Aliases : Jaime Reyes.
Base of Operations : El Paso, TX.
Tag : scarab
Important Plots : None.
Journal(s) : None.
Status : Available

Powers and Abilities : Jaime possesses (or is possessed by) an 'infiltrator' scarab designed by the alien conglomerate known only as 'the Reach'. The scarab is capable of detailed scanning and sensory input, as well as tactical analysis. It is capable of limited reconfiguration to address newly detected threats. Its demonstrated abilities include energy manipulation and flight. It also provides Jaime with heavy-duty armor and enhanced physical strength. When not in use, Jaime can will the scarab to make the combat armor meld into his normal clothing.

History : Jaime Reyes was an ordinary high schooler until he encountered the scarab. A technological artifact of alien design, it had come to Earth thousands of years before. The scarab had been damaged, thanks to misuse and modification by Vandal Savage, who used it and a willing host to attempt to conquer Egypt shortly after its arrival. The damage prevented it from giving Jaime the kind of in-depth information a host would ordinarily receive, so he's been learning as he goes since it bonded to his spine.

Complicating matters considerably is the fact that the architects of the scarab, the Reach, have arrived on Earth and begun to insinuate themselves into the good graces of the world's leaders. Jaime's instincts and the scarab's enhanced sensory powers tell him the Reach is up to no good, but he has no way to prove that - yet.

Jaime has begun to use the abilities of the scarab to fight crime in El Paso. Initially, he thought to use the name Blue Beetle, but when Ted Kord (Blue Beetle II) arrived to clarify that he had not, in fact, retired, Jaime opted to change his crime-fighting moniker to 'the Scarab'. He's also had a few run-ins with Green Lanterns, including Hal Jordan, and discovered that the scarab reacts badly to their presence - and it reacts very badly to the presence of Ted Kord's mystic scarab.

Other Sources :

• Blue Beetle III at the DC Database Project
• Blue Beetle III at Wikipedia

Divergences : Though Jaime emerged in the DCU after our cut-off point, he was incorporated into the community with fairly little change. Perhaps the largest of those changes is his codename - since Ted Kord is still alive and operating as the Blue Beetle, Jaime uses the name 'The Scarab'. Jaime's scarab is not the one that belonged to Daniel Garrett, but a separate artifact. The two scarabs came into conflict in ancient Egypt, and Jaime's scarab seems to react with hostility towards the other.

Disclaimer - unless otherwise noted, all characters are property of DC Comics, used here only for roleplaying purposes.