How Strong Is Blue Beetle Compared To Spider-Man?

DC Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures' "Blue Beetle" has drawn comparisons – flattering and otherwise – to Marvel Studios' "Spider-Man: Homecoming." While both features have a refreshingly youthful tone and a strong focus on family (and are arguably carried by the ineffable floppy-haired charm of their respective underdog heroes), what joins them together closest is their shared comic book premise.

Though the first two Blue Beetles, Ted Kord and Dan Garrett (the latter of whom was teased in the film's post-credits scene), were essentially heroic adventurers that eagerly took on their buggish personas, Jaime Reyes (played by "Cobra Kai" breakout star Xolo Maridueña) was just a normal kid who had supernatural bug-powers thrust upon him — much like the webbed wall-crawler himself, Peter Parker. Whether on the page or the silver screen, what makes these characters so impactful, especially for younger audiences, is the journey they take from the kid they were at the start of the film to the superhero they must become before the credits roll.

Along the way, both Peter and Jaime had to learn to master both the great power and the even greater responsibility thrust upon them – though it's admittedly more fun to watch them wrestle with the latter. In the case of these two young do-gooders, they find their physical strength unbelievably magnified. And, of course, this being comics and all, fans will almost definitely leave the theater debating which of the two is the strongest.

Comparing two superheroes from the same comic book universe is hard enough in and of itself –- just ask the users of r/respectthreads. On this subreddit, those with a seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of specific characters debate and collaborate to assess the limits of a hero's power based on established feats (their research on Blue Beetle and Spider-Man proved invaluable here). Comparing two heroes from two separate universes is nearly impossible.

In terms of physical strength alone, the numbers may lead you astray. The general (and unverified) consensus online seems to be that Jaime Reyes is capable of lifting at least 20 tons (or about 40,000 lbs.). If you compare this to the official Marvel handbook, which says Peter Parker can lift a maximum of just 10 tons, you'd justifiably infer that Blue Beetle is at least twice as strong as Spider-Man. On the other hand, if you ignore those somewhat arbitrary stats and dive into their respective feats, Jaime's 15 years of action can't hope to compare to what Peter has been written to accomplish in the decades since he was created. (In various existential events spanning planets, dimensions, and planes of reality, Spider-Man's strength was essentially scaled depending on the needs of the story).

However, if you strictly consider what the Webhead is capable of as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, Blue Beetle might just have him beat. Though they've both thrown their fair share of cars and fought some monstrous foes, only Jaime was able to resist a being as powerful as Giganta through strength alone. Whether or not that means he could beat Spider-Man in a fight... we'll leave that to the fans to argue about.