There’s nothing cooler than seeing an actor you’ve loved for a while breaking big. We’ve seen this happen many times before as beloved actors with dedicated fans get cast as major superheroes, and the latest performer to join that list is Cobra Kai’s own Xolo Maridueña. While fans of the Netflix hit have been aware of the young actor for a long time now, a whole new fanbase is about to become aware of him as he leads DC’s upcoming movie Blue Beetle, and fans of the Karate Kid spin-off are pumped about it.
We got our first glimpse of Maridueña in Blue Beetle’s trailer, and there were elements of Jaime Reyes that were giving major Miguel Diaz energy, and fans of Cobra Kai couldn’t help but enthusiastically point them out. While there are for sure personality traits the two characters share, like their charming yet awkward sense of humor, some of the action in Blue Beetle is also reminiscent of the karate we know and love from the Netflix series. For example, @seann_draws posted:
BRO GOT THAT COBRA KAI KICK IN THERE pic.twitter.com/EngHgEUxYBApril 3, 2023
Others, like @TheKillingBloke, pointed out that they have thought Xolo Maridueña would be the perfect fit for this character for a long time because of his role in the Cobra Kai cast.
For us Cobra Kai fans there’s for sure a sense of pride seeing Maridueña in an even bigger role. He’s such a great actor, and an action star, so seeing him in such a massive movie like Blue Beetle is exciting, as @EEvisu posted:
Others who have been fans of the Karate Kid spin-off since day one are shocked that people are only now starting to recognize Xolo Maridueña even though Cobra Kai is going into Season 6, and has been a hit for years. @peredhel_ had this opinion, posting:
My boy Xolo Maridueña hasn’t played Miguel in Cobra Kai for 6 Seasons for y’all to just recognise him NOW! He is the heart of that show and a new gen of Karate Kid icons! pic.twitter.com/smXYmn4mMeApril 4, 2023
Many fans are also stoked about Maridueña joining the DC Universe because of the “Latino crew” behind the upcoming movie. @bry_brother tweeted about this topic, posting:
Let's go blue beetle has George Lopez and xolo mariduena from Cobra Kai and has a Latino crew behind it #DC #BlueBeetle pic.twitter.com/KwMQf5elUzApril 3, 2023
Overall, it’s extremely exciting to see Xolo Maridueña as the leading man of DC’s Blue Beetle, and after watching him in Cobra Kai he’s clearly the perfect person to play this hero. We’ll have to wait a bit longer before we can see the superhero in all his glory. However, as we count down the days to August 18, you can go back and watch the actor in Seasons 1 through 5 of Cobra Kai with a Netflix subscription, and you can check out our 2023 movie schedule to plan your next trip to the movie theater.