Xolo Maridueña is putting the scarab back on. Multiple outlets confirmed the actor is returning as Jaime Reyes — Blue Beetle — in James Gunn’s Man of Tomorrow, currently shooting in Atlanta. Definitely not a character I expected to see resurface this fast, but I’m genuinely glad it’s happening.

The Character That Should’ve Been Buried

Let’s be real about where Blue Beetle sat going in. Despite generally positive reviews and strong turnout from Latino audiences, the film grossed $130.8 million worldwide back in 2023, and by other counts it closed out as the lowest-grossing entry in the entire old DCEU. That’s the kind of number that usually gets a character quietly written out of the next era, not carried into it.

Except Gunn never treated it that way. Gunn previously said that Blue Beetle is the DCU’s first character, telling Michael Rosenbaum’s podcast, “I mean the first DCU character, for sure, is Blue Beetle, and the first full DCU movie is ‘Superman.’” That’s not a throwaway line — that’s Gunn drawing a straight continuity thread from a box office disappointment straight into his flagship sequel. The film is currently in production and will act as the character’s reintroduction into the DCU.

He’s Not Getting Sidelined

This is the part that actually matters. Jaime Reyes isn’t showing up for a cameo wink — he’s walking into a stacked cast that already includes David Corenswet’s Superman, Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor, Rachel Brosnahan, Isabela Merced’s Hawkgirl, Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner, and Milly Alcock returning as Supergirl. It’s already well-stocked with characters from DC Comics’ stable, and it’s also set to add John Stewart from the upcoming series Lanterns. That’s not a universe hiding a flop in the corner. That’s a universe folding a good performance back into the main plot because it was good, financial results be damned.

And Maridueña himself clearly wasn’t just waiting around hoping for a call — he’s been vocal about wanting back in. He’d previously said if given the chance he was ready to keep going, no matter the scale of the role.

What This Means Next

Man of Tomorrow is shaping up to be less “Superman sequel” and more “DCU roll call,” and Blue Beetle’s inclusion is the clearest signal yet that Gunn’s grading characters on merit, not box office receipts. If Jaime Reyes can survive the worst-performing DCEU movie ever and land in the second real DCU tentpole, nobody else with a good performance and a bad opening weekend should be worried about their future. The film hits theaters July 9, 2027 — plenty of time to speculate about how big his role actually is.