‘Blue Beetle,' the first Hispanic superhero arrives with controversy: "Batman is fascist"

Warner and DC's latest controversy has arrived. After the box office failure of Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Warner and DC released the first trailer for Blue Beetle, the first movie based on the Latino superhero that the comic book company acquired in 1983. The film will hit the big screen on Aug. 18:

The film centers on Jaime Reyes, a young Mexican man living in the United States, who receives a mysterious hamburger box. That box, which is not supposed to be opened, contains an alien beetle. Jaime eventually does open it, and the bug takes over him, giving him a suit of armor with advanced technology. However, the suit does not respond to the orders of the person wearing it. This leads Jaime through a litany of problems as he learns to control his new powers and, more importantly, get along with the beetle.

Hispanic cast

Jaime is played by Xolo Maridueña. The Californian made his name in Cobra Kai, Netflix's revival series of The Karate Kid. Maridueña now gets his first starring role in this new superhero movie, which, like Shazam, has all the ingredients to be a family-friendly comedy.

The rest of the cast also features familiar Hispanic faces. Brazilian actress and model Bruna Marquezine plays Jenny Kor, one of Jaime's friends.

The Reyes family will also feature notable Latin American actors. George Lopez plays Uncle Rudy Reyes; Elpidia Carrillo plays Rocio Reyes; Damián Alcázar is Alberto Reyes; Adriana Barraza plays the role of Nana; Belissa Escobedo plays Milagro Reyes and Jorge Jiménez plays Uncle Chema Reyes. Susan Sarandon will play Victoria Kord, the Blue Beetle’s villain nemesis.

Controversy over Batman focuses debate on 'Blue Beetle'

The trailer, despite being full of Hispanic faces, will be remembered for the controversy created around one phrase. In the last few minutes of the teaser trailer, a character claims that "Batman is a fascist." What appeared to be a gag, however, sparked comments from a multitude of fans who took issue with the statement made by George Lopez’s character:

The film's director, Ángel Manuel Soto, responded to those who criticized this phrase. The filmmaker assured, via a meme posted on Twitter, "Well, my job's done," thus alluding that the gag was intended to make DC fans uncomfortable.