Ted Kord was a genius-level inventor and a gifted athlete, sharing much more in common with Dan Garret, the Fox Feature Syndicate original, than did Charlton's reimagining of the Garrett (a second "t" was added) / Blue Beetle character.

Kord's signature equipment was his bug-shaped personal aircraft, which he entered and exited typically with a cable suspended from the cockpit.

He also generally eschewed personal weaponry, except for a pistol that made a blinding flash of light and, additionally, a strong airblast to gain the advantage when he closed in for hand-to-hand combat.

During this period, Ted Kord had his own Blue Beetle series, written by Len Wein,[4] which ran for 24 issues from June 1986 to May 1988.

Upon joining the newly formed Justice League (following the events in the Legends) Ted was more often portrayed as a second string joke.

Dan Jurgens tied "The Death of Superman" storyline into JLA, in which Doomsday left Kord in a coma during his murderous rampage, as well as a six-inch scar on the back of his skull.

The miniseries The LAW (Living Assault Weapons) reunited him and the other heroes acquired from Charlton, but the series met with critical disfavor.

The sequel story arc I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League was initially slated as a second miniseries, but instead ran delayed in JLA: Classified #4–9 (2005).

[9] Later, Booster Gold attempts to save Kord via time travel, but is forced to let him die to preserve the timeline.

[15] In Heroes in Crisis, Blue Beetle breaks out Booster Gold, who is one of the main suspects in the murders at the mental health institution Sanctuary, from a cell in the Hall of Justice.

[17] In Dark Nights: Death Metal, Blue Beetle is imprisoned on Apokolips after The Batman Who Laughs takes over Prime-Earth.

[19][20] Nearly all of Ted Kord's Charlton Comics appearances as the Blue Beetle have been collected as part of the DC Archive Editions series.

[25] Ted Kord / Blue Beetle appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure.

[54] An IGN ranking stated that his intelligence, his "bwahahha" antics, his endearing partnership with Booster Gold, and his brave sacrifice during the build-up to Infinite Crisis all serve to cement his legacy.