Warner Bros. dropped the official Blue Beetle trailer this week, sparking more interest in the rather obscure DC Comics character. While the film will focus on the third iteration of Blue Beetle, Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña), some viewers might be surprised by just how many references there are to his predecessor, Ted Kord. In the comics, Ted was the second character to take on the mantle of the Blue Beetle. Previously, a rumor suggested that Jason Sudeikis would play Ted in the film, but that theory has since been debunked, and there is no evidence of Kord appearing in Blue Beetle.
DC Comics recently raised eyebrows by revealing that Ted has a sister: Victoria Kord. As seen in the Blue Beetle trailer, Victoria (Susan Sarandon) will be the main villain of the film. Meanwhile, a character named Jenny Kord (Bruna Marquezine) will appear in Blue Beetle and is also related to Ted, though it hasn’t been confirmed if she’s his sister, niece, or daughter. The business Ted created, Kord Industries, will also play a big role in the film, as Victoria is now the CEO of her brother’s business.
Even if he isn’t physically appearing in the film, Blue Beetle has numerous connections to Ted and prominently features his family and his business, so it might be helpful to understand his comic book history and why he’s so important. Here’s everything you need to know about Ted’s stint as the Blue Beetle.
Who is Ted Kord in DC Comics?
Since childhood, Ted Kord boasted a genius-level intellect and impressive athletic skills. As a young man, he took over his father’s small research and development company, Kord Omniversal Research, and transformed it into a bustling advanced technology and science laboratory called Kord Industries. While still in college, Kord met his mentor and the first Blue Beetle, Dan Garrett, who acquired his powers through a blue scarab he found in Bialya.
When Garrett tragically passed away, Kord took up his superhero mantle. For reasons unknown, however, the scarab never bonded with Kord as it did with Garrett, and later, Reyes. As a result, Kord was the only Blue Beetle who relied on his own inventions instead of alien technology to fight crime.
During his superhero career, Kord became best friends with Michael Jon Carter (a.k.a. Booster Gold). Together, they were known as Blue and Gold. Despite his keen intellect, Kord sometimes stooped to Booster Gold’s level with his wisecracking personality and interest in fame and fortune schemes. This often led to him struggling to maintain control of Kord Industries and finding himself short on money. It also made Kord a rather difficult hero for the Justice League to work with. However, he proved himself a true hero when he was killed while trying to stop former Justice League member Maxwell Lord from using Kord Industries’ resources to kill Metahumans.
Despite being resurrected a few times, Kord remained deceased until 2016, when DC Rebirth rebooted the DC universe and brought Ted back to life. It’s difficult to determine which timeline the new Blue Beetle film will follow. If it goes with the original Blue Beetle storyline, Kord will likely be deceased. This would explain how Victoria became the CEO of Kord Industries and why the scarab was seeking another host to bond with. However, given that Kord’s death was recently retconned in the comics, Blue Beetle could still feature an appearance from him.
After all, with a Booster Gold series on the horizon, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to give Kord his DCU debut in Blue Beetle and bring the iconic Blue and Gold duo to the small screen down the line.
(featured image: DC Comics)
