Mister Terrific makes his big-screen debut in James Gunn’s Superman, where the ultra-intelligent DCU hero shows off his abilities as he teams up with David Corenswet’s Superman. The DCU’s Gods and Monsters chapter introduces a wide variety of DC characters in both live-action and animation. James Gunn’s Superman, the DCU’s first movie, kicks off long after Earth’s first metahumans and vigilantes unveiled their existence to the world. Among these are villains such as the mythical sorceress Circe and heroes such as Mister Terrific and his superhero squad.
In James Gunn’s Superman, Mister Terrific leads a team of heroes that serves as a metahuman police force that intervenes in dangerous battles. This team is composed of Mister Terrific, Nathan Fillion’s human Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Isabela Merced’s reincarnated Egyptian princess Hawkgirl, and Anthony Carrigan’s shapeshifting hero Rex Mason a.k.a. Metamorpho. While these four heroes usually fight individually in the source material, they work together as a branded superhero team in the DCU — seemingly drawing inspiration from Maxwell Lord’s Justice League International and Mister Terrific’s own comic book team, the Terrifics.
Edi Gathegi Plays Mister Terrific In Superman
Edi Gathegi Previously Played A Marvel Superhero On The Big Screen
The DCU’s Mister Terrific is played by Kenyan-American actor Edi Gathegi in James Gunn’s Superman. Edi Gathegi made his feature film debut in the 2006 Jason Statham-led action movie Crank and gained prominence with his guest and supporting roles in the TV shows House, Lincoln Heights, and Veronica Mars. Gathegi is more commonly known for his antagonistic role in the Twilight franchise, where he played the vampire Laurent. Gathegi is also known for his small part in X-Men: First Class, where he played the mutant Darwin.
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In DC Comics, Michael Holt a.k.a. Mister Terrific is one of the DC Universe’s smartest characters, perhaps surpassing Lex Luthor and Bruce Wayne in terms of intellect. Michael Holt was inspired by Terry Sloane, the first Mister Terrific, to inherit his mantle after the death of his wife and son. Holt put his genius-level intellect to good use and became a hero, earning himself a spot in the Justice Society and the Justice League, but eventually joined forces with Metamorpho, Plastic Man, and Phantom Girl to create his own team — the Terrifics.
Mister Terrific’s Powers Explained
Mister Terrific’s Powers Are Based On His Genius-Level Intellect
A brilliant inventor, Mister Terrific created the T-Spheres — futuristic multipurpose devices he can control with his mind. Mister Terrific uses his T-Spheres as vehicles, lethal or non-lethal weapons, spying devices, hologram projectors, and shields. Mister Terrific’s emblematic T-shaped mask also gives him multiple artificial enhancements, such as camouflage, electronic indetectability, and off-the-grid remote communication. Michael Holt is also an Olympic-level athlete who can go to-to-toe with peak-level humans like Batman. However, Mister Terrific’s most powerful weapon is his mind.
Mister Terrific’s state-of-the-art technology can be seen in the form of a force field in a brief shot of the first
Superman
trailer.
Mister Terrific’s innate genius-level intellect allows him to learn almost any skill he wishes. For instance, Michael Holt is a polyglot and a polymath, dominating fields such as physics, chemistry, medicine, electrical engineering, and even law, as well as languages as rare as the language of Black Adam’s home nation, Kahndaq. Mister Terrific is a master martial artist and possesses an eidetic memory, which allows him to replicate skills and fight moves from fellow heroes and the enemies he faces.
How Mister Terrific’s Powers Compare To Superman’s
Mister Terrific Isn’t As Powerful As Superman, But He’s On Par With Batman And Other JLA Heroes
There are very few DC characters who can truly match Superman’s power. Mister Terrific’s futuristic technology allows him to fight side to side with the Man of Steel, and his genius-level intelligence gives him an edge over most DC heroes and villains. However, Superman is much more powerful, physically speaking. On the other hand, while Mister Terrific is among the hundreds of heroes who can’t beat Superman on his own, his intellect is on par with Batman, who has repeatedly proved that he can neutralize Superman by relying on contrived back-up plans and special devices.
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Every DC character’s power level varies greatly from comic appearance to comic appearance. Superman can go from being beaten by Metallo and Batman to absorbing the whole power of the sun, and Mister Terrific can go from struggling against low-power foes like Roulette to venturing into the Dark Multiverse — home of powerful entities like The Batman Who Laughs. In the DCU, David Corenswet’s Superman might start off with a moderate power level that may level the playing field for Superman‘s cast of heroes and villains, but he might still be more powerful than Mister Terrific, Hawkgirl, Guy Gardner, and Metamorpho.
Superman
- Cast
- David Corenswet , Rachel Brosnahan , María Gabriela De Faría , Edi Gathegi , Nicholas Hoult , Frank Grillo , Nathan Fillion , Milly Alcock , Sara Sampaio , Pruitt Taylor Vince , Skyler Gisondo , Anthony Carrigan , Wendell Pierce , Beck Bennett , Sean Gunn
- Release Date
- July 11, 2025
- Distributor(s)
- Warner Bros. Pictures
