This episode, though, has very little Batman; he appears almost by obligation. It is instead all about Jaimie Reyes, a.k.a. the Blue Beetle, the only hero who has shown up on the show almost as often as Batman's rival, the Green Arrow. A rookie hero voiced by BATMAN BEYOND/KIM POSSIBLE star Will Friedle empowered by his alien armor, Jaimie is still getting used to the idea of being a superhero and is having a debate in El Paso with his buddy, Paco (Jason Marsden). Arguing over the true origin of the Green Lantern, Jaimie gets it almost right, although his friend Paco dismisses the idea that a green lantern ring could somehow "choose" a "worthy" person, instead attributing it to luck and circumstance. This offends Jaimie in ways his friend does not know, as the young Reyes is seeking a reason for why he was empowered by the scarab.
In the teaser, which ties into the entire episode, set two years ago, sees Batman teamed up with the former Blue Beetle, Ted Kord. Voiced by Wil Weaton (best known for ST:TNG but also a voice actor, who has played Aqualad on TEEN TITANS among other roles), this is the first time Ted has appeared in any animation, despite his pal Booster Gold managing to show up in JLU. The design for Beetle here is spot-on to Ditko's and the dynamic he has with Batman is interesting. Unlike Green Arrow, who has a rivalry with Batman in trying to "top" him, and unlike the modern comics, where Batman usually dismissed Kord as a clown, on this show the duo are more like peers, comparing notes on their various gadgets and weapons. Both, of course, share a few similarities. A death of someone close to them inspires them. Lacking super-powers, they both rely on their own combat knowledge and an arsenal of themed gadgets. While Kord has more of a sense of humor than Batman, ol' Bats isn't unaccustomed to the Beetle himself. Of course, knowing the modern comics and so forth, we know that Kord's story doesn't have a happy ending.
Interupting a fight against Dr. Polaris (Lex Lang), a villain who just showed up in the BLUE BEETLE comic (which has been canceled after 36 issues, the last of which should ship next month), Blue Beetle implores Batman to tell him more about the prior Blue Beetle and more about the scarab. His Batarang full with trying to tackle a magnetic supervillain (whose design here is MUCH better than the moldie-oldie design that JLU trucked out for it's last season), Batman dismisses Reyes, who strikes out on his own. Finding the headquarters of the prior Blue Beetle, as well as his dust-covered gadgets and "Bug" multi-function hovercraft, Reyes hacks the software to return to the last place where Ted Kord went. Convinced that he will either find answers, or the last generation's Beetle, Reyes strikes out, ignoring a warning from Batman (who actually was almost apologetic; what IS this show's Batman? He almost acts human!).
Reyes winds up at an island full of Blue Beetle themed robots and a bearded man, who claims to be Ted Kord himself. It is in fact Jarvis Kord, voiced by Tim Matheson (who sounds enough like Wheaton to make the trick work for a bit). In fact Ted Kord's uncle, he convinces Jaimie that he was chosen specifically as the Blue Beetle and that his armada of robots is out to cure the world's ills, if only he uses the scarab to empower them. Satisfied, Reyes complies, unaware that Batman's memories of his last team-up with Ted Kord reveal that they were trying to stop a masked man from utilizing the scarab for evil purposes. When Reyes stumbles across the weaponry of the robots, he finally realizes that Jarvis is hardly on the level. Seemingly defeated, he and Batman have to team up to save the day, and the world.
Considering Ted's murder at the hands of Max Lord in the comics (COUNTDOWN TO INFINITE CRISIS, circa 2005), I was curious how the demise of the prior Blue Beetle would be handled. Aside for the detail about the ending (to make it fit into the episode better), the origin is very faithful to both DC comics and even the material that Steve Ditko wrote for the character in CHARLTON COMICS, circa 1967. Inspired by the death of the "Golden Age" Blue Beetle, Dan Garret, Ted was unable to access the scarab but instead utilizes his own smarts and cunning to become a superhero. His uncle Jarvis sought to take over Hub City with his army of robots, which Ted sacrificed himself to stop via a rocket. Batman had kept this from Jaimie because he was unaware how the youth would handle the fact that "not all heroes have happy endings". Hey, that's damn hardcore for a "light" series.
Sufficiently motivated by the revelation, Reyes utilizes his powers and a little smarts to blow up the island and save the world. Inspired by the fact that the alien scarab only opened completely for Reyes (Garret only obtained enhanced strength from it, and Kord was unable to access it at all), Reyes feels better about his origins, and wins approval from Batman.
Reyes in the comics spent, oh, about a year and a half searching for his true origins to get to this point, and at times it drug on, so I don't mind this 22 minute version. I will be curious if we ever get to see his ally, Peacemaker.
There is, of course, a chance for a Beetle duo appearance, as Ted Kord's body was conveniently never found. That would be frickin' AWESOME.
While the show is about Batman, this episode provided a key cog in the character growth of the new Blue Beetle. Some wonder how his now-canceled book will react to the increased media attention. I simply am enjoying a DC cartoon that seems to value a lot of B, C, and D list heroes, rather than giving us Superman or Wonder Woman all the time; Batman is the biggest hero who appears on the show, and he doesn't always hog the episodes, either. Above all, I am actually getting used to a Batman who is more of a superhero than a night-time vigilante and it isn't boring to me. Batman has been a traditional superhero for just as long as he was a DARK KNIGHT RETURNS style brooder, after all; only this time without the burden of bad animation, terrible lines, and being legally deputized. Even the bit with the evil uncle, Jarvis Kord, is straight from the Ditko written/drawn pages of the CHALTON COMICS; between this and SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN, people in the biz are sure showing Ditko's stuff some love on TV.
