Blue Beetle star Xolo Maridueña didn’t think he’d return to DC, until James Gunn called him out of the blue.

Maridueña first played his character Jaime Reyes in 2023’s Blue Beetle, but, since that was part of the old DCEU, there was some doubt whether he’d return – even though Gunn said Blue Beetle was the first DCU character.

“There’s never a guarantee with anything, bro,” Maridueña told Variety. “I mean, you know this, stuff flips on a dime, and I know that it’s not always like a merit-based system. So, there’s so much that’s out of my control, but I am just the most humbled of James and the greater DC team for folding us in, Indiana Jones style.”

He also explained how he learned he was set to return. “I was in Japan with my friends; nobody knew anything,” he shared. “And I just see, like, the Bat-phone, my phone rings [and it’s] James Gunn. All my friends look at me, and I had to leave the room. I came back, and I was like, ‘Off the record, don’t tell anyone, but we’re coming back,’ and I’m so excited for people to see where Blue Beetle ends up.”

Maridueña will return in Man of Tomorrow, a quasi-sequel to Superman that will see David Corenswet’s Clark Kent forced to team up with his nemesis Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), against the much bigger threat of Braniac (Lars Eidinger).

The rest of the cast includes Milly Alcock as Supergirl, Lanterns star Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, and Adria Arjona as Maxima (though fans think she’s Wonder Woman).

Man of Tomorrow arrives on July 9, 2027. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and shows for everything else that’s on the way.