Warning: This article contains spoilers for Suicide Squad #10
The good guys of DC Comics have a long history of going bad. From Superboy to Hal Jordan, no DC superhero is immune from unexpectedly flipping to the dark side. In the pages of the latest issues of Suicide Squad, readers discover that Blue Beetle, one of the oldest and most universally well-liked superheroes, has taken just such a “heel” turn. From unchecked greed to premeditated murder, Ted Kord’s uncharacteristic actions shocked long-time fans and left the comic book world reeling. However, a jaw-dropping revelation in Suicide Squad #10 may have just redeemed one of DC Comics’ most beloved crime-fighters.
This isn’t the Suicide Squad of the 90’s. Amanda Waller has retired as director of Task Force X and a new, mysterious benefactor has acquired and reconstructed the team of misfit mercenaries. Deadshot and Harley Quinn, the only remaining veterans, are joined by a motley crew of young, inexperienced metahumans in carrying out black ops for their faceless boss. But when the new squad is sent on a series of morally questionable missions, they break ranks and embark on a quest to unmask the man pulling their strings. Deadshot and company are shocked to discover that the new owner and operator of the Suicide Squad is none other than billionaire Ted Kord.
It seems that Blue Beetle was bit by the capitalist bug. Stolen documents reveal that Ted Kord discovered oil reserves under the island nation of Badhnisia. Kord begins bribing officials, destabilizing nations, and even purchases Task Force X, all in the name of acquiring Badhnisia’s wealth. The Suicide Squad surmises that the only way to gain their freedom and protect this small, developing country is to kill Ted Kord. After breaking into Kord Defense Industries, the team is moments away from squashing the Blue Beetle. Devoted fans breathe a sigh of relief, however, when Deadshot discovers that Black Mask kidnapped Ted Kord and for the last eight months has been impersonating the billionaire philanthropist.
Ted Kord, the second iteration of Blue Beetle, was created by Steve Ditko for Charlton Comics in 1966. After DC Comics acquired the bulk of Charlton’s characters in 1983, Blue Beetle was folded into the regular DC lineup beginning with the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event in 1985. While the Suicide Squad can trace its origins all the way back to the 50s, the modern Squad began in 1987 in the wake of the aforementioned Crisis reboot. The sixth and current volume of Suicide Squad launched at the beginning of this year, helmed by Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo, who had previously teamed up for Injustice: Gods Among Us.
The post-Crisis years have not been kind to Blue Beetle. Poor Ted struggled with a weight problem in the early days of Giffen and DeMatteis’ Justice League International run, was put into a coma by Doomsday in the legendary “Death of Superman” storyline, was murdered by Maxwell Lord leading up to Infinite Crisis, and now has to try to clear his good name after being kidnapped and impersonated by Black Mask in Suicide Squad. It sometimes feels like DC Comics doesn’t hold the former Charlton properties in very high esteem. But either way, fans can rejoice in the knowledge that Blue Beetle’s heart hasn’t turned black after all.
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