Easter Eggs And Small Details You Missed In Blue Beetle

Contains spoilers for "Blue Beetle"

"Blue Beetle" may not contain many direct references to the larger DC universe, but it still has plenty of Easter eggs and small details that are easy to miss on your first viewing. For the most part, the film's independent nature works to its benefit. With Warner Bros. transitioning from the old DCEU timeline to the new DCU under James Gunn, it makes sense to keep a fresh project like "Blue Beetle" relatively untethered. The character has been confirmed to be a part of the new continuity, but since that doesn't officially start until Gunn's "Superman: Legacy," Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña) is on his own for now. Well, aside from his family, of course.

The story of "Blue Beetle" largely exists in its own bubble. Palmera City, created specifically for the movie, is a universe unto itself, filled with interesting characters and stylish vistas. However, that doesn't mean that "Blue Beetle" doesn't have any larger DC references. Superman and the Flash are both named as comparison points for the original Blue Beetle, Ted Kord, and Batman gets brought up at one stage. There are plenty of little references hidden throughout, both to the "Blue Beetle" comics and non-superhero media. Here are some Easter eggs and small details you may have missed in "Blue Beetle."

Carapax isn't the only comic book supervillain to appear in "Blue Beetle." Or, rather, he is — but he's actually a combination of two different characters. In the past, Indestructible Man has been completely separate from OMAC (real name Buddy Blank), the so-called "One Man Army Corps." The acronym has that same meaning in the "Blue Beetle" movie, but it refers instead to a weapon system — an approximation of the Scarab battlesuit exoskeleton that Victoria Kord is attempting to mass-produce for private policing.

The original version of OMAC is just one guy, and he's actually a hero — a superspy of sorts. The name was later applied to a cyber-virus that assimilates subjects into robotic warriors. The acronym came to stand for "Omni-Mind and Community," the name given to this group of enhanced fighters. Controlled by Brother Eye, an artificial intelligence that circles the Earth from space, the OMACs first appeared in 2005's "OMAC Project" #1.

Neither of these versions is really represented in the film, but combining the idea of cyber-assimilation with the backstory of Carapax is a nice fit. Victoria does want to create a whole army of soldiers, which is kind of like the second incarnation from the comics. If nothing else, it's a fun nod to a deep-cut DC character in Buddy Blank, who was created by Jack Kirby and first appeared back in 1974.

"Blue Beetle" has become something of a bridge film for DC, the point at which we cross over from the DCEU to James Gunn's all-new DCU. It's an important film in that sense, but it's far from original in terms of its tone: Fans of superhero movies won't fail to notice that "Blue Beetle" has a lot in common with the Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield "Spider-Man" films.

The goofy sequence of Jaime trying to understand his powers, the evil corporation that's creating sci-fi weapons for the military, the scene where a hapless protagonist stumbles into a tech facility by coincidence and walks out with superpowers — it all evokes an earlier era of comic book movie. There's even a moment where Jaime's mask gets ripped just like Peter Parker's in the original "Spider-Man," during his battle with the Green Goblin.

Some moments also evoke more recent superhero fare. The mildly cyberpunk neon aesthetic of Palmera City and the thumping synthwave soundtrack will surely draw comparisons to the "Spider-Verse" films, and Jaime's cosmic dream meeting with his dead father feels directly inspired by "Black Panther." Fortunately, "Blue Beetle" combines all of these disparate elements into a whole that's greater than the sum of its parts. You can easily see the sources of inspiration, but the movie itself feels distinctly like its own thing.

"Blue Beetle" is more show than tell when it comes to explaining the actual powers of the Scarab. Jaime's frantic test sequence, in which he flies into outer space, cuts a bus in half, and blasts two holes in his family home, demonstrates the exosuit's capabilities pretty well. The rest of the movie shows his new powers in combat, such as his ability to conjure weapons from his imagination Green Lantern style, various projectile devices, and deployable shields.

Most of these abilities, like the design of the Blue Beetle suit itself, are ripped straight out of the comics. Blue Beetle's look is incredibly loyal to his incarnation on the page, and details like his dual swords, translucent wings, energy blasters, and healing factor are all key pieces of Jaime's comic book counterpart. Because of the nature of the Scarab, Jaime is kind of a catch-all when it comes to powers, more like Iron Man than the more singular focus of someone like Aquaman or the Flash. But the movie incorporates all of Blue Beetle's different powers and abilities in a cohesive way, making his action scenes in the third act super fun to watch.

Blue Beetle is a superhero with a long and storied history. Jaime Reyes may be the latest and most well-known character to use the name, but he's actually the third person to do so in the comics. The first incarnation, Dan Garret, debuted for Fox Comics all the way back in 1939. This early version gained his powers from a special vitamin, and it wasn't until he was relaunched by Charlton Comics as the almost-identically named Dan Garrett that the Scarab — then a magical Egyptian artifact — was introduced. The next character to use the Blue Beetle moniker, Ted Kord, was also introduced by Charlton, but he later became part of the DC mythos. Unlike his predecessor, Kord never bonded with the Scarab, instead using various gadgets to get the job done.

The "Blue Beetle" movie pays tribute to these previous versions of the hero. Ted Kord is hugely important as Victoria's brother and Jenny's father, and we spend a lot of time in his Batcave-esque superhero lair, complete with his old suits. While digging through Ted's old files, Rudy uncovers the previous host of the Scarab, whose name is — you guessed it — Dan Garrett. They even mention Garrett being a professor, which is his job and relationship to Ted in his second comic book incarnation. Like his illustrated counterpart, the film's Ted never uses the Scarab, instead creating his own superhero devices.

Latinx culture and history are hugely important in "Blue Beetle. Director Ángel Manuel Soto, screenwriter Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, and many members of the cast have spoken in interviews about the importance of representation and authenticity in the project. The support he gets from his family and community is Jaime's true superpowers, and the film also deals heavily with the immigrant experience.

Given that Dunnet-Alcocer was born in Mexico, it shouldn't be surprising that "Blue Beetle" takes the opportunity to reference a few Mexican TV classics. The 1990s telenovela "María la del Barrio" is referenced several times, with Jaime's family jokingly comparing him to the titular protagonist. The original series follows a young woman named María who's taken out of poverty and brought up by a wealthy businessman. In one scene of "Blue Beetle," Nana can even be seen watching the show.

The other Mexican TV show referenced is the 1970s superhero parody comedy "El Chapulín Colorado." The original series follows the adventures of the eponymous hero, whose name translates to either "The Red Grasshopper" or "The Cherry Cricket." Given the show's cultural staying power (an animated version premiered in 2015) and the familiar idea of a colorful, bug-themed superhero, it's a perfect inclusion. Specifically, Uncle Rudy hacks the Kord Industries security cameras, replacing their footage with claymation clips of "El Chapulín Colorado." The "Blue Beetle" post-credits scene features additional footage.

Though "Blue Beetle" spends a lot of time developing Jaime, his family, and Kord Industries, it spends much less time explaining the Scarab itself. We're told that it's some kind of world-destroying weapon, that it's of alien origin, and that the sentience within it is called Khaji-Da (voiced by Becky G). Beyond that, though, no real info is revealed.

If you've read the "Blue Beetle" comics, then you'll know all about the Reach — the alien race of violent conquerors who created and sent the Scarab. You'll also know that Khaji-Da's purpose was to conquer Earth in the name of the Reach. If you're coming to the film more casually, you may have no idea that the device is so sinister, though the few clues we do get point to this fact.

As of now, it's unclear how closely the DCU Scarab will resemble its comic book counterpart in origin and purpose. That will be a subject for the hypothetical sequel to address. However, Jaime's cosmic dream sequence at the end of "Blue Beetle" — an experience that feels altogether too trippy and strange to be just a hallucination — hints at Khaji-Da's greater powers. Is this moment a glimpse of the Scarab's abilities? Will it have some connection to the DCU's version of the Reach? Only time will tell.