15. Appearing in three separate iterations of the character, Blue Beetle was one of the earliest comic book creations, debuting alongside Superman and Batman, yet has been persistently overlooked by modern cinema
Created by Charles Nicholas Wojtkoski, Blue Beetle was first introduced to readers in Mystery Men Comics #1 in 1939. The son of a police officer killed in the line of duty, Dan Garrett followed his father into the force to fight crime. Originally working without any accouterments, Garrett acquired a bulletproof costume and access to a mysterious compound known as “Vitamin 2X“. Capable of granting him temporarily great strength and stamina, the character was initially immensely popular. His fame was sufficiently great that, in 1940, the New York’s World Fair held a “Blue Beetle Day” in which 300 children competed in a relay-race final at the Field of Special Events.
Redesigned in 1964, following the purchasing of the rights to the character by Charlton Comics, the character ceased to be fueled by drugs but instead by a mystical scarab discovered during an archaeological dig. Retiring Garrett after Charlton Comics was subsequently sold to DC Comics, the character was rebooted using one of his proteges: Ted Kord. Joining the Justice League, Blue Beetle remained a marginal, but nonetheless noteworthy figure throughout many of the iconic DC arcs including the Infinite Earths storyline and Extreme Justice spinoff series. Overlooked by modern continuities, the debut of the historic character in the film is long overdue.