Blue Beetle, a.k.a. Jaime Reyes is the next somewhat "unknown" DC character to get a movie of his own, but he's not a new hero. Debuting in the mid-2000s, the third Blue Beetle has been one of DC Comics' premiere young characters, and easily one of the most popular legacy characters. In this way, Jaime's very much similar to a fellow "bug superhero" from rival publisher Marvel Comics.
Miles Morales has definitely made a big impact in the world of comic books and other mediums. It's easy to compare Jaime Reyes to Miles, since both are up-and-coming legacy heroes. Nevertheless, Jaime actually surpasses Miles in one pivotal area, and this makes him even better when it comes to becoming a beloved mainstream hero.
DC and Marvel's Best Young Heroes are Very Similar
It's easy to see why some fans and even mainstream audiences might compare Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle and Miles Morales/Spider-Man. Though coming from different cultures, both are Hispanic. Jaime is Mexican-American and Miles is half Puerto Rican. They both have bug themes in their superhero aliases, though beetles are actually insects, whereas spiders are arachnids. Both of their costumes incorporate the color black, despite the other color mentioned in Blue Beetle's name. Even the character's masks/helmets have a similar aesthetic, comprising expressive eyes amid a sea of black. Both Miles and Jaime are legacy characters who made their debut after the deaths of their predecessors. For instance, Miles became a hero after the Ultimate Universe Peter Parker was seemingly killed, while Jaime Reyes found the alien Scarab after the events of Countdown to Infinite Crisis. Therein lies perhaps the biggest difference between them.
Ironically, Spider-Man and the second Blue Beetle share a co-creator (artist Steve Ditko). Spider-Man is easily Marvel's biggest character, and Ultimate Spider-Man became the most popular part of the sometimes controversial Ultimate Universe. Having him killed and then subsequently replaced so soon was itself contentious. To this day, Miles struggles with filling this role, namely in the eyes of some fans. On the other hand, Blue Beetle has always been something of a second-string superhero. Specifically, Jaime's predecessor Ted Kord was an almost humorous joke character. This made him hard to take seriously amid the bigger heroes in the DC Universe, but Jaime's bigger scope and powers allowed him to truly move out of Kord's shadow.
Jaime Reyes Is Better Than Miles Morales for One Major Reason
Unlike Miles Morales, Jaime Reyes is fairly removed from the mythos of his predecessor. This is due to the cosmic nature of the Scarab Khaji Da, which was created by the alien Reach species. Thus, Jaime's threats are far beyond the street-level foes who vexed Ted Kord and the Golden Age Blue Beetle Dan Garrett. Jaime's enemies include El Paso gang leader La Dama, fellow agents of the Reach and other incredibly powerful metahumans. This is why the upcoming Blue Beetle can establish Jaime while only winking at Garrett and Kord's legacy. Jaime is both the third Blue Beetle and almost independent of those who also held the mantle. Dan Garrett also used the Scarab once, but this has rarely factored into Jaime's life.
On the opposite end of this spectrum is Miles Morales, who very much needs Peter Parker to exist. Outside his uncle Aaron Davis/The Prowler, Miles lacks much in the way of his own rogues' gallery or mythos. He typically fights foes who've already faced Peter Parker, and even his most popular love interest is just an alternate reality version of Peter's first love. This makes Miles too dependent on the "real" Spider-Man to ever be seen as anything but a second-best alternative. There's simply not enough content to define Miles on his own, despite having over 10 years of comics under his belt. Jaime has been around for almost 20 years, but in his original comic book run, he faced several villains who had nothing to do with Ted Kord. If anything, he had more connection to the Green Lantern Corps, since the Reach were their mortal enemies. This has allowed Jaime to flourish in a narrative way that Miles hasn't, and it should definitely help Jaime succeed in outside media.