In the film Blue Beetle, we learn that industrialist and CEO of Kord Industries, Ted Kord, was once the superhero of Palmera City. Named, of course, the Blue Beetle. For years, he had access to the mysterious alien Scarab. However, unlike Jaime Reyes (Xolo Maridueña), the Scarab did not choose him to bond with. Instead, he studied it, and Ted Kord used the information he gleaned from it to create many gadgets and weapons. Many are similar to those of Batman. But the Blue Beetle mid-credits didn’t just tease the arrival of Ted Kord, but possibly also his BFF, Booster Gold.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, director Angel Manuel Soto addressed the possibility presented in Blue Beetle‘s mid-credits scene. He said, “Ted Kord is still alive, he’s somewhere out there in the universe, and whatever the future holds for our hero is open to interpretation. So, whether that is Booster Gold or Ted Kord or if it is both of them [together], the possibility exists, and it is something that we want to entertain.”
Blue Beetle Ted Kord’s Mysterious Message
At some point, around two decades prior to the events of the film, Ted Kord vanished. He left an 8-year-old daughter named Jennifer (Bruna Marquezine), and his company in the hands of his corrupt sister, Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon). In the mid-credits scene of Blue Beetle, we learn that Ted Kord is not dead. We witness a heavily fragmented video message from him come through on his computer. We don’t see his face clearly, and his voice sounds muffled. But he definitely wants his daughter Jennifer to know he’s still alive out there, and to find him. But where is he?
However, maybe the question isn’t where is he, but when is he. Ted Kord would have probably been in his 30s when he vanished. Maybe 40s at most, especially if he had a young daughter. And although altered by static, you can tell in the film it’s not an “old man voice” we hear. Whoever sent that message isn’t the age Ted Kord should be now. This makes us think that maybe Ted Kord did not just find himself lost somewhere in the world. Maybe he is lost in time.
Could Blue Beetle Ted Kord Be Lost in Time with Booster Gold?
And certainly, judging by the comics, there would be a plausible reason for this. In DC Comics, Ted Kord’s best friend in the world is Booster Gold. A hero from the 25th century, Booster famously time-travels. Booster was a nobody in his time, but with common technology from his era, he figured he could become a wealthy celebrity and superhero in the past. He eventually joined the Justice League International, where he and Blue Beetle Ted Kord became best friends. The two got into many wacky adventures together, and became known as “Blue and Gold.”
In the lead-up to the event series Identity Crisis, Ted Kord uncovered the plans of the villainous Maxwell Lord. And Max later murdered by Ted in cold blood. Booster used his time-traveling abilities to try to save his best friend, which led to a lot of wild time-travel paradoxes and scenarios. Ultimately, Ted Kord realized he must fulfill his fate and die when he was meant to, allowing time to flow properly. Lucky for him, they rebooted the DC Universe a couple of times more, and Ted Kord is now alive and well, and a mentor to Jaime Reyes. So there is a precedent for Ted Kord and time-travel adventures.
Who Could Play Blue Beetle Ted Kord in James Gunn’s DCU?
The mid-credits Blue Beetle scene does a lot of teasing when it comes to Ted Kord and Booster Gold, but not a lot of revealing. Recently though, director Angel Manuel Soto shared his dream casting for Ted Kord should the Blue Beetle appear again. He shared with The Digital Fix, “My dream cast for Ted Kord has always been Jason Sudeikis… But at the end of the day, it’s about who’s best for the character, who loves what we’re trying to do. And who’s willing to see Jaime Reyes’ story continue.”
For now, of course, no casting has been determined. But it does feel like there will be a place for Ted Kord in the future of the DCU.
Blue Beetle and Booster Gold in the DCU Could Lead to Justice League International
James Gunn has stated that Blue Beetle will have a role going forward in his new DCU. Even if the mid-credits tease never finds resolution in a Blue Beetle sequel, there is a Booster Gold series coming in Chapter 1 of the DCU, “Gods and Monsters.” What if Ted Kord was sucked into another timeline thanks to Booster, perhaps the new one that will be established in Superman: Legacy? This would allow the Blue Beetle characters to make the transition into the new DCU, without negating anything that happened in the film.
A Blue Beetle/Booster Gold connection already would make for a perfect setup for an eventual Justice League International project. Because with Ted Kord confirmed alive, and Booster Gold and Green Lantern Guy Gardner confirmed for the DCU, not to mention a new Batman, we have half the JLI core membership right there. And here’s where we’re really putting on our tin foil hats. Jenny Kord said her mother, who was Brazilian, died under undisclosed circumstances when she was six. What If she didn’t die, but also became lost in time, and Ted went looking for her? And what if she’s core JLI member Fire, a Brazilian heroine who controls powerful green flame? There’s a lot of room for Gunn’s DCU to take threads dropped in Blue Beetle and run with them. Here’s hoping we get to see these all play out.