Jaime Reyes

Jaime Reyes was a relatively normal high school student in El Paso, Texas. His father owned an auto repair shop, his mother was a paramedic, and his little sister was a spoiled brat. Jaime hung out with his two best friends, Brenda and Paco, the mediator between the hardworking Brenda and the quiet Paco. According to Brenda and Paco, he was a good friend, the kind of person who let them be themselves and who could always make things better. Jaime tried to help his father at the auto repair shop, but Alberto refused, not wanting to see his son grow up too fast.

Everything fell apart with the start of the Infinite Crisis.

The blue beetle Some time before, Ted Kord, the second Blue Beetle, had obtained the Blue Beetle, the artifact that had granted powers to Dan Garrett, the first Blue Beetle. It was believed that the Beetle had been destroyed early in Ted's superhero career, but it was discovered intact in a pyramid in the Middle East. Ted lost the Beetle during a visit to the Rock of Eternity, home of the wizard Shazam. Shortly afterward, he was killed by Maxwell Lord, the Black King of Checkmate.

The Rock of Eternity was later destroyed in a mystical battle between Shazam and the Spectre, and its contents exploded across the world. The Blue Scarab fell in El Paso, leaving fire and omens in its wake.

Jaime Reyes 01Jaime discovers the blue beetle. Jaime discovered the Beetle on his way home from school with Paco and Brenda, half-buried in an abandoned lot. He took it home, curious to know what it could be. That night, the Beetle came to life and grafted itself onto the base of Jaime's spine, causing him to have strange dreams.

He also got into trouble with a local gang of magical metahumans called the Posse. Mistaking him for a magical metahuman, they tried to magically scan him and invite him to join. Jaime declined the offer, while the Beetle had no intention of joining.