Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) vs Prowler

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• 0:00:00 - Introduction 
• 0:03:38 - No-Prize Time 
• 0:10:38 - Question of the Week 
• 0:11:44 - Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) vs Prowler intro 
• 0:15:45 - Prowler history and abilities 
• 0:26:09 - Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) history and abilities 
• 0:35:47 - Fight speculation 
• 0:41:43 - Duel results 
• 0:44:02 - Sign off 
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Executive producers: John Starosky, Zachary Hepburn, Dustyn Balcom, Miggy Matanguihan, Brandon Estergard, Nathaniel Wagner, Levi Yeaton, Austin Wesolowski, AJ Dunkerley, Nic Abanto, Scott Camacho, Gil Camacho, Adam Speas, Dean Maleski, Devin Davis, Joseph Kersting, Josh Liner, Mike Williams, and Oscar Galvez
"Take a Chance" "Clash Defiant" "Blip Stream" "Nowhere Land" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
#BlueBeetle #Prowler #MarvelVsDC


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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
This is a DynaMic Network Podcast. Hi, welcome tothe Dynamic Duel Podcast, a weekly show where we

(00:28):
review superhero films and debate thesuperiority between Marvel and DC by comparing
their characters in stat-based battlesimulations. I'm Johnny DC. And I'm his twin
brother Marvelous Joe, holy shit. And as you cantell from the sound of Joseph's voice, he is very
sick, so he will be doing as little talking aspossible this episode, being a dual episode

(00:51):
between Blue Beetle, the Ted Kord incarnation,and Prowler, the Spider-Man villain. He's mostly
an ally. Well that's news to me. I thought he was abad guy. Interesting. Alright, well we're gonna
find out more about him later on in this episode.Before that, we are not going to break down any
comic book movie news from the past week becausethere hasn't been any really some behind-the-set

(01:13):
photos, but I don't know if things are made with AInowadays. So until it's confirmed by the studio,
I'm just going to assume everything is fake.Fucking crickets. This is what happens when
Joseph can't speak. I have no one to laugh at myjokes. Jokes suck, bro. Your voice sucks, bro. As
always, we list our segment times in our episodedescription, so feel free to check out the show

(01:36):
notes if you want to skip ahead to a particulartopic. Our artificially intelligent dual
simulator AJ9K has a quick message for ourlisteners, so listen up. Why hello there. Do you
want even more from this podcast? Then become apart of the dynamic dual community on Patreon
where you can choose from three tiers. The dynamic2.0 tier gives you access to our Discord chat

(01:59):
server, the fantastic 4.0 tier gives you two bonusepisodes each month, and the X-Force tier makes
you an executive producer of this show. Lastly,the Dynamite podcast network tier lets you create
your own podcast using this Monte Carlosimulator. Johnny and Joe will help you develop
your show, provide graphic support andconsultation, and get you simulation results.

(02:19):
Pitch the twins your ideas via email atdynamicdualpodcast.com. Check it out at
patreon.com. Thanks AJ9K and thanks to everyonewho supports the podcast. Guys be sure to tune into
the other shows in the Dynamite podcast networkthis week, including the console combat podcast,

(02:40):
where hosts John and Dean simulate battlesbetween popular video game characters. In
yesterday's episode, they speculated on whowould win in a dogfight between Fox McLeod from
Star Fox piloting his R-Wing against Wedge andTilly's from Star Wars Rogue Squadron piloting
his X-Wing. Over on the Max Destruction podcast,hosts Scotty and Gilly pay your favor action

(03:02):
heroes from film and television against eachother. This Wednesday, the twins are reviewing
the 1988 film Bloodsport. And finally on the SanjoWorld podcast, hosts Zachary Hepburn speculates
on fights between fan favorite anime and mangacharacters. On Thursday, Zach is going to reveal
who would win between Yaroichi Shihou-Yin fromBleach versus Kizaru from One Piece. Visit

(03:28):
dynamicpodcasts.com or click the link in our shownotes to listen to all of the shows in the Dynamite
podcast network. But with that out of the way?Quick to the no prize! A no prize is an award that
Marvel used to give out to fans. Our version, theDynamic Dual No Prize, is a digital award that we
post on Instagram for the person we feel gave thebest answer to our question of the week. Last week,

(03:54):
we asked, what do you think of Crypto the Superdogfrom the Superman sneak peek? And of course, this
question was in regards to the extended trailerthat we received for the Superman film that came
out of CinemaCon. We got four answers, so let'sbreak down this week's three honorable mentions
before revealing the no prize winner. Our firsthonorable mention goes to Christopher Minotti,

(04:18):
who said, Hi guys, Christopher Minotti. SoCrypto, he's a little fluffier than I was
expecting, but I'm still hoping that they do a goodjob with him. I get that he's supposed to be the cute
character, the lighthearted, well notlighthearted, he's a dog, so of course. But I'm
still hoping that they do a good job with him, andI'm hoping that they have a cool scene with him. The

(04:39):
first time I realized Crypto was cool was inBlackest Night, when he saved Martha Kent by
ripping up Black Lantern's arm off and thenblasting it with Heat Vision. Yeah, and the comics
Crypto is no joke. He is fiercely loyal and doesn'thave the same morality that someone say like
Superman has. So he's actually fairly dangerous.This version of the dog is very fluffy, you know,

(05:03):
usually he's depicted as a Labrador of some sorts,but here he looks very much like almost like a
poodle terrier mutt kind of dog. So they'redefinitely trying to play up the cute factor with
him, which is all right. I guess the cuter the dogis, the more audiences will be happy with it, but
we'll see how it goes. As I said in the last episode,I have full confidence in James Gunn's writing,

(05:28):
especially when it comes to animal characters,you take a look at Rocker at Coon or something like
that. So I think things should be fine. Didn'tCrypto almost kill Mongol? Yeah, actually he
straight up bit his throat nearly killing him.Great answer Christopher, our next honorable
mention goes to Lee Tapscott, who said, What do Ithink about Crypto in the Superman trailer? Man, I

(05:51):
love this. I think dogs can really sense if aperson's good or bad. And Crypto just you can just
tell he loves Superman. Superman is so good to him.This makes me care about him so much in the energy.
And when it comes push to shove, he knows exactlywhat his master needs, takes him right to the help

(06:12):
opens up that door. Smart dog. Yeah, like wementioned in the last episode, people are kind of
trashing Crypto's intelligence, but I kind of seeit as him being well trained to an extent, right?
He's really happy to see his owner. So he's jumpingon his owner. But once he realizes something is
wrong, he listens to him and takes him straight tothe fortress of solitude. One of the secret

(06:34):
shortcuts of getting a character to be likable infilm is to give them a dog character and have them be
nice to a dog. I've brought this up before. I don'tknow if this is what James Gunn is trying to do with
Superman, just to make him more endearing toaudiences who may not necessarily care for the
character. But if he plays his cards right, storywise, I think he could totally pull that off
between the characters of Crypto and Superman.Because dogs, like Lee Tapscott said, are

(06:59):
naturally intuitive. And if you like Superman,general audiences will gather that, oh, this is a
trustworthy character. Great answer, Lee. Ourfinal honorable mention goes to Peter, who said,
what's up, dynamic dudes? It's Peter. My thoughtson Crypto was, I thought it was really funny,
honestly. Like when I first saw the trailer, Ilaughed audibly, thinking that's a cute dog.

(07:22):
That's something that my dog would do if I had one,which I don't. But if I did, he would act like that.
And especially since they're training him, Ithink it'd be a fun part to the movie. So that's what
I got to say. Thanks, guys. Peter Yeah. So every dogI've had, I've rescued from an animal shelter. And
they're not the best trained of dogs. When I comehome, my dog, Olive, is still super excited. She's

(07:46):
a little white chihuahua, and you know, she'll hopon me. It doesn't bother me because she's so small.
I'm sure if she was the size of Crypto, I would bemore irritated by it. But yeah, I totally related
to Crypto jumping on Superman in this extendedtrailer. Again, I didn't love it initially. But
once I realized, oh, hey, yeah, this reminds me ofmy dog, it became much easier to understand what

(08:09):
James Gunn was trying to do with this dog, becausehe said before that Crypto was inspired by his dog
that he rescued, who's not necessarily wellbehaved. And so for him to put that into the movie is
a slice of life of sorts. And it's definitely onethat I recognized for my own life. And I think a lot
of people might have an 80 pound German shepherdmix named Bucky. And I got to say if he did to me, what

(08:33):
Crypto did to Superman, I'd be pissed. I don'tknow, but there's also something to be said for a
big lovable dog that loves you unconditionallyand just wants to give you a big hug and kiss when you
come home. That's true. I love my dog. Greatanswer, Peter. The winner of this week's no prize,
however, is Travis Herndon. Who said? What's up,Jeremy? Dude's Travis here. Shout out to my even

(08:55):
twin. So my answer is I like Crypto and honestly, hedoesn't deserve to hate him. Yes, especially from
a certain YouTuber saying that like, well, my dog,he ain't dog, he's stuff though, whimpered and
whined when I pretend to be hurting stuff. And tothat, Crypto is based off of James Gunn's own dog
who was a rowdy, rambunctious puppy. So I mean, itwouldn't make sense why he would be acting like

(09:18):
that. It's based off his own dog. Yeah, I'm not surewhich YouTuber Travis is referring to. But like
I've said, the inclusion of Crypto was inspired byJames Gunn's own dog, who he rescued from a
shelter. And you just got to admire that, you know,taking a dog that could have been put down and
giving it a new home, giving it a loving family,whether it's behaved or not, you know, it still

(09:42):
deserves to have the love of James Gunn and hisfamily. For him to include the character of his dog
in the movie, I think is pretty awesomepersonally. And I have to say, I'm pretty happy
that everyone who called in seemed to enjoy Cryptobecause I was worried that a lot of people weren't,

(10:03):
you know, the internet could be a pretty negativeplace sometimes. But shout out to all of our
listeners, especially the ones who have justcalled in who like Crypto. I think he's going to be a
fun addition to the Superman film that comes outthis July. Yeah, don't be a cynical asshole on the
internet like dogs, right? Yeah, what are you,some kind of dog hater? YouTube guy. Yeah, whoever

(10:25):
you are. Great answer, Travis. You win the Speak toNo Prize. If you're the listener want to shout at
winning your own no prize, stay tuned to later on inthis episode when we'll be asking another
question of the week. Another that's done. On tothe question of the week. So as we mentioned,
there's no big comic book movie news from this pastweek. So we're going to ask, but we want to know

(10:54):
what's your favorite Marvel or DC comic thatyou're reading right now and why it's really hard
for me to stay up to date with current comics. I feellike all of the comics I read are just to do research
for this show. And I'm very curious to see whatcurrent comics you guys are reading that you just
love right now. Pick your number one favorite andrecord your answer at dynamic dual.com by

(11:17):
clicking on the red microphone button in thebottom right hand corner of the screen, which will
prompt you to leave us a voicemail. Your messagecould be up to 30 seconds long. And don't forget to
leave your name in case we include you on thepodcast. We'll pick our favorite answer and award
that person a dynamic dual no prize that we'll postto Instagram. Be sure to answer before April 16th.

(11:38):
We're recording our next episode a little bitearly because of the Easter weekend. So make sure
to get your answer in early. DC high volume Batman,the Dark Knight's definitive DC comic stories
adapted directly for audio for the very firsttime. Fear. I have to make them afraid. He's got a

(12:06):
motorcycle. Get after him or have you shot? Youmean blow up the building from this moment on. None
of your safe new episodes every Wednesday,wherever you get your podcasts. But now it's time
to get onto the main events of this episode, wherewe find out who would win in a battle between Ted

(12:28):
court, the blue beetle and prowler. All right,blue beetle versus prowler. Of course, this is the

(12:50):
Ted cord version of blue beetle. And the fact thatwe've waited until year. What is this 10 to get to
Ted cord is a travesty of justice. It is wrong, butwe're going to make it right here today. Because
Ted cord is a solid B Lister, if not a Lister of the DCComics Pantheon, I would say. Prowler. Not so

(13:13):
much. He's like a C level Spider-Man villain or Iguess a parent ally. I don't know much about him. I
do know that both of these characters are very techbased. And I think that's why the executive
producers wanted to put them together. I doremember the parlor from the 90s Spider-Man
television series, the cartoon. But of course, hewas also famously in the into the spider verse

(13:34):
film, as well as beyond the spider verse, althoughthat version was Miles Morales spoiler alert.
Yeah, there have been two prominent prowlercharacters in the comics over the years. You sound
like RFK Junior, man. Okay. And one of themobviously is Miles Morales is uncle. Correct.
Okay. Now, outside of the cartoons, blue beetlehasn't had too many appearances in the media. He

(13:56):
was referenced in the live action blue beetlemovie, but we never actually got to see him.
Fingers crossed he appears in an eventual sequel.We're going to learn more about blue beetle and
Prowler here soon. But to explain the methodologybehind our duels, let's go to our sentient dual
simulator, Alfred Jarvis 9000. AJ and NK tell ourlisteners how you go about determining a winner in

(14:19):
our dual matchups. Yes, of course, sir. The way Idetermine a winner between the contestants is by
running 1000 Monte Carlo simulations using thecharacters statistics. A Monte Carlo simulation
is a probabilistic model used to determineoutcomes through random sampling. In this case, I
randomize the statistics along a normaldistribution as a way to simulate the many

(14:39):
variables that can occur during battle. The statparameters are based on the official Marvel power
grid from which the DC characters statistics areextrapolated. Additional stat categories are
included such as range, damage potential,versatility and perception in order to create a
more detailed and accurate simulation. Theresults of the 1000 simulations provide a

(15:00):
percentage of wins for each character. Thecontestant with the higher percentage is
declared the victor as they have a higherprobability to win any given battle. In an
equitable pairing, neither character should win100% of the matches. The comic book stories have
shown that there's even a way for Batman to defeatSuperman, so the confidence rate of my method
falls in line with the precedents that have beenestablished in the source material. My

(15:23):
mathematical simulations are withoutsubjectivity or bias. Feats are not the sole
consideration, nor are fan votes tabulated fordetermination of the winner. Thanks, AJ9K.
Before we run the simulations, though, we like tobreak down each character's histories and
abilities before improvising a scenario on how weimagine one of the 1000 simulations would play out

(15:44):
beat for beat. I believe it's your turn to go first,Joseph, but since you're freaking dying, I will
read all about the prowler. Born in the Bronx as theyoungest of nine children, Hobart Hobie Brown
showed an early talent as an inventor but faced adifficult upbringing. His father, Tiger Brown,

(16:06):
left the family when Hobie was a baby and later diedduring military service in Cambodia. His mother,
overwhelmed by their responsibility, became analcoholic, leaving Hobie and his siblings to
raise themselves. After high school, Hobiebecame a window washer to support himself despite
his engineering skills. During a job, he wasnearly killed in a battle between Stiltman and

(16:29):
Spider-Man. Inspired to make his window washingjob safer, Hobie designed pneumatic safety
equipment, including air pressure boots tocounter high winds, wrist-mounted sprayers, and
a safety grappling system. You can learn moreabout Spider-Man and his duel against Blue
Beetle, Jaime Reyes, and more about Stiltman andhis duel against Kite Man. Hobie's inventive

(16:50):
ideas were rejected by his employer, who had onlyhired him to meet a racial quota. After quitting,
Hobie decided to adopt the costumed identity ofthe prowler, planning to a robbery and return the
stolen goods to gain publicity for hisinventions. Targeting the Daily Bugle's
payroll, he encountered Peter Parker during theheist. In order to change into Spider-Man, Peter

(17:13):
faked being thrown out of a window, causing J.Jonah Jameson to believe the prowler had
committed murder. Spider-Man subdued Hobie, butrealizing his intent was not malicious, let him go
with advice to change his path. Hobie took themessage to heart and abandoned his criminal
plans. Hobie soon impersonated Spider-Man atPeter's request to help protect his identity,

(17:35):
wearing the costume in front of Peter's friendswhile Peter pretended to be ill. Believing
Spider-Man was responsible for the death ofCaptain George Stacey, Hobie tried to bring him to
justice but failed. Hobie later married hislongtime girlfriend, Mindy, and worked in
construction. Through the Big Brother program,he met her young man named Manny Lopez, who was

(17:57):
later killed in a gang incident. Believing HectorAyala, the White Tiger, was responsible, Hobie
fought him until realizing his mistake. Whiletrying to join the superhero team of the
defenders, Hobie was thrown into the harbor byValkyrie and chose to retire from heroics.
However, his prowler equipment was stolen andused by a second prowler to commit a murder.

(18:19):
Spider-Man recovered the gear and persuadedHobie to stay uninvolved. Hobie later resumed the
prowler identity to help clear Mindy's name aftershe was framed for financial fraud. He retrieved
the evidence from a cellist targeted by the BlackFox and worked with Spider-Man to clear her name.
When Spider-Man was framed for robbing amillionaire, Hobie teamed up with several allies

(18:40):
including Puma, Rocket Racer, and Sandman.Silver Sable, a mercenary from the Eastern
European nation of Simcaria, offered the groupfurther work. Hobie joined Silver Sable's
mercenary team called the Outlaws andparticipated in missions across North America
and England, once battling Excalibur anduncovering a rogue Arnim Zola construct. At the

(19:03):
time, he trained with his brother Abraham AbeBrown, who was a martial artist and former wielder
of White Tiger's Jade Amulets as a member of theSons of the Tiger. You can learn more about Silver
Sable and White Tiger in their respective duelsagainst Vigilante and Bronze Tiger. Hobie teamed
up with his brother Abe to fight street crime, butwas temporarily injured battling Killer Shrike.

(19:26):
Though Hobie's wife Mindy left him afterdiscovering his identity, she returned when he
was paralyzed in a fall caused by the villain BlackBull. While recovering, his gear was stolen
again, this time by a criminal named Rick Lawson,who posed as the prowler until being hospitalized
by the vulture. Regaining mobility, Hobieresumed the prowler role and aided Spider-Man

(19:47):
during a building fire. He provided Spider-Manwith a jet pack used during a period when Peter
adopted the Hornet persona. Hobie was arrestedduring the Superhuman Registration Act
conflict, but escaped with the help of CaptainAmerica's secret Avengers. Peter Parker later
hired Hobie to impersonate Spider-Man again tomaintain his cover. Hobie then infiltrated new U

(20:09):
technologies for Parker Industries anddiscovered an experiment involving the villain
Electro, who severely injured him. He was placedin stasis by the genetic mastermind known as the
Jackal and it was cloned. The clone served theJackal, while the real Hobie remained
unconscious in cryosleep. After beingrecovered, Hobie ended his alliance with
Spider-Man and was hired by Tony Stark to lead acrowdfunding firm. When the symbiote god Null

(20:34):
invaded Earth, Hobie adopted the identity ofHornet and used hacked Stark Tech to repel the
symbiotes. Later, during a gang war conflict,Hobie lent a prowler suit to a man named Aaron Davis
to investigate the villain Hobgoblin. Hobiewarned Davis that he misused the prowler suit, he
would take it back and reclaim the identity. AaronDavis was a former career criminal from an

(20:58):
alternate universe called Earth 1610, Marvel'sultimate universe. There, Aaron was the brother
of Jefferson Davis, the father of Miles Morales.While Jefferson reformed as a criminal and became
a police officer after marrying Rio Morales,Aaron continued his criminal life, using stolen
tech to become the prowler. At one point, he brokeinto an abandoned Oz Corp facility and knowingly

(21:23):
took a genetically altered spider with him. Thespider later bit his nephew Miles Morales, giving
him spider powers and making him the newSpider-Man. Though Jefferson disapproved of
Aaron's influence, Miles maintained a closerelationship with his uncle. You can learn more
about Miles Morales Spider-Man and his duelagainst Batwing. Aaron traveled to Mexico City to

(21:43):
confront a rival criminal known as the Scorpion,but was arrested and returned to New York. He
attempted to manipulate Miles and to help himeliminate the Scorpion, but Miles refused. In a
final confrontation, Aaron's gauntletsexploded, killing him. Before dying, he
cryptically claimed that Miles was just like him.After the universal incursions that led to the

(22:05):
collapse and the eventual rebirth of themultiverse, Aaron was restored to life in
Morales' primary 616 timeline with no memory ofhis death. He purchased an iron spider suit off the
black market and helped form a new Sinister 6alongside bombshell, electro, hobgoblin,
sandman, and the spot stealing a decommissionedshield helicarrier. Miles, who was also brought

(22:29):
into the main Marvel timeline, confronted hisuncle. And though the Sinister 6 succeeded in
their heist, Aaron appeared to die during theensuing battle, though he was merely injured.
Influenced by his nephew, Aaron began distancingA villain who can learn more about his duel against
Blockbuster. When Miles was kidnapped by thevillain Assessor, Aaron sought help from his

(22:53):
estranged brother Jefferson. Aftercommissioning a new prowler suit from a criminal
weapons designer, he joined Jefferson ininfiltrating the Assessor's facility, rescuing
Miles. Later while working for the villainUltimatum, actually the Earth 616 variant of
Miles, Aaron attempted to assassinate a criminalbut was stopped by Spider-Man Miles. The botched

(23:16):
job resulted in a bounty on Aaron, which forced himinto a deal that placed him under Ultimatum's
control. Aaron joined his nephew Miles at thehospital for the birth of his sister Billy, and
later helped resist Ultimatum's plan to returnthem to their original universe. During a battle
with Ultimatum's forces, including the GreenGoblin and his Goblinoids, Aaron sacrificed

(23:37):
himself by overloading his suit, sendingUltimatum and the Goblin away. Aaron was presumed
dead. In reality, Aaron awoke in an alternatedystopian world ruled by Selim, an evil clone of
Miles Morales. Selim used Aaron's uniquedimensional signature to power a shield around
his empire. Aaron was imprisoned and used as aliving power source for decades. When Miles

(24:03):
arrived in the alternate dimension to rescue hisuncle, Aaron was freed and recovered enough to
fight alongside his nephew. After defeatingSelim, Aaron and Miles traveled back to Earth 616.
Upon their return was when Hobie Brown recruitedAaron to resume the Prowler identity, tasking him
with uncovering the villain Hobgoblin's plans.Aaron went undercover as a villain for hire and

(24:25):
joined Hobgoblin's crew, supplying weapons tocriminals and clashing with Miles, until his
cover was revealed. Aaron divulged Hobgoblin'slocation and joined Miles, Miss Marvel, and
others to raid the villain's hideout, fightingalongside them to bring down that criminal
empire. And that's Prowler's history.Nobilities-wise, the Prowler has a specialized

(24:46):
suit made from a modified military flak jacketthat protects him from concussive forces such as
explosions or falls from great heights. It comeswith a variety of pneumatic or air-based gadgets,
including a cape that can expand, allowing him toglide over great distances. His boots are rubber
insulated with compressed air technology thatallows him to leave multiple stories high and land

(25:10):
safely. His specialized gauntlets have steelclaws used for fighting and scaling buildings,
and they have wrist-mounted compressed airlaunchers that can fire projectiles such as
grappling hooks, gas pellets, steel darts,flares, or compressed air blasts. Prowler's suit
also comes with some stealth and infiltrationgadgets such as night vision goggles and

(25:32):
temperature control to avoid infrareddetection. Both Hobbie and Aaron are
intellectually gifted, one as an inventor and theother as a thief. They're both experienced
fighters and skilled marksmen. So which versionwill you be going with? I figured it could be either
or. If you're more of a fan of Hobbie, you canimagine him in this fight or if you're more of a fan

(25:54):
of Aaron, who is the modern and current Prowler,then you can imagine him in this fight. I didn't
realize he had so much compressed air like a tax.Yeah, that's his whole thing. So does Blue Beetle.
Yeah, they have a lot in common. Interesting, I hadno idea. Well, to find out how much they have in
common, let me get into Blue Beetle Ted Kord'sbackstory. Now Theodore Ted Kord was born with a

(26:16):
gifted intellect, excelling in science,literature and business from a young age. While he
initially considered joining his father'scompany, Kord Omni-Versal Research and
Development, his life changed course afteruncovering a nefarious plot by his uncle Jarvis
Kord. Discovering that Jarvis intended tounleash an army of super androids for world

(26:38):
domination, Ted sought the help of hisarchaeology professor, Dan Garrett, who also
happened to be the original Blue Beetle. Togetherthey confronted Jarvis on Pago Island, where Dan
revealed his heroic identity and used the power ofa mystical scarab he had discovered years
earlier. In the ensuing battle, Dan was mortallywounded. With his dying breath, Dan entrusted Ted

(27:01):
with the scarab and the Blue Beetle legacy. ThoughTed accepted the mantle, the scarab failed to
activate for him, refusing to give up he trained tophysical perfection, becoming a skilled
hand-to-hand combatant, and constructed avariety of crime-fighting gadgets, including a
signature air blast pistol and a beetle-shapedaircraft known as the Bug. Operating

(27:23):
independently of the scarab, Ted forged his ownidentity as the second Blue Beetle. Reviving Kord
Omni-Versal, he turned the company into a major R&D enterprise, Rivalink Star Labs. From his home
base in Chicago, he launched his career as acostumed vigilante, taking on foes such as the Mad
Men, Carapax the Indestructible Man, and thevillainous cult known as the Men of the Mask. Ted

(27:49):
Kord's early career brought him into the orbit ofthe world's greatest heroes when he was recruited
by the Monitor during the Crisis on InfiniteEarths. During the multiversal conflict, Ted
wielded the Blue Beetle Scarab to destroy shadowdemons, but later lost track of it amidst the
chaos. With the crisis resolved, Ted joined thenewly-reformed Justice League. As a founding

(28:10):
member of the Justice League International, Tedserved as the league's primary pilot and
technician. There he met Booster Gold, whoquickly became his closest friend and frequent
partner in crime-fighting and mischief. Knowncollectively as Blue and Gold, the duo balanced
comic relief with critical contributions andmissions against League villains. You can learn

(28:31):
more about Booster Gold in our Booster Gold vs.Cable dual episode. While in the league, Ted's
confidence in Wasteline began to waver due to longhours spent in the lab. With encouragement from
teammates such as General Glory and Guy Gardner,he regained his physical conditioning, though
not before suffering severe injuries duringbattles, including a coma after Doomstay's

(28:53):
rampage. Despite these setbacks, Ted remainedactive in the field, even joining the spin-off
team Extreme Justice alongside Booster andCaptain Adam, who you can learn more about in his
duel against Wonder Man. In time, Ted left theleague and reasserted control of Cord
Omniversal, eventually making it a subsidiary ofWayne Enterprises. During this period, he grew

(29:17):
close to Barbara Gordon, aka Oracle, initially asan online acquaintance. The two developed a deep
friendship and Ted provided her team, the Birds ofPrey, with funding and technology. You can learn
more about the Birds of Prey in our Birds of Prey vs.A Force Team dual episode. Though he eventually
discovered he had a heart condition, Tedcontinued his heroics, occasionally operating

(29:41):
as Blue Beetle in spite of the risk. Ted came backinto possession of Dangarit Scarab after it was
unearthed by Hawkman, though it once againremained inert in his presence. Around the same
time, Ted noticed strange financial movementswithin Cord Omniversal. Funds were being
siphoned and rerouted to mysterious shellcompanies. He began investigating, only to be

(30:04):
attacked by a group of thugs known as the Mad Men,severely injuring Booster in the process.
Tracing a signal hidden within his damagedequipment, Ted uncovered the location of a secret
facility in Switzerland. There he discoveredthat Maxwell Lord, one of his former League
teammates, had taken over the organizationCheckmate and intended to use the OMAC project to

(30:26):
neutralize the global metahuman population.Lord offered Ted a place at his side. When Ted
refused, Max executed him with a gunshot to thehead. Ted's death shocked the hero community. A
statue was erected in his honor, and BarbaraGordon memorialized his contributions. Though
the Scarab ultimately passed to a new host,teenager Jaime Reyes, Ted's legacy endured

(30:50):
through his inventions, his friendship withBooster Gold, and his example as a hero without
powers who stood among gods. In the wake of Ted'sdeath, Booster Gold and a future blue beetle
attempted to change history by rescuing himthrough time travel. When they succeeded in
briefly bringing Ted forward in time, theresulting timeline plunged Earth into a dystopia

(31:12):
ruled by OMACs, realizing the cost of hissurvival, Ted returned to his original time to die
as he was meant to, thereby restoring thetimeline. During the Blackest Night, a Black
Lantern ring reanimated Ted's corpse. As a BlackLantern, he attempted to murder Booster, Jaime,
and others, but was eventually neutralized usingtechnology Ted himself had designed. His remains

(31:37):
were taken to a point outside of time known as theVanishing Point to prevent further
resurrection. In post-flashpoint continuity,Ted Corde reemerged, once again depicted as a
scientific, genius, and industrialist who hadretired from being blue beetle due to health
concerns. When Jaime Reyes approached him forhelp in understanding the mysterious Scarab, Ted

(31:58):
became his reluctant mentor and benefactor.Though Jaime initially rejected the superhero
lifestyle, Ted saw promise in him and providedguidance, resources, and technological
support, constructing a mobile command centerand even donning his old blue beetle suit when
needed. Ted's investigations into the Scarabbrought him into conflict with Dr. Fate, who

(32:19):
declared the Scarab to be magical in origin,contrary to Ted's belief it was alien technology.
Ted later joined a coalition of heroes includingthe question Captain Adam, Nightshade, and more,
who traveled to Mars to confront Dr. Manhattan forputting Superman into a coma, though Ted and the
other heroes were overpowered and scattered. Youcan learn more about Dr. Manhattan in our Dr.

(32:44):
Manhattan vs. Molecule Man dual episode. Tedlater became a target of Black Mask, who
imprisoned him and used illusion-based powers toimpersonate him. Under Black Mask's control,
Corde Industries funneled resources intoillicit operations, including a revamped
Suicide Squad. With help from the Justice Leagueand an international team known as the

(33:05):
Revolutionaries, the real Ted was freed andhelped dismantle Black Mask's scheme. You can
learn more about Black Mask in his dual againstMadame Mask. Ted reunited with Booster Gold to
form Blue and Gold Restoration, a private hero forhigher business dedicated to helping everyday
people. Though he was ousted from CordeIndustries for mismanagement, Ted chose to keep

(33:27):
working with Booster instead of rejoining theJustice League. Their venture faced financial
challenges, but they continued their mission,providing aid to those overlooked by larger
organizations. Ted was briefly imprisoned by theBatman who laughs on New Apocalypse, where he was
killed by a giant beetle during the DarkMultiverse Crisis and resurrected via a Black

(33:49):
Lantern Ring. Despite these ordeals, he returnedto life once more and continued his
crime-fighting career alongside his best friendBooster Gold and protégé Jaime Reyes. Now,
powers-wise, Ted Corde possesses no innatesuperpowers as Blue Beetle, but his genius level
intellect places him among the most brilliantminds in the world. He's a master inventor and

(34:11):
engineer, creating an array of gadgets andvehicles. His trademark weapon is the BB Gun,
capable of emitting blinding flashes orcompressed air blasts strong enough to knock back
attackers. Though he also carries smoke bombs,acid capsules, grappling launchers, and small
beetle-shaped flying surveillance drones knownas baby bugs. His greatest engineering feat,

(34:34):
however, is the bug. An airship that can fly at 600miles per hour, travel into outer space and
underwater, fire electromagnetic beams,electrify its hull, shoot nets and grapples, and
more, all from the control of his gloves.Physically, Blue Beetle trained to peak human
condition and was an Olympic-level acrobat andmartial artist, specializing in Akito and

(34:57):
karate, though his weight and physical abilityhas fluctuated over the years due to his heart
condition. Thankfully, Blue Beetle's suitslightly enhances his strength and durability,
while also coming equipped with suction pads thatallow him to adhere to walls and vision-enhancing
goggles. That's Blue Beetle. Is he gonna have hisbug ship during this fight? Hell yes he does! Let me

(35:21):
rephrase that, that wasn't a question. BlueBeetle will not be having his bug ship during the
course of this fight, it's just gonna bemono-e-mono. Do you understand? I understand
that it's something that you do not want. Thankyou. Alright. Did you see more about how similar
they are? Because not only do they have likeair-compressed weapons, they can also climb on
walls, one with suction cups, one with claws. Theyboth have like light strobes. And they both died

(35:44):
like several times. Right, exactly. But now thatwe've got their histories and abilities out of the

(36:44):
way, let's speculate on how one of the 1000simulated matches will go. The winner is
determined by simulations, not the speculation.But it's fun to imagine how this fight could play
out. AJ9K, what are the rules of our speculation?Well, I should say there are no rules, other than
the characters have no prior knowledge of theother going into the fight. All they are aware of

(37:06):
starting out is that the other character is athreat that needs to be eliminated. For the
speculation, the contestants will beginapproximately 50 meters apart in a nondescript
environment that will have no bearing on the matchitself, as no environmental statistics are
considered in my simulations. The contestantsmust earn victory on their own merit. Alright
then, let's get into it. Blue Beetle and a prowlermeet on the battlefield. Who goes first? I'm gonna

(37:32):
say that prowler goes first. He's gonna speedblitz Blue Beetle with his claws, and before Blue
Beetle can even say, oh shit this guy is scaryfucking fast, he's just gonna get slashed across
his face. No, prowler's fast but not faster thanBlue Beetle can quick draw his BB gun and just flash
a strobe right in the guy's face so he'sdisoriented and seeing spots. So with prowler

(37:57):
partially blinded, Blue Beetle's easily gonnaleap over his blitz and tag prowler in the back with
a compressed air blast that just makes him fallflat on his face. And as he lands, as prowler is
getting up from the ground, Blue Beetle sends out afew baby bug drones that scan the area. How big are
these drones? I've seen various sizes for these,sometimes they're like the size of a volleyball,

(38:22):
but I've also seen them like the size of his palm.Okay, prowler notices these drones as he gets to
his feet, and he's gonna shoot down a gas capsulethat creates a dark cloud of smoke around him and
it's gonna hide him from these drones and from BlueBeetle's sight. Uh, you know, Blue Beetle's just
gonna switch the drone surveillance to infraredso he can see prowler's heat signature with his

(38:45):
dope ass goggles. Except prowler is invisible toinfrared. Okay, so I don't know, Blue Beetle
switches to night vision to see through the darksmoke and uses drones, shoot down some acid cap.
You know, because Blue Beetle's night vision isactivated, prowler, he shoots out a magnesium
flare right then, and it's just gonna light up BlueBeetle's entire view. And that's gonna

(39:05):
temporarily blind him. So like, as Blue Beetle'sgrabbing at his goggles, prowler is gonna shoot
the bug drones out of the air with some darts by ourterm as gauntlets. And then he's gonna leap out of
the smoke and just flying kick Blue Beetle rightinto his beard gut. Six pack, my man. Six pack. He's
been working out. Six pack of beer. All right, so hetakes the kick, lands on his back, but he's gonna

(39:29):
back somersault onto his hands and knees beforelaunching himself with his legs back at prowler
and rocking him with a spinning back fist. He'sblind. How did he even see the prowler to hit him? I
don't know. He's, you know, he peered through thespots in his vision. He's good like that. Well, not
good enough, because prowler blocks this hit. Oh,it's a spinning double back fist. So when prowler

(39:53):
blocks one hand, Blue Beetle just spins theopposite direction and clocks him with the other
hand. What? Okay, prowler gets hit, but he's gonnacounter with a spin kick and slashing uppercut
combo, followed by this like compressed air blastfrom his gauntlets that just sends Blue Beetle
flying backward and knocking the wind out of him.No, no, because in the middle of this combo,

(40:14):
suddenly prowler finds himself wrapped in a netall around him. And as he struggles to move, he's
hoisted into the air by Blue Beetle's bug ship witha cable that was attached to the net. I said, you're
making me sick here. I said, you can't use the bugship. I'm sorry. I thought you'd know I just
naturally use whatever Blue Beetle uses out in thefield. St. Blue Beetle can't have his bug ship is

(40:39):
like saying ghost writer can't have his hell cycleor silver surfer can't have his surfboard. I doubt
that. Regardless, prowler is gonna slash his wayout of this net with his claws. And then he's gonna
glide down toward Blue Beetle, who's like, Oh,fuck, my cheating ass is about to die. And prowler
lands feet first onto Blue Beetle, and heactivates his compressed air boots right as he

(41:01):
lands, which like a shotgun blast just explodesBlue Beetle into a blue smear on the ground. No,
this net is made with metal fibers. And beforeprowler could slash his way out of it, the bug ship
just sends an electric current into the netelectrocuting prowler and just sizzling him to a
crisp. Like I said, cheating ass, you can't use thebug ship in this. I don't know what to tell you, bro.

(41:23):
It happened, except it. Okay, we'll go ahead andleave the match there. Either Jonathan cheats and
the bug ship captures and electrocutes theprowler, or he plays this like a man and prowler
just eviscerates Blue Beetle with his aircompressed boots. Hey, it takes a real man to admit
when he's defeated, Joseph. Let's go ahead andfind out who wins by inputting the stats, running

(41:46):
the simulations and finding out who comes out ontop. AJ9K hit it. Inputting data, running
calculations, processing results, simulationscomplete. Okay, this was an awesome match. These
characters are way more similar than I would havethought. And I kind of always love when that
happens. We just kind of serendipitously fallinto an awesome match that I never even knew I

(42:09):
wanted to see. Yeah, they had a lot in common,including their invasiveness, their fighting
skill, their range, their perception. They had alot in common. Yeah, where Blue Beetle had the edge
was versatility. He just has more gadgets andintelligence, but just barely. Blue Beetle did
have the edge when I came to movement speed,because yes, I did factor the bug ship into his

(42:33):
stats. You cheating bastard. Well, we justfigured that a majority of the time we see the
character, whether it's in the comics or in othermedia, he has his bug ship. It's a big part of who the
character is. It's like seeing Night Owl fromWatchmen without his Owl ship. And because of
that, Blue Beetle also got the edge when it came todamage level. Yeah, the bug ship is such a big part

(42:54):
of the lore of the character that it was evenincorporated in the Blue Beetle live action
movie, even though Hymeria's doesn't use the bugship. Exactly. So who do you think is winning this
one, Jonathan? Is that even a question? BlueBeetle all the way. And Instagram agrees with me,
because 69% of the people who took the poll votedfor Blue Beetle. Whoever voted for Blue Beetle in

(43:15):
that poll doesn't even know what a 69 is. Let's goahead and get the results. Hey, you are, sir. The
winner of the matchup between Blue Beetle andprowler is, I'm so sick. Can't even say it. Blue
Beetle. Yay. Out of the 1000 matches, Blue Beetlewon 65.6% of the time. Proller only won 34.4%.

(43:39):
Okay, so Blue Beetle wins about two-thirds of thetime. Not quite. About two-thirds, though.
Aren't you glad that you rolled out a bed for this?This is awesome. No. No, in fact, this whole day
just sucks. Well, sorry to add to your misery, butalso hashtag, sorry, not sorry. Let's get your ass

(43:59):
back in bed so you don't die. That does it for thisduel. AJ9K, help close us out. In our next episode,

(44:38):
we will be reviewing Daredevil born again. I havenot finished watching it, but so far, so good. That
does it for this episode. We want to give a bigthanks to our executive producers, John
Sturrosky, Zachary Hepburn, Dustin Belcom,Miggy Mathen-Gian, Brandon Estegard, Nathaniel
Wagner, Levi Yatn, Austin Wazelowski, AJDunkerly, Nick Obanto, Scott Camacho, Gil

(45:00):
Camacho, Adam Spees, Dean Molesky, Devin Davis,Joseph Kirsting, Josh Leiner, Mike Williams, and
Oscar Galvez for helping make this podcastpossible. We'll talk to you guys next week. Up, up,
and away, true believers. Fun fact, Blue Beetle'salternate dimension variant is called Dung 452 00:45:18,740 --> Beetle, who is a member of the League of Nasty Bastards. Look it up.