10 Best New DC Characters Of The 21st Century

10. Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes)

Introduced in 2006's Infinite Crisis, Jaime Reyes became the third person to assume to alias of Blue Beetle, following the death of Ted Kord, and brought an energising sense of diversity to the universe through his Hispanic descent. In contrast to his predecessors, Jaime's identity as the Blue Beetle is based on extraterrestrial technology - until it is retconned as being magical in Rebirth - where the scarab on his back acts as a semi-sentient armour and weaponry.

The binding of alien technology and its connection to the villainous world conquerors - the Reach - gave the Blue Beetle mythos a much needed refreshment. The scarab's connection with the Reach intertwines both them and Blue Beetle with the Green Lantern Corps due to the former's conflict with them. In doing so, Blue Beetle immediately felt immersed in an already well-developed universe and became and entry way for new readers to experience the DC cosmos.

Outside of the comics, Jaime Reyes was heavily featured in Young Justice: Invasion, in which the Reach worked hard to resume control of Blue Beetle's scarab and dominate Earth. The series was hugely popular with fans, relating with Jaime Reyes' search for identity and place in the world.

Although he has been primarily absent since the cancellation of his series, it's only a matter of time a character as interesting as Jaime Reyes is brought back into the fold.