The DCU is finally underway, and one upcoming Blue Beetle successor is primed to soothe the sting of a $130 million flop released within the preceding franchise, the DCEU. Although the future of the DCU is far from set in stone, it is certainly off to a good start with Superman, which has launched the DCU with a flourish.

Superman‘s success is a welcome relief following the disheartening final year of the DCEU. Despite 2023 playing host to such big-ticket DC movies as The Flash and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, their respective releases were overshadowed, and even damaged, by a general sense of ennui directed at the franchise.

While the DCEU’s mistakes and decidedly mixed track record were partly to blame for this disenfranchisement, the DCU’s part to play in the debacle can’t be overlooked. In fact, that’s how one of the best-rated movies in the DCEU became its biggest flop. Thankfully, the DCU is about to make amends in a big way.

Blue Beetle’s Box Office Suffered From The DCEU To DCU Changeover

The DC Universe was announced a year before the DCEU came to a close with its final movie, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, in December 2023. The fact that this new franchise was immediately established to be a reboot had an undeniable knock-on effect on every movie still to be released within the now-defunct one, of which there were four.

Blue Beetle was one such movie, and was to be the DCEU’s penultimate when it released on August 18, 2023. Combined with the fact that Blue Beetle is one of DC’s more obscure characters, unlike the already well-established Shazam, Flash, and Aquaman, it was no surprise that Blue Beetle suffered severely at the global box office.

Blue Beetle earned just $130 million worldwide against a production budget of $120 million, according to The Numbers, despite earning widespread acclaim from audiences and critics alike. The character’s relative obscurity was compounded by the fact that audiences felt no need to keep abreast of this DCEU installment. Thankfully, this won’t be Blue Beetle’s final appearance.

Blue Beetle’s DCU Setup Makes A Beloved Hero Tag-Team Possible For The Franchise

Blue Beetle is confirmed to be returning within the DCU, with Blue Beetle‘s Xolo Maridueña reprising the role of Jaime Reyes. This return will be within an animated series, the likes of which are canon to the live-action additions to the DCU, like Creature Commandos. Story details are to be determined, however.

Nevertheless, it is notable that Blue Beetle is confirmed to be a part of the DCU alongside another underutilized DC hero, Booster Gold. Blue Beetle and Booster Gold are one of the most prominent double acts in DC Comics, though this typically involves Ted Kord’s Blue Beetle instead of Jaime Reyes.

Although it isn’t clear if the events of Blue Beetle will be canon in the DCU, the movie established that Ted Kord still lives. Whatever the case, whether it is Kord or Reyes, the DCU is now in a prime position to deliver an adaptation of one of the most entertaining team-ups in DC Comics.