Theodore "Ted" Kord is the Blue Beetle, a superhero and benefactor to the next Blue Beetle, Jaime Reyes.

Ted Kord was a brilliant scientist and the son of Thomas Kord, owner and CEO of Kord Industries. When he was only 16 years old Ted graduated high school and began to attend college. At age 19, he successfully developed drones the size of an insect, the first breakthrough in his nanotechnology studies that Lex Luthor referred to as "revolutionary". Unfortunately for Ted, when Luthor set his eyes on the acquiring of Kord industries, he invited his father to come see him. This resulted in Thomas' death when the Crime Syndicate arrived, setting off an EMP that Luthor himself only narrowly escaped from.