An Unexpected DC Character Is Returning In James Gunn's Man Of Tomorrow

When James Gunn and Peter Safran announced their ambitious plans for the DC Universe (not to be confused with Zack Snyder's dead-and-buried DCEU), the former revealed that their revamping of the comic book franchise had already introduced its first character. "I mean the first DCU character, for sure, is Blue Beetle," said Gunn during an appearance on Michael Rosenbaum's "Inside of You" podcast, "And the first full DCU movie is 'Superman.'"

Now that Gunn is hard at work on "Man of Tomorrow," the direct sequel to last year's "Superman," The Wrap is reporting that young Jaime Reyes, aka Blue Beetle, will be appearing in this highly anticipated Summer 2027 tentpole.

Though "Blue Beetle" fell short of commercial expectations, grossing $130.8 million on a $125 million budget, the film received mostly positive reviews and has performed well on streaming. Xolo Maridueña will once again play Reyes, a law school graduate who, in the first film, is forced to take a gig at the mansion of wealthy CEO Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon). It's here that he befriends Victoria's daughter Jenny (Bruna Marquezine), who helps transform him into the Blue Beetle via the alien artifact known as the Scarab. The plot for Man of Tomorrow is, of course, tightly under wraps, but we can certainly speculate as to how the Beetle will factor into Gunn's superhero gumbo.

"Man of Tomorrow" is still shooting, but we have caught a glimpse of Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor in his Warsuit. We also know Luthor and Superman (David Corenswet) will be teaming up to combat the ultra-powerful Brainiac (Lars Eidinger). My guess is that Jaime Reyes will join Guy Gardner/Green Lantern, Mister Terrific, and Hawkgirl in the Justice Gang. What does this mean for Aaron Pierre, who plays the John Stewart version of Green Lantern? Probably a good deal of bedlam before the ego-trippin' Gardner makes peace with another Lantern kicking around.

Whatever goes down, it's nice to see Xolo Maridueña getting another chance to make an impression on comic book movie fans. /Film's Witney Seibold even said of the film, "the details of 'Blue Beetle' are fun, and the characters may inspire a few warm familial smiles..." even if he felt the film was a bit rushed. However, "Blue Beetle" has acquired a sizable fan following over the last few years. The character deserves another go-round. Here's hoping "Man of Tomorrow" isn't undone by superhero clutter.