Film guide
- Action
- Adventure
- Superhero
- Stars
- Xolo Maridueña · Adriana Barraza · Damián Alcázar
Images: DC
Where to watch Blue Beetle
Streaming options in the United States, updated Oct 23, 2026. More from hbomax.com. Service logos are trademarks of their owners.
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The real answer to whether Blue Beetle “counts”
The character is canon in James Gunn’s DCU; the 2023 film’s own story is not, at least not officially. Xolo Maridueña continues playing Jaime Reyes going forward, which is the part fans usually mean when they ask if Blue Beetle “counts”. But Gunn has been consistent that nothing from the old DC Extended Universe, Blue Beetle included, is treated as locked-in continuity until Creature Commandos (2024), the DCU’s own first release. That leaves the film in an unusual spot: not erased, not confirmed, the character kept and the specific plot left open to be reused, ignored or quietly retconned later.
Setting the canon question aside, it is the first live-action film built around a Latino superhero lead for either major comics publisher, and that focus is the film’s clearest strength: Jaime’s extended family, not a solo origin story, carries most of the plot. Xolo Maridueña stars opposite Bruna Marquezine, George Lopez, Adriana Barraza and Susan Sarandon, and Angel Manuel Soto directed. Jaime is the third person to carry the Blue Beetle name in the comics, after Dan Garrett and Ted Kord; our history of all three Blue Beetles covers how the mantle passed.
If you are catching up ahead of whatever the DCU does with the character next, watching it is still the fastest way to learn who Jaime Reyes is and what the Scarab does, whether or not the specific events end up carried forward. Gunn has drawn exactly this kind of line before — our report on Peacemaker season 2’s own DCU retcon covers another old-DCEU show he kept while rewriting its continuity. The production record and Gunn’s own comments on DCU canon are where any change to that status would show up first.
Blue Beetle cast 10
Xolo MaridueñaJaime Reyes / Blue Beetle
Adriana BarrazaNana
Damián AlcázarAlberto Reyes
Elpidia CarrilloRocio Reyes
Bruna MarquezineJenny Kord
Raoul Max TrujilloIgnacio Carapax / OMAC
Susan SarandonVictoria Kord
George LopezRudy Reyes- Belissa EscobedoMilagro Reyes
Harvey GuillénDr. Sanchez
- Director
- Angel Manuel Soto
- Writer
- Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer
- Music
- The Haxan Cloak
- Studios
- DC Studios, The Safran Company, Warner Bros. Entertainment
Photos via Wikimedia Commons. Xolo Maridueña: Super Festivals from Ft. Lauderdale, USA, Public domain; Adriana Barraza: Adrianabarrazaoficial, CC BY-SA 4.0; Damián Alcázar: EneasMx, CC BY 4.0; Elpidia Carrillo: Elpidia_Carrillo.jpg : Festival Internacional de Cine en Guadalajara derivative work: Bea o, CC BY 2.0; Bruna Marquezine: Multishow, CC BY 4.0; Raoul Max Trujillo: Toglenn, CC BY-SA 4.0; Susan Sarandon: Pedro J Pacheco, CC BY-SA 4.0; George Lopez: Brooke Army Medical Center, CC BY 2.0; Harvey Guillén: John Manard, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Blue Beetle trivia 1
- Production
He said he wanted to prevent the film from relying too heavily on visual effects, which he described as "a tool, not a dependency", to avoid overworking the visual effects artists. Source
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I watch Blue Beetle?
Blue Beetle streams on HBO Max in the US with any subscription, checked October 23, 2026.
How long is Blue Beetle?
128 minutes.
Is Blue Beetle canon in James Gunn’s DCU?
The character is: Xolo Maridueña continues playing Jaime Reyes going forward. Gunn has said the 2023 film’s own story is not treated as DCU canon, since nothing before Creature Commandos (2024) officially is. See Gunn’s own comments for the full explanation.
Who plays Blue Beetle?
Xolo Maridueña plays Jaime Reyes, with Bruna Marquezine, George Lopez, Susan Sarandon and Harvey Guillén.
