James Gunn may have teased the future of the DC Cinematic Universe by putting Mister Terrific on his Twitter feed. The tweet sparked speculation online about Mister Terrific’s potential comeback. After DC’s latest film Black Adam featured the Justice Society of America, many fans have hoped that the JSA will play an important part in the future of the DCU.
Since DC Studios replaced DC Films and put Gunn at the helm, his teasing characters like Lobo and Mister Terrific could be foreshadowing what’s to come. But Mister Terrific has made his way to the screen before; the character was last seen in The CW's Arrow. Will Gunn soon be adding to the underutilized character's live-action history?
Who Is Mister Terrific?
Comic book readers were introduced to Michael Holt in Spectre Vol. 3 #54 “The Haunting of Jim Corrigan (Part 3): Atonement” (by John Ostrander, Tom Mandrake, Carla Feeny, Tom Klein and Rafael Garres). Holt is one of the smartest men in the world and an Olympic athlete. While he doesn’t have any superpowers, as a brilliant investor and leader in design, Mister Terrific utilizes T-Spheres and a T-shaped face mask that make him undetectable from all modern technology.
Holt is the second person to take the mantle of Mister Terrific and the more prominent version of the character. He has acquired 14 doctorates, become a self-made multi-millionaire and won an Olympic gold in for the decathlon. But before he was Mister Terrific, he experienced the deaths of his wife, unborn child and older brother. These losses led him to contemplate suicide before meeting Spectre, who introduced him to Terry Sloane -- the original Mister Terrific. Holt adopted the name and later joined the JSA, even serving as the team's chairman. Mister Terrific would be an exciting addition to the JSA's presence in the DCU thus far.
Mister Terrific's History in DC Animation
Michael Holt’s Mister Terrific appeared in Justice League Unlimited as one of the many superheroes aboard the Watchtower. Although one of the most talented and brilliant members, Holt was relegated to the background, usually helping Martian Manhunter with monitor duty. But during the show’s final season in 2006, he was given a more prominent role on the team with more screen time. In Season 3, Episode 8, "The Great Brain Robbery," Holt even outsmarted Lex Luthor while Luthor was in the Flash’s body.
Mister Terrific then guest-starred in the 2013 animated series Beware the Batman, but only to be kidnapped by Professor Pyg and Mr. Toad. Holt never appeared again after being rescued. And when Justice League Action premiered in 2016, despite being featured in the show's opening credits, the character only appeared in a handful of episodes. While that version of Mister Terrific adopted a purple, yellow, and black color scheme, the show represented his skills and abilities well. Those two episodes showed his athleticism and intellect, as well as more of his personality.
The character went in another different direction when Mister Terrific was featured in Freedom Fighter: The Ray -- a web series that was adapted into an animated feature in 2018. It was set in the same continuity as the recently ended live-action Arrowverse. In this universe, Mister Terrific was renamed Curtis Holt and voiced by Echo Kellum. While he still wasn't a huge part of the story, this last animated guest spot paved the way for his live-action debut.
Will Mister Terrific Join the DCU?
Mister Terrific's first live-action appearance was in Season 4 of The CW's Arrow. He was still portrayed by Echo Kellum, and appeared on a recurring basis from Seasons 4-7 with a few returns in Season 8. Arrow's Curtis Holt was depicted more as a tech genius than a superhero, but when he did suit up, he donned a comic-book accurate costume. The character also appeared in DC's Legends of Tomorrow and The Flash.
Michael Holt, while a fan-favorite among comic book readers, has been underutilized in DC’s TV series history. Being the third-smartest person in the world” and one of the best chairmen the JSA has ever had gives him so much story to be told. Considering that James Gunn has been at the forefront of introducing lesser known or rarely used characters into live-action, Mister Terrific could help fix the JSA's issues in the DCU. Fans can only hope that Gunn's tweets are indicative of exactly that.