APPROVED: BACKGROUND_1 Life Before Beetling
The man who would become the Blue Beetle was born Theodore Stephen Kord. He was raised in a wealthy household, his father owning Kord Industries, an industrial automation business. He was also fortunate enough to have developed considerable abilities as he matured. No super powers, nothing like that, but he was a gifted athlete and a genius. This led to him being bored in school, as he was loath to perform well enough to be advanced ahead of his class, due to his loyalty to and closeness with his friends. To ensure that his intelligence didn't merit consideration of such unwanted advancement, he became a practical joker and a class clown, never really applying himself, but coasting through on his raw ability.
Still, his genius did not go unnoticed. He displayed a great knack for invention, placing competitively as a lone high school entrant to a college-level robotics competition, that saw him beat the likes of team entrants from MIT and other prestigious institutions. There were some newspaper and local television attention for Kord, who naturally came across as a likeable goofball, who would not be expected to boast the level of intellect he obviously had. This attracted the attention of Dan Garrett, a.k.a. the Blue Beetle.
Garrett approached Kord in his super hero persona. What started as a motivational 'apply yourself' speech turned into Kord probing at why Garrett didn't make better use of inventions in his adventures. Soon enough, Kord fashioned some prototype equipment for Garrett, and the two became friends of a sort.
When Garrett uncovered evidence of wrong-doing on the part of Ted's uncle Jarvis, Ted helped him investigate. Garrett had been a spy, and Ted benefited from a crash course in espionage and combat training. Due to his great intellect and athleticism, Ted was a quick study, and together, the two foiled Uncle Jarvis' scheme for world domination, using androids constructed at Kord Industries… though the victory came at substantial cost.
APPROVED: BACKGROUND_2 And a Beetling We Will Go…
The defeat of Uncle Jervis had two great costs. First, Garrett was mortally wounded in the battle that led to Jervis' defeat. After the battle, before medical help could arrive, Garrett passed on the mantle of the Blue Beetle to Ted (but none of the powers). Second, in the aftermath of the revelation of what Jervis had been doing, Kord Industries was ruined. Massive penalties were paid to the government, shareholders bolted, and the thing was dismantled and sold to a more global consortium. Ted's family knew he 'chummed around' with the Blue Beetle, and Ted was disowned, cut off from the residual money left in his family.
Ted had his own funds, and decided that superheroing was a more important calling than making a fortune on his own. Not that fortunes are bad, but if you have time for only one thing… superheroing should be it. He took years to build himself a costume and some gadgetry, to say nothing of the amazing flying Beetle that would be his trademark. Then, he set out to join other superheroes like him (maybe some even with powers), moving to establish himself as a hero and do good with his peers!
APPROVED: PSY1 Loyalty
Ted is loyal to a fault. His whole life, he's valued his friends above all else, leading him to cast aside success, acclaim, wealth, and his own desires out of a sense that true friendship rises above all else.
APPROVED: PSY2 Motivation
Ted has some survivor's guilt, stemming from the death of his mentor/superbuddy, Dan Garrett, the original Blue Beetle. Garrett passed the mantle on to Ted, and Ted is determined to do his best to honour that trust and that dying wish. Ted's far from stupid, and he knows that he's not the 'real' hero. When it comes to big decisions, he asks himself, WWTRBBD? (What Would The Real Blue Beetle Do?)
APPROVED: PSY3 Bon-Vivant
When not pulled by a sense of loyalty or guilt into action, Ted generally just wants to enjoy life. He eats and drinks too much, if you take a narrow, physical view of what's 'healthy'. He doesn't do sit-ups or crunches like he should. He'd rather laze a bit, and enjoy life.
APPROVED: PSY4 Humour
Ted masks things with his humour. He cracks jokes incessantly, particularly while in mortal danger. He also makes up for feelings of power-related inadequacy with jokes, snide remarks, whatever. Lastly, he isn't terribly comfortable expressing feelings, so often plays practical jokes as a means of getting closer or expressing closeness with friends. He sees this as a sign of endearment, so takes jokes in the same light.
APPROVED: PSY5 Approval
Ted longs for approval. He's been disowned by his family and has given up that circle of friends. He's cast his lot with superheroes, without really any power of his own. Accolades from team mates and allies is a motivation, as is adulation of the masses… because that's what 'real' heroes get, right?
APPROVED: PSY6 Luxury
Ted grew up with wealth, and he enjoyed it. A lot. He wants to be wealthy again, but he's fairly lazy and what energy he has is dedicated to being a superhero. Thus, he is prone to trying get-rich-quick schemes, provided they don't conflict with his desire to be a 'real' hero.
APPROVED: PSY7 Goals
Ted's primary goal is to honour the memory of the fallen first Blue Beetle, and to live up to the mantle. This is likely to be expressed by joining and being a valuable member of a team, even without his powers. His ancillary goals are to be revered and wealthy, though these are secondary concerns for him.
APPROVED: PSY8 Likeable Clown
Blue Beetle is a clown. He cracks wise and plays practical jokes. Amazingly, even those opposed to him find him getting the upper hand in such things - he's just the sort of guy that makes bad guys say, "Curse you!" and certain take-themselves-very-seriously heroes just mutter to themselves when he lightens the mood by taking them down a peg or two. Even if Blue Beetle is irritating and inappropriate, he's a hard person to really dislike. Or take seriously.
APPROVED: PSY9 Courage
Blue Beetle possesses exceptional courage - the kind of courage that enables an ordinary human with no powers to join a superhero team and to not think twice about venturing into combat with them. He has the mettle beyond even that of most 'real' heroes - he's the kind of guy who would say, "Go to Hell, Max" when given an ultimatum by a gun-toting maniac. Fear-based attacks are almost certain to fail on Blue Beetle.
APPROVED: ADV1 Costume
The Blue Beetle costume is lightweight and flexible as silk, but offers considerable protection from attack. Anywhere that the costume covers (i.e. anywhere but two-thirds of his face) enjoys sufficient ballistic protection to safeguard him from handguns, hunting rifles, and non-slug shotgun rounds. Arrows, knives, swords, and axes also tend not to penetrate, although in all cases, he will tend to suffer painful bruises. The costume insulates against lesser blunt forces, with crowbars and baseball bats typically doing no significant damage. The suit is also fireproof, and provides protection to temperatures within a couple hundred degrees of water's freezing point (in either direction). He is also immune to attacks against his vision, including visually-based hypnosis, due to the ultra-fancy material used in his goggles.
APPROVED: ADV2 Gun
Blue Beetle's gun doesn't fire bullets. Rather, it can fire either kinetic charges strong enough to knock anything from a child to a rhinoceros to the ground. The surface area of the target determines the force applied, as it is a function of pressure - this virtually guarantees that the force applied is non-lethal, and means that only creatures extremely disproportionately strong or stable for their size won't be affected. The gun can also fire blinding bursts of light that are capable of stunning beings affected by such attacks.
APPROVED: ADV3 The Bug
The Bug is the Blue Beetle's most prized possession. A giant, flying blue beetle, it is capable of flying at supersonic speeds, and can function equally well in the extremely high atmosphere or at crushing depths underwater. It cannot travel in deep space, as it relies on anti-gravity technology for propulsion, but can travel a little beyond the moon. It can hover in place or travel in any plane of movement. The Bug has six operable limbs that can serve as landing gear or can be used to grip and handle large objects (about the size of a person or larger). The hull can be magnetized or electrified, and it is capable of shrugging off even most anti-tank weapons and the like with only damage to the paint job. The glass of the cockpit protects the occupants from all visual-based attacks, including hypnotic effects. The Bug is a home away from home, with comfortable (but cramped) living quarters, a high-end kitchen and bar, a games room, and a beyond state-of-the-art crime lab. The Bug can be accessed only with remote unlocking from Blue Beetle's costume, and entrance/egress can be obtained via a oor in the bottom of the craft, or by a winch. The onboard computer is sophisticated enough to handle complex, even tactical, commands, and it is capable of flying itself according to those commands.
APPROVED: SKILL1 Genius Inventor
Ted Kord is a genius - he's just not really schooled. He's capable of building phenomenal, futuristic technology without much in the way of planning. Often, his inventions have a cobbled-together feel, and he approaches design with a different perspective than most people. His ability to invent is on par with the other great geniuses of his day - Tony Stark and Forge, for example - though his own slant is more wild and outside-the-box than the others of his quality.
APPROVED: SKILL2 Humour
Ted is a prankster with a great wit. He's able to deliver barbs that make the opposition (or his team mates) grit their teeth in frustration or delivered failed rejoinders that just make Ted laugh harder.
APPROVED: SKILL3 Athletics
So, Ted's let himself go a little bit. He's soft around the middle, but he once was an elite athlete. He's capable of world class acrobatics and feats of athleticism… when his doughy middle doesn't get in the way. Stamina is another concern… he can't really sustain such efforts for long.
APPROVED: SKILL4 Combat
Ted is a crack shot, able to shoot from the hip with stunning accuracy. He is capable of hitting moving targets and targets behind cover (with small bits of exposure). He can fire multiple times in a row, at multiple targets, and likely hit them all, if they are not supernaturally hard to hit. Ted is also on par with many hand-to-hand superheroes like Batman, Spiderman, and Wolverine, when it comes to his effectiveness in hitting and avoiding being hit. It is his stamina and his human-levels of strength that limit his combat effectiveness.
APPROVED: SKILL5 Mechanics
Ted is able to kit-bash with the best of them, and given some time, he can repair or maintain most any device. He's also able to, if he has enough time and opportunity to experiment without blowing himself up, determine how to use technology, human and alien.
APPROVED: SKILL6 Espionage
Ted is a genius and he's not without his wit. He's also trained by a spy. He can fast-talk his way out of most situations, charm his way out of more still, and lie his way out of most of the rest. He can beat conventional polygraphs and may be able to evade some higher-quality lie detection as well, though his biological indicators are still there - just controlled well enough to beat current (and soon-to-be current) technology.
APPROVED: FLAW1 Human
Ted has no powers. Get him away from the Bug, peel back his costume, strip him of his gun, and he becomes just as squishy as any other human. Particularly around the midsection.
APPROVED: FLAW2 Ego
Ted likes praise. He likes feeling like he's fitting in and doing good. Convince him of that fact, convince him that he'll be recognized as a 'real' hero, and he's easily manipulated.
APPROVED: FLAW3 Loyalty
Ted's most admirable trait is also potentially his greatest weakness. If a friend or team mate is in danger, he would walk into a lion's den, or make just about any deal to secure their safety.
APPROVED: FLAW4 Annoying
Ted is annoying. His constant jokes and witticisms rub a lot of people the wrong way. Even if you like Ted, probably sometimes you find him annoying. People who have low tolerances for being annoyed, low self-control, and who are dangerous don't mix well with Ted.
APPROVED: FLAW5 Greed
Ted wants to be rich, but is too lazy and interested in the superhero game to work on it. He is prone to manipulation with get-rich-quick schemes.
Doesn't really have one yet… he dresses like a superhero, but he's flippant and a joker and… can he be serious with that outfit and vehicle?
