Ted Kord

: "Hello? Whoever opened my computer, can you tell my friend, Jaime that im still alive."
: ―Ted Kord[src]
Theodore "Ted" Kord is the son and successor of Thomas Kord as CEO of Kord Industries. Inspired by Khaji-Da and his deceased wife, Kord became a vigilante in Palmera City known as Blue Beetle, until his eventual disappearance.
== Biography ==
=== Discovering Khaji-Da ===
: "My father said it can’t be activated by just any person. It has to choose you."
: ―Jenny Kord to Jaime Reyes[src]
Ted Kord was born the second son of billionaire businessman Thomas Kord, founder and director of Kord Industries. Ted met a woman who showed him that the world still deserved to be protected, with whom he married and had a daughter named Jenny, establishing her home on a farm located on the outskirts of Palmera City. With his resources, Kord funded his professor Dan Garrett's research at Chichen Itza, where he discovered an alien artifact similar to the scarab named Khaji-Da. Kord conducted studies on the artifact and concluded that activating it required the artifact to choose a host.
However, when Jennifer was 6 years old, Kord's wife passed away. Hurt by her death, Theodore began to distance himself from her daughter to dedicate time to his studies with the beetle, disappearing from her house for days and weeks. Consequently, little Jennifer, despite living well, often felt alone in her home.
=== Becoming Blue Beetle ===
: "What the hell is Blue Beetle?""Oh, you were a kid. It’s like Palmera's superhero. Like Superman in Metropolis or the Flash in Central City."
: ―Jaime Reyes and Rudy Reyes[src]
Unable to activate Khaji-Da on his own, Kord used his intellect to develop his own technology, including gadgets, tools, suits, and vehicles, such as the Bug Ship, to combat crime in Palmera City under the name Blue Beetle. His popularity in the city caused him to be compared to superheroes such as Superman or the Flash and he was well known by Rudy Reyes, facing various criminals such as Firefist.
=== CEO of Kord Industries ===
: "Look, your father was handed a company I built… my company. Which he then proceeded to almost sink with his moronic inventions and his reckless management."
: ―Victoria Kord to Jenny Kord[src]
Although her older sister, Victoria Kord, was listed as the main heir as she was Thomas Kord's first-born, her father decided to hand the company over to Ted before he died, much to Victoria's chagrin. Reportedly, Kord Industries under Ted Kord's management maintained a long running rivalry with Bruce Wayne's WayneTech. According to Victoria, Ted almost bankrupted the company due to his management and his inventions.
=== Disappearance ===
: "He just disappeared, and left me to pick up the pieces. Your father abandoned this company. And he abandoned you."
: ―Victoria Kord to Jenny Kord[src]
For unknown reasons, Kord decided to leave his mantle as Blue Beetle, mysteriously disappearing from all records and abandoning his daughter. Before his exile, Kord, knowing the risk of threat Khaji-Da posed, contained it in a giant orb located in a hidden area of South America. With his disappearance, Victoria Kord assumed the leadership of Kord Industries, who resumed the OMAC project despite having been canceled years ago.
=== SOS Message ===
: "Ted Kord is still alive."
: ―Ted Kord[src]
Following the Battle on Pago Island, Kord sent a transmission signal from an unknown location to the screens in his underground base at the Kord Estate, attempting to inform his daughter that he was still alive.
== Personality ==
: "The Blue Beetle, he had a sense of humor."
: ―Rudy Reyes to Jaime Reyes[src]
Due to his great level of intellect, Ted Kord always envisioned the idea of building inventions that would help him in his career as a vigilante and be able to defend Palmera City, even though according to his sister Victoria, this was detrimental to the company. According to Rudy Reyes, Kord had a good sense of humor when appearing publicly as Blue Beetle. With the death of his wife, Kord began to distance himself from his daughter to dedicate time to study the beetle, disappearing from his house for days, without knowing that this emotionally affected his daughter as she felt alone at home.
== Powers and Abilities ==
=== Powers ===
: "My dad was never able to unlock the scarab, so instead he built his own tech."
: ―Jenny Kord[src]
* Blue Beetle Suit Capabilities: In order to emulate the powers that Khaji-Da granted Dan Garrett, Ted Kord designed a series of protective and tactical suits to fight crime in Palmera City as Blue Beetle, which gave him special abilities such as increased durability.
=== Abilities ===
* Genius-Level Intellect: Ted Kord has an innate talent for inventing combat utensils, including gadgets, tools, suits and vehicles, in order to emulate the abilities granted by Khaji-Da which allowed him to fight crime in Palmera City as Blue Beetle. Kord also demonstrates a high level of intellect, having successfully studied the behavior and function of the alien artifact with Dan Garrett.
== Equipment ==
* Blue Beetle Suit: Kord designed a series of protective and tactical suits to fight crime in Palmera City as the vigilante Blue Beetle, trying to emulate the abilities granted by Khaji-Da on Dan Garrett. The suits allowed Kord mobility and endurance, as well as protect his secret identity from criminals and the people.
* Bug Ship: Ted Kord built his own ship vehicle to use in his activities as a Palmera City vigilante. The ship was later used by Jenny Kord and the Reyes Family to travel to Pago Island and rescue Jaime Reyes.
* Bug Shield: Among all the technology created by Kord, he designed a shield made of solidified light-blue energy to use in his activities as Blue Beetle. The shield was later used by Milagro Reyes to fight on Pago Island.
== Relationships ==
=== Family ===
* Thomas Kord † - father
* Victoria Kord † - sister and enemy
* Wife †
=== Allies ===
* Kord Industries
* Dan Garrett - mentor
* Blue & Gold Restoration
** Michael Jon Carter/Booster Gold - Best Friend	
=== Enemies ===
* Firefist
* LexCorp
** Lex Luthor - business rival
* WayneTech
** Bruce Wayne - business rival
== Trivia ==
* In the comics,Ted Kord is the son of Thomas Kord and took over Kord Industries after the death of his father. He then eventually took over the mantle of Blue Beetle.
** In Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – Lex Luthor, which takes place right after the Black Zero Event in 2013, Thomas Kord is said to be the head of Kord, which he founded. By the time of Time Out Shortlist Gotham and Metropolis, which was published in-universe prior to the events of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Ted Kord is said to be the head of Kord Industries.
== Behind the Scenes ==
* Angel Manuel Soto expressed his interest in Ted Kord being portrayed by Jason Sudeikis.
== References ==
# ↑ Jump up to:1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Blue Beetle
# ↑ Time Out Shortlist Gotham and Metropolis (Gotham City)  p. 45.
# ↑ Blue Beetle Director Reveals the DC Movie's Original Ted Kord Ending - CBR
== External Links ==
* Ted Kord on DC Database
* Ted Kord on Wikipedia