Exploring the Blue Beetle vs. Ant-Man debate: Which came first? Explained

DC's Blue Beetle was released on August 15, 2023, by Warner Bros. Pictures. It has been doing well at the box office so far, but since it was made with a budget of $104 million, it's going to be hard for it to break even. Both fans and critics have showered the film with praise; however, in recent weeks, it has been accused of ripping off a Marvel movie.

Fans couldn't help but notice the similarities between Blue Beetle and the Marvel superhero Ant-Man. The Ant-Man franchise has released three films so far: Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Both superheroes were inspired by real-life insects, and even though they look similar on the surface, there are major differences in their characteristics and goals.

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Did Blue Beetle come first or Ant-Man?

An Instagram user, who went by the name of @fantasciguy, recently posted a video where he said that he enjoyed watching DC's Blue Beetle. However, he then revealed that the film was shockingly similar to the Marvel superhero Ant-Man.

Even fans were stunned at how these similarities had not been noticed before. The user started off by saying,

“Blue Beetle is one of the best DC movies I’ve seen in a long time but maybe I’m just biased because I really like superhero movies…”

And went on to mention everything that was common between both superheroes. He said that both Blue Beatle and Antman had the same conflicts of interest. Both were ordinary people willing to make the lives of their families better; they got fired from their jobs, accidentally became bug-inspired superheroes, etc.

One user under the original post said that Ant-Man's idea had been copied from Blue Beatle. He stated that the latter was introduced in 1939, while Ant-Man saw the light in 1962. He also added that Marvel had been stealing ideas from DC for a long time.

However, it is important for fans to know that there is one major difference between both characters. Ant-Man's motivation to fight is because he knows that he is a savior and the entire planet depends on his actions. On the other hand, Blue Beetle, aka Jaime Reyes, goes on an unexpected adventure. He does not feel the pressure of saving the world like Ant-Man. He is just a college-going student who just wants to have fun.

It would be wrong to say one of them copied the other because, in the tightly knit world of comic books, the overlapping of characters is a normal phenomenon.

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Blue Beetle synopsis

The official synopsis of the film, according to its trailer on YouTube, reads,

"Recent college grad Jaime Reyes returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose in the world, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab."

It further states,

"When the Scarab suddenly chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he is bestowed with an incredible suit of armor capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the Super Hero BLUE BEETLE."

The film stars Xolo Maridueña, Adriana Barraza, Damián Alcázar, Elpidia Carrillo, Bruna Marquezine, and several others.