Blue Beetle May Feel A Little TOO Familiar To Fans Of Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man
Contains spoilers for "Blue Beetle"
A brand new bug-based hero has taken to the big screen in the form of Xolo Maridueña's "Blue Beetle." Directed by Angel Manuel Soto, the film focuses on Jamie Reyes, who finds himself infused with a piece of alien gear that puts him on the most wanted list of a highly advanced tech company. From here, Jamie is forced to adapt to his new accessory from outer space, defending himself against an equally advanced foe and the business baddie pulling the strings. The thing is, as with any new costumed crimefighter on the block, there's a high risk of stumbling into similar superhero territory. In the case of "Blue Beetle," for all its effort as an underdog, there is a variety of beats in this blue-tinted tale that get caught in the shadow of the original super bug-based blockbuster, 2002's "Spider-Man" from 2002 and its sequels.
Besides the most obvious shared element being they're really into the bug look, Jamie endures similar obstacles as Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker in his origin story. Not only does he lose a father figure, but the remains of his family are also put in danger following the tragedy, giving him a second wind when the time is right. Admittedly, those points on the superhero checklist might be tolerated for some, but some parts of "Blue Beetle" will get fans' spider senses tingling when they absolutely shouldn't.
Blue Beetle takes a lot of its visuals and villainy from more than one iteration of Spider-Man
Besides enduring similar family losses, the villains causing the heartache for these two respective heroes stem from similar backgrounds. Conrad Carapax (Raoul Trujillo) feels like a hybrid of both Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) and Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina). Just as Oscorp was pushing for deals to amp up military hardware, so too is Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon) with her knock-off scarab-inspired project, O.M.A.C. Like Otto's extra limbs, the gear locks into the wearer via the spine, giving them special enhancements, with the exception being that (unlike Otto's appendages) Carapax's armaments aren't taking over his mind. However, in hindsight, it might've done Jamie's enemy a favor, given how spider-like Blue Beetle gets in his looks and fighting style.
While Tobey Maguire's Spidey doesn't have extra limbs to use in combat, the second Jamie's suit starts flailing around on its own, you can't help but think of Tom Holland's Peter Parker from the MCU. Jaime even has a lethal mode, much like the one Parker activated and went to town with during "Avengers: Endgame." A standout moment that really mirrors the web-slinger's original movie is Blue Beetle's final battle with Carapax, which shows half his face exposed behind the mask, just like Maguire's hero facing off against the Goblin. Well, you know what they say; insect imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.