Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for DC's Blue Beetle
Summary
- Blue Beetle introduces promethium, a powerful fictional metal in the DCU with ties to major heroes and villains, setting up potential storylines in the new DCU.
- Promethium is a rare and indestructible metal that can store infinite energy, making it dangerous and capable of creating deadly weapons.
- Promethium's ties to Cyborg and Deathstroke suggest that new versions of these characters could be explored in the DCU, providing redemption and expanded story arcs.
Thanks to Blue Beetle, the new DCU has just introduced its own version of Marvel's adamantium. While adamantium in the Marvel Universe is most well-known for its ties to Wolverine, this new fictional metal in the DCU has connections to both a major hero and one of the biggest villains in the original DC Comics. As such, it's possible that some initial set-up may have begun in DC Studios' newest movie.
According to DC Studios' James Gunn, Jaime Reyes' Blue Beetle (played by Xolo Maridueña) is the DCU's first hero, meaning that the events of his first adventure and potential future will be taking place in the new universe envisioned by Gunn and Safran beginning in earnest with Gunn's Superman: Legacy releasing in 2025. However, it's possible that seeds are already being sown for new heroes and villains in Blue Beetle. Here's what you need to know about DC's promethium and what it may potentially set up in the DCU's future.
Blue Beetle Confirms Promethium In The DCU
As seen in 2023's Blue Beetle, Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon) took over Kord Industries in her brother Ted's absence (the Blue Beetle before the Scarab bonded with Jaime Reyes). Returning the company to its roots as a weapons manufacturer, Victoria is seeking to reverse-engineer the power of the Scarab to create her own weaponized suits known as OMAC, an abbreviation for One Man Army Corps in the new DC movie. However, it's also confirmed in Blue Beetle via a promotional video for Kord Industries that the company owns a series of promethium mines, a fictional metal in the DC Universe from the original comics.
Unlike the real-world element, promethium in the DC Universe is a fictional metal with all sorts of abilities. First and foremost, promethium is quite rare as an indestructible metal. Likewise, it also has the ability to store an infinite amount of energy, making it incredibly dangerous in the wrong hands as it could be used to create all sorts of deadly energy weapons and such. To that end, DC's promethium can exist in two states as either depleted or volatile depending on its energy absorption, and volatile promethium has been known to trigger latent metagenes as well.
Blue Beetle's Promethium Sets Up Cyborg & Deathstroke
The truly exciting thing about promethium is its ties to both Victor Stone's Cyborg and Slade Wilson's Deathstroke in the DC Universe. When depleted, promethium can be alloyed with other metals such as titanium to create nearly-indestructible armor. This is what Cyborg's armor and the majority of his robotic comments are made out of in the comics following his accident and his father's attempt to save his life.
At the same time, volatile promethium and its ability to store massive levels of energy make it a perfect power source for deadly energy weapons. Likewise, Deathstroke's armor and weapons such as his sword and staff and partly made from volatile promethium, though his accelerated healing factor allows him to counteract its deadlier effects. As a result, Deathstroke's gear is quite unique, aiding in his reputation as one of the most dangerous assassins in the DC Universe.
With the new DCU on the horizon, it would be very cool to see new versions of Cyborg and Deathstroke who'll likely be recast and given new arcs in the new universe compared to what was seen in the prior DCEU. To that end, both characters deserved far more screen time than either of them received. Perhaps the DCU will be able to provide some much-needed redemption for such a major hero and villain.
How Powerful Is Promethium?
As confirmed by the cosmic character known as Access in 1996's DC vs Marvel crossover, promethium exists as an equivalent to Marvel's adamantium. This provides an idea of how powerful and indestructible promethium is, and it's even been suggested in the original comics that Superman is unable to break it. Furthermore, the infinite energy absorption makes promethium both useful and incredibly dangerous, be it on the page or screen. In this regard, DC's promethium can be compared to Marvel's vibranium as well. Either way, it will be interesting to see if promethium and the characters it potentially sets up will have a future beyond Blue Beetle.
