History ComicBook / BlueBeetle

In the [[TheEighties 1980s]], Charlton licensed most of its superheroes to AC Comics, only to sell them to DC a few months later. Ted made his DC debut as a reader point of view character in ''CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'' and was integrated into TheDCU shortly thereafter. Holding his own title from June, 1986 to May, 1988. He got to be a member of the [[JusticeLeagueOfAmerica Justice League]] ([[JusticeLeagueInternational international)]], get lots of HoYay with BoosterGold, and be an all-around Fan Favorite. Then Max Lord DroppedABridgeOnHim. BoomHeadShot! The character was killed in the one-shot ''Countdown to Infinite Crisis'' (May, 2005).

Although Jaime's solo series was canceled, he returned as a back-up feature in BoosterGold - unfortunately, the back-up also got canceled. Poor kid can't catch a break. That said, he did get to be a member of the Comicbook/TeenTitans (poor kid ''really'' can't catch a break), and joined the reformed JLI in Justice League: Generation Lost.

** Referenced in BoosterGold (v2) #25 when Jaime's little sister Milagro has Booster and Ted Kord dolls get married.

** In BoosterGold after [[spoiler: Booster manages to save Ted, Ted decides to go back in time and face the death history intended for him because it would save Booster and stop the Black Beetle.]]

* SecretKeeper: So many that it's almost not a SecretIdentity. By the end of his series, the group that knows the Blue Beetle's secret identity include his parents, little sister, grandmother, two best friends, two more teens recruited to help with the superhero stuff like Oracle, his girlfriend who's a superhero herself, a BadassNormal mentor, a local AntiVillain crime lord, a local gang of meta-humans, the BigBad, Batman, BoosterGold, [[AndZoidberg and Guy Gardner]]. Some more superheroes might know as well, and to his classmates at school his disguise is little better than [[PaperThinDisguise Paper Thin]]. (He uses a hologram to make it look like he's in two places at once, but that can't have been enough to hide the fact that there's ''some'' kind of connection between Jaime and the Blue Beetle.) But the AntiVillain has a personal connection to him, so that neatly neutralizes the threat from the BigBad.

** In issue #11, BoosterGold broadcasts on television for Blue Beetle to meet him at Liberty Island. Blue thinks Booster's going to help him, but when they meet, Booster tries to kill him. Booster think Blue Beetle's a Reach agent assigned to prepare Earth for invasion. The fight is only stopped when Jaime's grandmother and her neighbors step in. Booster Gold tries to cover it up by saying that he was testing Blue for a spot on the JusticeLeagueInternational when he realizes that Blue's not like other Scarabs.

* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: The scarab. [[spoiler:In the climax of the Reach story, it's revealed that its name is Khaji Da.]]

Unlike Dan and Ted, Jaime never JumpedAtTheCall, he got shoved. This Blue Beetle retconned the Scarab into something technological, [[DoingInTheWizard not magical]] (though magic plays a big part in his series, and it is said that Dan activated the Scarab using magic which seriously screwed with it). Jaime's series is notable for 1) being very well-received, 2) [[SugarWiki/NeedsMoreLove not getting nearly enough readers]], and 3) managing to make Jaime integrate himself into the Blue Beetle name and TheDCU really well.

* PoweredArmor

The original Blue Beetle was a [[TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] superhero, originally published by the Fox Feature Syndicate. He first appeared in ''Mystery Men Comics'' (August, 1939). Dan Garrett started out as a rookie cop whose father was [[ParentalAbandonment killed by gangsters]]. He got super strength from [[SuperSerum Vitamin 2-X]], although he could be knocked out by a blow on the head. The Golden Age Blue Beetle soon got his own magazine. He had a reasonably long run of lurid, violent adventures where he fought gangsters, gorillas, reanimated mummies, etc. He even had his own short-lived RadioDrama. But sales began dropping in the late 1940s. There were gaps of several months between some issues, and finally, in August of 1950, the series was cancelled.

[[caption-width-right:300:Does whatever a Blue Beetle can! [[note]]From left to right, the three holders of the title: Dan Garrett, Ted Kord, and Jaime Reyes[[/note]]]]

Unlike Dan and Ted, Jaime never JumpedAtTheCall, he got shoved. This Blue Beetle retconned the Scarab into something technological, [[DoingInTheWizard not magical]] (though magic plays a big part in his series, and it is said that Dan activated the Scarab using magic which seriously screwed with it). Jaime's series is notable for 1) being very well-received, 2) [[NeedsMoreLove not getting nearly enough readers]], and 3) managing to make Jaime integrate himself into the Blue Beetle name and TheDCU really well.

* EvilFormerFriend: [[spoiler:The Black Beetle claims to be Hector (a member of Jaime's MissionControl), who comes to blame Jaime for the death of Nadia and flees El Paso, adopting the pseudonym Joshua.]] This is most likely the truth, since this origin is more-or-less depicted in the actual comics (in other series, though). However, there's also the fact [[MultipleChoicePast he keeps claiming to be]] [[{{Troll}} whoever will get the biggest rise out of his opponent]].

Never quite as popular as some superheroes, the three Blue Beetles have managed to keep a legacy with very little similarity in powers or even personalities, but all three have been rather likable, and all three have been fun rather than [[DarkerAndEdgier dark and edgy]]. Both Ted Kord and Jaime Reyes versions of the Blue Beetle have had appearances in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' (and a dead Garret gets a cameo). Jaime Reyes appeared as a central character in the ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' episode "Booster", which also featured Ted Kord as a wealthy industrialist rather than a superhero. Dan Garrett got a shout-out. DC has announced interest in making a LiveActionAdaptation starring Jaime Reyes. Jaime later became a major character in season 2 of ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'', with Ted being mentioned as having been killed before Jaime ever found the Scarab. Both Ted and Dan eventually appeared in flashbacks near the end of the series.

* GoodParents: Alberto and Bianca Reyes are easily rigth up there with Jim Gordon and the Kents in the GoodParents Hall Of Fame

* GratuitousSpanish: Most of the main and supporting characters being Hispanic, they even have a whole issue that is almost entirely in Spanish.
** Justified in that they hail from El Paso, where 86% of the population is Hispanic and almost as many are bilingual.

* {{Anticlimax}}: Eclipso is built up to be an apocalyptic threat and is about to possess a magically-gifted baby, which will make her unstoppable. When Paco snatches the baby from her magic circle, Eclipso scoffs; due to the properties of the spell being used, CombatByChampion must ensue, with Paco as the baby's champion. Eclipso chooses [[FightingYourFriend Jaime]], and casts a spell to bring out his darkness and thirst for power... which turns Jaime into a [[spoiler:dentist]]. Paco just smacks him in the head with a plank.

* HotTeacher: [[{{Huntress}} Helena Bertinelli]], a young Gotham University professor Jaime meets in the Brave and the Bold.

* {{Anticlimax}}: Eclipso is built up to be an apocalyptic threat and is about to possess a magically-gifted baby, which will make her unstoppable. When Paco snatches the baby from her magic circle, Eclipso scoffs; due to the properties of the spell being used, CombatByChampion must ensue, with Paco as the baby's champion. Eclipso chooses [[FightingYourFriend Jaime]], and casts a spell to bring out his darkness and thirst for power...which turns Jaime into a [[spoiler:dentist]]. Paco just smacks him in the head with a plank.

** This type grouping was repeated by DC with the Charlton-originated characters and given the [[DarkAgeOfSupernames ever-so 90s name]] of ''L.A.W: Living Assault Weapons''.

** This type grouping was repeated by DC with the Charlton-originated characters and given the [[DarkAgeOfSupernames ever so 90s name]] of ''L.A.W: Living Assault Weapons''.

** This type grouping was repeated by DC with the Charlton-originated characters and given the [[DarkAgeOfComics ever so 90s name]] of ''L.A.W: Living Assault Weapons''.

** This type grouping was repeated by DC with the Charlton-originated characters and given the [[DarkAGeOfComics ever so 90s name]] of ''L.A.W: Living Assault Weapons''.

* SecretKeeper: So many that it's almost not a SecretIdentity. By the end of his series, the group that knows the Blue Beetle's secret identity include his parents, little sister, grandmother, two best friends, two more teens recruited to help with the superhero stuff like Oracle, his girlfriend who's a superhero herself, a BadassNormal mentor, a local AntiVillain crime lord, the BigBad, Batman, BoosterGold, [[AndZoidberg and Guy Gardner]]. Some more superheroes might know as well, and to his classmates at school his disguise is little better than [[PaperThinDisguise Paper Thin]]. (He uses a hologram to make it look like he's in two places at once, but that can't have been enough to hide the fact that there's ''some'' kind of connection between Jaime and the Blue Beetle.) But the AntiVillain has a personal connection to him, so that neatly neutralizes the threat from the BigBad.

* BadassBystander: During Jaime's fight with Booster Gold, as he explains himself and mentions La Virgen de Guadalupe (who, in Mexico, is about as revered and respected as the Virgin Mary) when he's distressed about nobody believing he's not a villain, Jaime's grandmother Conchi, as well as several people, including a child, come to Blue Beetle's aid after he's knocked down, starting with Conchi smacking Booster in the face with her walker and daring him to hit her, then pretty much declaring he'll have to beat her off of him if he dares attack Jaime again, all while a man declares he's ready to post Booster beating up on an old lady on Youtube.

Cue the third Blue Beetle, Jaime Reyes[[note]]pronounced 'Hye-Mae', not 'Jamie.'[[/note]]. The new character first appeared in ''Infinite Crisis'' #3 (February, 2006). He found the Scarab lying on the ground in his home town El Paso. Jaime took it home, and overnight it [[BodyHorror crawled into him and attached itself to his spine]]. He soon found himself speaking a language he didn't know, transforming into a much more advanced tech version of the Blue Beetle armor, and whisked away to save the universe in InfiniteCrisis. The character held his own series from May, 2006 to February, 2009.

Cue the third Blue Beetle, Jaime Reyes [[hottip:*:pronounced 'Hye-Mae', not 'Jamie.']]. The new character first appeared in ''Infinite Crisis'' #3 (February, 2006). He found the Scarab lying on the ground in his home town El Paso. Jaime took it home, and overnight it [[BodyHorror crawled into him and attached itself to his spine]]. He soon found himself speaking a language he didn't know, transforming into a much more advanced tech version of the Blue Beetle armor, and whisked away to save the universe in InfiniteCrisis. The character held his own series from May, 2006 to February, 2009.