Black Beetle

Black Beetle is an agent of the Reach. He was given that sobriquet by Wonder Girl.

Personality
Black Beetle is a cold, sadistic being that cares little for humans—which he derogatorily calls "meat"—other than as test subjects or slaves. He ruthlessly neutralized beings that were no longer useful to his purposes, engaged in mass murder, and took particular pleasure in physically brutalizing his enemies. Despite this, he was willing to save Shimmer from drowning, perhaps as a gesture of gratitude for her loyalty to him.

Physical appearance
Black Beetle's alien exoskeleton is similar to Blue Beetle's, with the exceptions of its color and bulkier appearance.

History
Black Beetle infiltrated the Malina Island base while the Kroloteans and Manta Troopers were locked in battle with the Justice League and the Team. He planted a bomb at the lower levels of the base, close to the Krolotean spacecraft. When Kaldur informed him that the base was infiltrated and the operation should be aborted, he informed Kaldur that the bomb was already primed, and that he had five minutes to evacuate before the bomb explodes.

Black Beetle and Sportsmaster were watching the Appellaxian Golem attack the Arlington Nuclear Power Plant. Because the golem seemed prepared to ally itself with Blue Beetle and Superboy, Black Beetle chose to destroy the golem with a special sonic ray that caused the creature to explode.

In a Reach ship, Black Beetle arrived in the laboratory housing Jaime Reyes and his scarab. He joined in the discussion between the Scientist and the Ambassador, noting that the scientist enjoyed playing with the "meat". Later, he suggested that the Scientist reboot the faulty scarab implanted on Jaime's back. Doing so would necessitate a forced excision which would kill Jaime, but was not a concern to Black Beetle as there were plentiful of hosts.

When the Team invaded the ship to liberate the abductees, Black Beetle accosted them in the docking bay and sealed them in. He sadistically laughed at Wonder Girl's threats to rough him up. He proceeded to take out the assembled Team members Wonder Girl, Superboy, Robin, Lagoon Boy, and Bumblebee. He was about to engage Batgirl when Blue Beetle opened the hatches. Both beetles fought evenly, but their final exchange blasted both combatants apart. By then the room was flooding with water, forcing Black Beetle to allow Blue Beetle to escape when he rescued Shimmer from drowning by sealing the ship.

Powers and abilities

 * Super strength: Black Beetle has incredible strength, easily overpowering both Superboy and Wonder Girl in battle.

Equipment

 * Durability: The armor grants Black Beetle enhanced durability. This is supported when he is attacked multiple times by Superboy, Wondergirl, and Lagoon Boy, who possess super strength; Robin and Batgirl, using their batarangs and tasers; and Bumblebee firing stings, but shows little to no sign of pain.
 * Technological control: Black Beetle's armor is able to manipulate technology upon contact and alter its functions. For instance, when he shifted the density of a door to trap Miss Martian between both sides while density shifting.
 * Transformation: Black Beetle's armor is capable of transforming instantaneously on command. Notable features include a plasma cannon, electrodes, staple gun, scythe blades, long punching arms from the hips, and a sonic cannon.

Background in other media

 * In the comics, the name "Black Beetle" is used by a Blue Beetle villain from the future. He is not affiliated with the Reach. This Black Beetle's appearance and function more closely resemble Dawur, the military commander of the Reach invasion in the Blue Beetle comic series.