Xolo Mariduena: Story Of ‘Blue Beetle’ Transcends Ethnicity

Embodying the first Latino superhero of the DC universe was an honour, says "Blue Beetle" star Xolo Mariduena, who is confident that the film and its themes will resonate across cultures.

With the Warner Bros movie, Mariduena brings to the screen the first iteration of Jaime Reyes, a young college graduate who returns to his family in Palmera City.

He is chosen to become a symbiotic host to the Scarab, an ancient alien biotechnological relic that grants him a powerful exoskeleton armour, turning him into the titular superhero.

Mariduena, who shot to fame with his role as Miguel Diaz in hit Netflix series "Cobra Kai", called "Blue Beetle" the biggest milestone of his nascent career.

"Just to play a superhero in itself, I think, has really been the biggest milestone in my life to date. It's really such an honour. And when you add the cultural aspect to it, I'm so excited to highlight a really positive story on the biggest screen.

"I feel that the story transcends any kind of ethnicity as well. I'm excited for everyone else who isn't necessarily Latino to connect and understand as well," he told PTI in an interview.

At the core of the film is family, an aspect that deeply resonated with the actor, who believes the movie continues the tradition of earlier comics and the TV shows.

"Our director Angel Manuel Soto told me early on, he said, 'Xolo, you got this part because I saw the way that you are with your family, and that is the way Jaime is with his family.'

"His love for his family is pure and honest and I feel much of that myself. And I think it is the biggest similarity that I brought in coming into this project," he said.

Unlike other superheroes, who go by an alter ego to hide their real powers, sometimes even from their families, Reyes has no need for that anonymity and Mariduena, who is of Mexican, Cuban, and Ecuadorian descent, said it was a fun aspect of the story.

"It makes the story feel so much more honest from the very beginning because this character is not having to hide his life from the people that he loves most.

"They're experiencing it with him and I feel like that in my own life. Through happy times, crazy times and sad times, often my family is the one to be there along with me. And the same can be said for Jaime," the 22-year-old actor said.

With the superhero genre getting expanded every year with the addition of new characters, it is difficult to stand apart. But the conflicts and emotions that "Blue Beetle" explores are beyond the usual tropes of the genre, said Mariduena.

"One of the things that I love so much is the conflict of this story. Oftentimes in these movies, we're dealing with things like an alien invasion or a bomb that's gonna explode the world but the conflict that Jaime and his family faces are ones that are so deeply relatable.

"But something in our movie that we brought in was the fact that this 22 year old kid from Palmera City probably loves anime, movies and pop culture," he said.

The actor said there are different references and homages in the film that fans will get to experience and he had fun exploring.

Growing up, Mariduena said he was more into graphic novels but it was his mother who was a superhero genre buff. In fact, he knew about the Blue Beetle because of his mother.

"As a child, she was not necessarily reading nursery rhymes but it was like, 'here is Cyclops and Batman'. So that was very prevalent and because of that, even Blue Beetle, I've known about him as a kid.

"It wasn't that I found out about the character after I took on the role. Blue Beetle already had a presence in my life and it feels like it is coming full circle now," he added.

"Blue Beetle" also stars Adriana Barraza, Damian Alcazar, Raoul Max Trujillo, Susan Sarandon, and George Lopez. The film will be released by Warner Bros India on Friday in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.