Theodore Kord (New Earth)



Real Name: Theodore Kord Nicknames: Ted Former Aliases: No known former aliases Other Current Aliases: No other known current aliases

Status
Occupation: Inventor, crimefighter Legal Status: Deceased Identity: Secret Marital Status: Marital status unknown Group Affiliation: Formerly Justice League of America; Formerly The L.A.W.; Formerly Super Buddies Base of Operations: Chicago, Illinois; Formerly New York City

Origin
Ted Kord was a student of archaeology professor Dan Garrett, secretly the superhero known as Blue Beetle. When Ted's uncle Jarvis set out to conquer the world, Ted recruited Dan to help stop him. In the course of the adventure, Dan died, but not before asking Ted to take up the Blue Beetle legacy, which Ted did.

Place of Birth: Chicago, Illinois Place of Death: Checkmate base, Switzerland Known Relatives: Jarvis Kord (uncle) First Appearance: CAPTAIN ATOM Vol. 1 #83 (1966) (Published by Charlton Comics), (first DC Comics appearance) Crisis on Infinite Earths #1, 1985 Final Appearance: Countdown to Infinite Crisis #1, April 2005

History
Growing up, Ted was extraordinarily bright. He was good at science, business, and everything else he tried. He thought he would join his father's business, Kord Omniversal Research and Development, Inc, of Chicago, but had no real direction in life.

When Ted's uncle made an attempt to take over the world, Ted set out to stop him, recruiting the help of his archaeology teacher Dan Garrett - the first Blue Beetle, who could call on superhuman powers from an ancient scarab he had found in Bialya. In the course of the adventure, Dan was fatally wounded, and passed the scarab onto Ted, who promised the dying Garrett that he would carry on his work.

Despite Ted's best efforts, however, he was unable to make the Scarab work for him, and elected to go ahead without it. He trained to his physical peak, constructed an aerial vehicle affectionately nicknamed the "Bug", made himself a Blue Beetle costume, and set out to establish his own identity as a superhero, using his wit, agility, and a large number of gadgets to stop evildoers. After his father's company was destroyed, Ted left permanently to make his name in the superhero business. He eventually lost the Scarab during the turmoil of the Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Ted joined the Justice League as it was being reformed in the wake of Operation Humiliation, and often served as the pilot for the League's many vehicles. As part of the JLI, Ted met and befriended Booster Gold. The two had their differences, but served together for many years and had a bond that went beyond their wisecracks and buffoonery.

Ted's mouth and sense of humor often got him into trouble with other members of the League, especially the women. Behind his jokes was a sincerity of heart, the knowledge of his responsibility as the Blue Beetle, and a desire to make the world safer for all.

Ted also spent part of his time as a solo superhero. It was during one of these periods that the Blue Beetle Scarab resurfaced, apparently having reanimated Dan Garrett and sent him on a crazed rampage. Ted managed to destroy the Scarab and give Dan his final rest.

Following his time on the League, Ted went into business, eventually re-establishing Kord Omniversal. He also came into possession of Dan Garrett's Scarab, which Hawkman had rediscovered in a Middle Eastern pyramid, miraculously restored. However, the Scarab was now inert, and did not respond to Ted.

Then a shipment of Kryptonite was stolen from one of Kord Omniversal's warehouses. Ted's various friends and allies looked into it for a while, but soon returned to their own lives. If that hadn't been enough, Ted was then mugged by a gang of Madmen.

With Booster's help, Ted set out to investigate the Kryptonite theft. In so doing, he unwittingly ran up against the shadows of the impending Infinite Crisis. During the course of his investigations, he lost the Scarab to the wizard Shazam, saw Booster blasted by a bolt of energy from Brother Eye, which landed Booster in hospital, and witnessed the beginning of the Rann-Thanagar War.

On the trail of his last remaining lead - a bug placed on him by the Madmen - Ted tracked the signal from the bug to Checkmate headquarters in Switzerland, where he discovered a series of files that held the identities of all of Earth's heroes. There, he confronted the mastermind behind Checkmate - its Black King, and Ted's one-time friend, Maxwell Lord, who planned to kill Earth's metahumans using Brother Eye and the OMACs, making the planet safe for humanity. Seizing his opportunity when Checkmate's files were unexpectedly deleted, Ted made a break for it - but was brutally beaten by an OMAC and locked up. After being offered a chance to change sides by Max, he told Max to "rot in hell" and was shot and killed by his former ally.

Post-Infinite Crisis
Barbara Gordon, who had been a close friend of Ted's, established a memorial in his name, with further plans on the way.

The Blue Beetle name survived, too; Hispanic teenager Jaime Reyes became the new guardian of the Blue Beetle Scarab, following in Dan and Ted's footsteps as the third Blue Beetle.

Characteristics
Height: 5'11" (1.80 m) Weight: 184 lbs (83 kg) Eyes: Blue Hair: Brown Unusual Features: No unusual features

Powers
Known Powers: No known powers. Known Abilities: Genius intellect, accomplished athlete, gifted inventor, skilled at espionage. Strength Level: Gifted athlete

Miscellaneous
Equipment: No known equipment. Transportation: The Bug, a multi-purpose beetle-shaped craft, capable of operating in air and water, with a number of devices built in. Weapons: Ted's 'Beetle Gun' could produce a blinding flash or a blast of compressed air.

Trivia

 * Blue Beetle once met recording artist Stevie Wonder during a "JLI for Africa" charity function.

Related Articles

 * Blue Beetle appearances
 * Blue Beetle gallery
 * Blue Beetle (Dan Garrett)
 * Blue Beetle Scarab
 * Bialya
 * Earth-Four