime Reyes incarnation of the Blue Beetle appears in the DCAMU Justice League Dark: Apokolips War.
The Ted Kord incarnation of the Blue Beetle appears in DC Showcase: Blue Beetle, voiced by Matt Lanter.
The Ted Kord incarnation of the Blue Beetle appears in Teen Titans Go! & DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem in the Multiverse, voiced again by an uncredited Max Mittelman.
The Jaime Reyes incarnation of the Blue Beetle appears in the DC Extended Universe film Blue Beetle, with Reyes portrayed by Xolo Maridueña and Khaji Da voiced by Becky G.
The Ted Kord incarnation of Blue Beetle appears in Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths, voiced again by Matt Lanter.
The Jaime Reyes incarnation of the Blue Beetle appears in the DC Universe film Man of Tomorrow, portrayed again by Xolo Maridueña.
Video games
The Jaime Reyes incarnation of the Blue Beetle appears as a playable character in Infinite Crisis.
The Dan Garrett, Ted Kord, and Jaime Reyes incarnations of the Blue Beetle appear as character summons in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.
The Jaime Reyes incarnation of the Blue Beetle appears as a playable character in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham.
The Jaime Reyes incarnation of the Blue Beetle appears as a playable character in Lego DC Super-Villains.
The Jaime Reyes incarnation of the Blue Beetle appears as a playable character in Injustice 2.
The Jaime Reyes Incarnation of the Blue Beetle appears as a playable character in Teen Titans Go Figure!.
Miscellaneous
The Dan Garrett incarnation of the Blue Beetle appears in a self-titled radio serial, voiced by Frank Lovejoy in the first 13 episodes and an uncredited actor in subsequent episodes.
The Dan Garrett incarnation of the Blue Beetle appears in a short-lived comic strip, drawn by Jack Kirby, among others, under pseudonyms.
Ted Kord appears in the Kingdom Come audio drama, by John Whitman.
The Ted Kord incarnation of the Blue Beetle appears in Justice League Unlimited tie-in comics.
The Jaime Reyes incarnation of the Blue Beetle makes non-speaking background appearances in DC Super Hero Girls (2015).
The Jaime Reyes and Ted Kord incarnations of the Blue Beetle appear in the Injustice 2 prequel comic.
Homages
Roy Thomas wrote the Blue Beetle in one of his earliest professional credits and later created Blue Beetle pastiches the Scarlet Scarab for Marvel Comics and the Silver Scarab for DC Comics.
Alan Moore used the Dan Garret and Ted Kord incarnations of the Blue Beetle as inspiration for the two Nite Owls in his comic book series Watchmen.