Ted Kord became the Blue Beetle after his former mentor and original Blue Beetle, Dan Garrett, was killed in battle with androids created by Ted Kord's Uncle Jarvis in order to take over Earth. As Dan died, he passed on the responsibility of being Blue Beetle to Ted, but was not able to pass on the mystical scarab which gave Garrett his powers. Ted then spent months physically training and practicing with his equipment, which he built using unfinished experiments left by his father, in order to fulfill his promise to his mentor and become the new Blue Beetle.