Blue Beetle returns to the DCU: could be its Spider-Man

Blue Beetle is coming back to the DCU on July 9, 2027. Xolo Maridueña is expected to return as Jaime Reyes in Man of Tomorrow, the sequel to 2025’s Superman.

That makes Jaime one of the clearest returning heroes in James Gunn’s plans. He also gives DC something useful: a character who can fit into the bigger cosmic story without losing the everyday side of it. Jaime is younger, funnier, tied to his family, and rooted in his community. For a lot of fans, he’s probably the closest DC has to its own Spider-Man. He makes the larger universe feel a little more grounded.

Gunn has already called Jaime Reyes the first official hero of the new DC Universe. What’s still fuzzy is how much of the 2023 Blue Beetle movie, which came out during the final DCEU stretch, actually carries over. That part matters, because the big appeal of the 2023 film wasn’t just the scarab. It was Jaime’s family, his neighborhood, his Latino identity, and the fact that his life outside the suit mattered too.

If you liked Blue Beetle, this return is one to keep an eye on. The movie made $130.8 million worldwide against a reported $104 to $125 million budget, which left it as the DCEU’s lowest-grossing film. Later on, though, it found a much stronger audience at home and became HBO Max’s most-watched movie. There’s also an animated Blue Beetle series in development, with the original cast expected to come back.

You can stream Blue Beetle on HBO Max now, and Man of Tomorrow arrives in theaters in 2027.