First Blue Beetle trailer is a fun, action-packed showcase of DC's new young hero

The first Blue Beetle trailer has finally arrived – and it sees Jaime Reyes gain some awesome powers, accidentally cut a bus in half, and catch Susan Sarandon's sinister attention. 

In the trailer, which you can watch above, Jaime (played by Cobra Kai's Xolo Maridueña) is a normal teenage kid with normal teenage problems… until he's given a mysterious box and told to guard it with his life, but without opening it. Naturally, Jaime opens it. 

Inside is none other than a blue Scarab, which promptly attaches itself to Jaime's face and begins integrating itself with his body in one particularly horror-tinged sequence. 

But, this results in Jaime gaining some seriously cool powers thanks to the Scarab, which is said to protect its host. It doesn't always obey its host's commands, though, as seen when Jaime slices the bus in two – oops! 

Plus, Jaime can make some handy gadgets thanks to the suit, including a giant sword. We even get a Batman name drop, though George Lopez's Rudy Reyes isn't a fan of the Caped Crusader, to say the least. 

It's not all fun and games, though. Worryingly enough, the Scarab is referred to as a world-destroying weapon. We also get a glimpse at the villains of the movie: Sarandon's Victoria Kord warns Jaime that the Scarab belongs to her. Interestingly, in the comics, Victoria is the sister of Ted Kord, who was the second Blue Beetle. Then there's Raoul Max Trujillo's Conrad Carapax, who tells Jaime his love for his family makes him weak. Ominous…

Blue Beetle was originally intended for a HBO Max, but has since shifted to a theatrical release. At the moment, the future of the character in the new DC universe is unclear. There's no Blue Beetle-related project on the DCU Chapter One: Gods and Monsters slate, but co-CEO James Gunn has revealed that less than half of Chapter One has been announced

You can watch Blue Beetle in theaters beginning this August 18, 2023. For more on the new movie, see what Maridueña and director Angel Manuel Soto had to say about the film's Latino representation

While you wait for August, check out our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and TV shows for everything else coming soon. 

Molly Edwards
Entertainment Writer

I'm an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.