Name: Blue Beetle
Universe: Earth-4
Alter Ego: Theodore (Ted) Kord
Occupation: Research Scientist
Marital Status: Single
Group Affiliation: None
Base of Operations: Hub City
Known Relatives: Thomas Kord (father), Jarvis Kord (uncle, deceased)
Height: 5 ft. 11 in.
Weight: 184 lbs.
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Blue
First Appearance: Captain Atom #83

History:
When archaeologist Dr. Daniel Garrett discovered a glowing blue scarab gem in the forbidden tomb of the evil ancient Egyptian pharaoh Kha-ef-re, he suddenly found himself clad in a skin-tight blue costume and possessed of extraordinary powers: super-strength, invulnerability, the gift of flight, as well as the ability to fire bolts of pure energy from his hands and eyes. Calling himself the Blue Beetle, Garrett spent the next several years using his awesome powers in defense of mankind.

One afternoon, Garrett received an urgent phone call from an old college acquaintance named Ted Kord. For the past several months, Kord had been working with his Uncle Jarvis on a project so secret even Kord did not know its true purpose. The previous afternoon, Kord's uncle had apparently been slain when his lab was destroyed in an explosion, and in the ruins of the lab, Ted had found a small chest containing an old roll of film and a map of Pago Island.

After running the film, Ted discovered that his uncle's experiments had created an army of super-androids with which Jarvis Kord intended to conquer the world. These androids were hidden on Pago Island, and Kord recruited Dan Garrett to help find them.

When they arrived on Pago Island, Dan and Ted discovered Jarvis Kord was still alive and planning to put his plans for world conquest into action. When Jarvis ordered his androids to capture the two men, Garrett used his sacred scarab to become the Blue Beetle, and in the course of the ensuing battle, Jarvis Kord was truly slain and Garrett himself mortally wounded.

Realizing he was dying, Garrett made Ted Kord promise to carry on the Blue Beetle's fight for justice. Kord swore he would. Then, before Ted could carry his wounded friend to safety, Jarvis Kord's underground lab began to collapse, separating the two men and burying Dan Garrett and his mystic scarab under countless tons of rubble. Guilt-ridden, Ted Kord returned to civilization, intent upon continuing the career of the Blue Beetle. But without the mystic scarab, Kord's job would not be easy.

From the pieces of some unfinished experiments in his absent father's lab, Ted constructed a futuristic beetle-shaped aircraft he dubbed "The Bug". During these same months, Kord undertook a rigorous physical fitness program, developing his body to athletic perfection. At last, having designed a new costume to go with the new motif, Ted Kord emerged as the new Blue Beetle and set forth to fulfill his promise to his friend.

Powers:
A skilled acrobat and Olympic-level athlete, the Blue Beetle is also an undisciplined hand-to-hand combatant who relies as much on agility as skill to defeat his opponents. He sometimes carries at his hip a pistol that fires a blinding strobe light, capable of creating momentary blindness when activated by sensors in the fingertips of his glove.

The Blue Beetle's "Bug" is a specially designed aircraft capable of speeds exceeding those of the finest helicopter. It can hover in midair, be submerged like a submarine, and has automated pincers in its forward section. The "Bug" also is equipped with a state-of-the-art lab, high-tech computers, and living quarters, and can be remote-controlled by a series of electronic sensors in the Blue Beetle's glove.