To director Angel Manuel Soto and lead actor Xolo Maridueña, the film was the perfect opportunity to showcase Latino culture, particularly the importance of family.

“One of the things that we really wanted to do with the cast was to be able to be as authentic as we can. We wanted to tap into almost three generations. We wanted to see the first immigrant family,” Soto said via IGN. “Not the Hallmark cookie-cutter Latinos. Something that feels like, ‘Yeah. That's my uncle. I can totally relate to those [characters].’”

The director added that while he hopes the movie "starts a conversation that allows us to be part of a global community and embrace each other's differences in a way that's exciting," he stressed that “we are not a genre and we're not a buzzword either."

"It is a superhero movie that happens to have a Latino at the forefront. That's it," Soto said.

To Maridueña, who plays Jaime, a key aspect of the movie is that Jaime's family is alongside him on his journey. While many superhero stories rely on their protagonist keeping their identity secret from their loved ones, Jaime's family witnesses his first transformation into the Blue Beetle.

“To come through this journey together is something that we haven't seen before in superhero movies and that really is the beating heart of this movie,” Maridueña said. “Whether or not you're Latino, it transcends ethnicity, it transcends color or skin because that's something that we can all relate [to]."

He added: "The most exciting part is that although it is undeniably or unapologetically Latino, everyone will understand Milagros. Everyone understands Jaime because they're the people who we've interacted with in our daily life and the problems that they're facing are problems that we know.”

If fans want to see more diverse characters in mainstream blockbusters, Soto said that they can support media that already includes them, and that their viewership will encourage studios to take on more progressive projects.

“If you'll help us and this movie becomes a massive f--king hit, we're going to see a lot of those [characters]. That's what needs to happen," he said. "If we want to see more variety and really celebrate differences, celebrate culture, celebrate other worlds because it's fun. The lores are so spectacular. The only way is by supporting movies. Supporting a movie like this.”

Blue Beetle opens exclusively in movie theaters on August 18.