Mr. Terrific is about to gain a whole new audience thanks to Superman. The film is part of James Gunn’s new DC Universe and is another attempt to find a winning formula for the Man of Steel on the big screen. However, Superman isn’t the only DC hero to appear in the film. Joining Superman are Guy Gardner/Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Metamorpho, and Mr. Terrific. This won’t be the first time we’ve seen Mr. Terrific in live action, with the hero also appearing in Arrow. The general audience may not be familiar with Mr. Terrific, so DC is providing more context with a Year One comic.
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DC released preview pages for Mr. Terrific: Year One #1 by Al Letson, Valentine De Landro, and Marissa Louise. The comic will jump between the past and present, showing how the death of Michael Holt’s wife and unborn son led him down the path to becoming Mr. Terrific, one of the smartest characters in the DC Universe.
The preview begins with Mr. Terrific filling the reader in on his history, from being a member of the JSA to leading his own superhero team in The Terrifics. A member of the Terrifics, Metamorpho, is also in Superman. While Mr. Terrific may not be a metahuman, he counts his mind as his superpower. We also travel back to the DC All In Special, where Darkseid attacked the new Justice League Watchtower. Darkseid’s death opened a dangerous interdimensional rift that Mr. Terrific has made his job to investigate.
Our final pages travel back in time to the early days of Mr. Terrific, where he’s woken up from his sleep by someone close to him. Mr. Terrific has been holed up in his apartment since his wife and unborn son were killed. After their deaths, Mr. Terrific sold his company to Athena Prescott, an inventor, entrepreneur, and CEO of Prescott Industries. Having Mr. Terrific: Year One jump back and forth from the present to the past is an excellent way to craft the story, and allows readers to see how Mr. Terrific’s choices in the past are affecting him to this day.
Edi Gathegi portrays Mr. Terrific in Superman. He’s a gold medal-winning Olympic decathlete who also has multiple PhDs. He’s part of a long line of legacy heroes, with the original Mr. Terrific using the catchphrase “Fair Play,” which is something that appealed to Michael Holt. Along with his depiction in Arrow, played by Echo Kellum, Mr. Terrific has also appeared in the Justice League animated series
Mr. Terrific celebrated an anniversary in April, with Superman director James Gunn sharing a behind-the-scenes photo of Edi Gathegi as Mr. Terrific. “Happy Anniversary to Mr. Terrific, who has long been one of my favorite characters,” Gunn wrote in his Instagram post. “It’s been a joy bringing him to the big screen for the first time with my pal Edi Gathegi.”
“THE SECRET ORIGIN OF SUMMER’S BREAKOUT SUPERHERO!” a description of Mr. Terrific: Year One #1 reads. “Brilliant young inventor Michael Holt’s life was destined for greatness… yet everything screeched to a halt when his wife Paula and unborn son were killed in a car accident. The Holts once shared ambitious dreams of using their technology to help others, but after the tragedy, Michael retreats from society and sells Holt Industries to mysterious and craven tech billionaire Athena Prescott. The domino effect of Michael’s actions set off an explosive chain of events that take a not-so-ordinary man from the depths of despair to the heights of heroism! Meanwhile, in the present day, Mr. Terrific continues his research into what became of Darkseid after the events of the DC All-In Special…and comes to realize that his past and the present might be inextricably linked…”
Mr. Terrific: Year One #1 goes on sale Wednesday, May 28th. Let us know your thoughts on the comic in the comments below!
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