Hollywood might have a lot of projects on hold as both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA unions strike for fair compensation and contract negotiations, but movies like Superman: Legacy have also already made some big casting announcements. Thanks to information first revealed by Vanity Fair, Superman fans know that the new DC Universe movie will feature a handful of new heroes in addition to the new Superman (David Corenswet) and Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan).
Superman: Legacy is part of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s plans to reboot the DCU. Though Blue Beetle is the first official movie to kick off the new DCU, Superman: Legacy will feature even more heroes like Hawkgirl, Metamorpho, a Green Lantern, and Mister Terrific. Mister Terrific hasn’t appeared in a big-screen DC project until now.
Who Is Mister Terrific In DC Comics?
There has been more than one hero to use the moniker Mister Terrific in DC Comics, but there’s one thing they have in common: their intelligence. Mister Terrific might be athletic and have a lot of training to become a masked hero, but his biggest superpower is his brain.
The first Mister Terrific is Terry Sloane. Created by Charles Reizenstein and Hal Sharp, he made his first comic book appearance in 1942. Terry was a millionaire with a photographic memory. He had both the funds and the skills to back up a superhero lifestyle, which he did after he decided to don a mask after saving a woman’s life. Terry ended up committing himself to stopping young people from lives of crime and joined the Justice Society of America. He only retired when the group of heroes either had to reveal their identities to the government or disband the group. When he did come out of retirement, he was killed in action by an old enemy.
The second Mister Terrific was inspired by Terry Sloane. Michael Holt was created by John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake and made his comic book debut in 1997. That’s five decades after the first Mister Terrific. Michael actually considered taking his own life after losing his wife and child, but he was inspired by Terry’s legacy to begin work as a vigilante. He found his purpose with the Justice Society of America. Michael created the T-Sphere, artificial intelligence that is part of his mask and allows him most of his “superhuman” abilities. He can use multiple T-Spheres during combat. Even smarter than his predecessor, Michael Holt speaks multiple languages, has fourteen doctorates in different subjects, and has six black belts in different martial arts.
It’s the second version of Mister Terrific that will appear in Superman: Legacy.
Who Is Playing Mister Terrific In Superman: Legacy?
According to Vanity Fair’s group of casting announcements, Mister Terrific will be played by Edi Gathegi. Gathegi got his start in Hollywood in 2006 in the movie Crank, but he’s been in a variety of movies and television series since. TV fans will have seen him in shows like The Blacklist and For All Mankind in recent years. Prior to his superhero role here, however, Gathegi is actually known for a couple of pretty high-profile movie franchises.
Gathegi played the vampire Laurent in The Twilight Saga. Laurent was initially an ally of the villains of the first Twilight movie, but he was eventually killed by werewolves when hunting Bella Swan. While his role wasn’t a large one in the movies, Gathegi proved himself a cunning actor in the role. He was also a standout in another superhero movie where his part was eliminated too soon. Gathegi played Darwin in X-Men: First Class. The character was smart, and his superpower was literally the ability to adapt to any situation. Unfortunately, his fascinating character didn’t survive long in that movie either.
Mister Terrific in Superman: Legacy could be Gathegi’s ticket to a longer-running role in a big franchise. He could appear as the character in the DCU moving forward, especially since James Gunn actually teased the characte r on his social media in 2022.
Is This The Same Mister Terrific As In The Arrowverse?
Gathegi is set to play the Michael Holt version of Mister Terrific in Superman: Legacy. That is not the same version of Mister Terrific that appeared in the Arrowverse. In Arrow, Mister Terrific was played by Echo Kellum, and the character was named Curtis Holt. Curtis Holt was actually created for the Arrowverse, though his inspiration did come from the comic book character of Michael Holt. Fans of Arrow will likely find a very different take on the character when Gathegi brings him to life.
Gathegi’s Mister Terrific will only be the third time a version of the hero has appeared in live-action. In addition to Kellum’s version on Arrow, the Terry Sloane character appeared as an Easter egg in Smallville. Beyond that, Mister Terrific has only appeared in video games and animation, meaning Superman: Legacy can really make the live-action version of the character unique.
Superman: Legacy is expected to hit theaters in 2025.