Is 'Arrow' Finally Going to Introduce Ted Kord?
Another week, another DC Comics name drop within the world of Arrow.Spoilers for tonight's episode [...]
Another week, another DC Comics name drop within the world of Arrow.
Spoilers for tonight's episode of Arrow, 'Next of Kin', below.
Tonight's episode saw Team Arrow, under the direction of John Diggle/Green Arrow (David Ramsey), investigating a string of robberies targeting Kord Industries. The company name is mentioned throughout the episode, with Dinah Drake/Black Canary (Juliana Harkavy) saying she needs to chat with Kord Industries' CEO.
While this certainly isn't the first time that name has been mentioned within Arrow, it's certainly pretty prominent in tonight's episode. Which got us to thinking...could Ted Kord/Blue Beetle himself finally make an appearance?
Ted Kord has been a bit of an enigma within the world of Arrow, something that began in the show's first season. In the season's twenty first episode, 'The Undertaking', Moira and Robert Queen had a conversation after attending one of Ted Kord's parties.
While this was the only time that Kord himself was mentioned by name, the logo for Kord Industries has popped up pretty periodically over the years, both on Arrow and The Flash. Sure, that can be chalked up to a reference mainly needed for DC Comics worldbuilding - something the Arrowverse has plenty of - but could it mean something more?
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As we've seen in the Arrowverse, name drops don't necessarily indicate that a character will make their way onto the show. References to Aquaman, Green Lantern, and even Batman have popped up pretty regularly over the years, but the plans of DC Films have made actual appearances from those characters pretty unlikely.
A few years ago, Arrow actually endured the same sort of problem with Ted Kord. The show had plans to introduce him in the third season, but their request was denied due to DC having "other plans" for him.
Ultimately, Arrow was able to use Ray Palmer/The Atom (Brandon Routh) in Ted Kord's place, with him debuting in the season three premiere. With Ray being a fan-favorite of the Arrowverse - as well as a mainstay on Legends of Tomorrow - it's safe to say that some fans are happier about that switch.
But what were those plans for Blue Beetle? At the time, they involved a Blue Beetle and Booster Gold movie, with Arrowverse executive producer Greg Berlanti set to be involved. While that movie has remained in the same state of development over the years, it could very well come to fruition soon - making an Arrow cameo from Ted Kord even more difficult.
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But for as much that seems to rule out Ted Kord being on Arrow, there's just as much that could (possibly) confirm it.
Even though certain Justice League members have yet to make it into the Arrowverse, there are two pretty big ones that have - The Flash (obviously) and Supergirl's portrayal of Superman. The latter of the two certainly took fans by surprise last year, and provided a sort of template for how to separate a character from their DCEU counterpart.
With Ted Kord, an admittedly far less well-known DC Comics character, the same sort of set-up could certainly be possible. Circumstances can change, and there's a chance that Ted Kord appearing on Arrow would be far enough away from the Booster/Beetle film arriving onscreen. And after all, Arrow has dealt with this in the past, both with their use of the Suicide Squad, and with their current situation with Deathstroke.
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