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Mister Terrific (Michael Holt)

DC Comics superhero From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mister Terrific (Michael Holt)
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Michael Holt is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. First appearing in Spectre (vol. 3) #54 (June 1997), the character was created by John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake.[1] Holt is the second character to use the Mister Terrific codename, succeeding Terry Sloane. As Mister Terrific, the character is often affiliated with the Justice Society of America, serving as a prominent member and as its chairman.

Quick Facts Michael Holt, Publication information ...

Holt's background has varied over the course of his history but he is commonly depicted as a highly-intelligent African American driven towards excellence and perfection, earning him vast accolades, wealth, and athleticism until the untimely death of his wife. Sunken into depression, Michael contemplates suicide until divine intervention leads him to learning about the story of Terry Sloane, a superhero who had suffered circumstances similar to his own. Inspired by him, he adopts the "Mister Terrific" codename, the concept of "Fair Play", and honors his humanitarian spouse by helping others. As the superhero Mister Terrific, Holt is considered among the most intelligent and wealthiest people on Earth and a noteworthy martial artist.[2][3] While regularly on the JSA, the character has also served as a member of the Justice League and has led his own team, The Terrifics.

Holt has been adapted into media outside comics. Michael Beach, Hannibal Buress, and Kevin Michael Richardson, among others, have voiced the character in animated television series and films. Echo Kellum portrayed a version of the character renamed Curtis Holt in the CW Arrowverse series Arrow. Edi Gathegi played the character in the 2025 film Superman, set in the DC Universe (DCU).

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Publication history

Michael Holt was created by John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake and first appeared in Spectre (vol. 3) #54 (June 1997).[1]

As part of DC's 2011 reboot of its continuity, The New 52, Mister Terrific received a self-titled ongoing series written by Eric Wallace and drawn by Roger Robinson.[4] Holt begins sporting a new costume designed by Cully Hamner.[5]

On January 12, 2012, the Mister Terrific series was cancelled alongside five other titles with low sales.[6][7] The series ends with Terrific being displaced to a parallel universe, leading to his appearances in Earth-2.[8]

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Fictional character biography

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Michael Holt is a child prodigy who demonstrates advanced intelligence at a young age, comprehending the works of physicists Niels Bohr, Albert Einstein, Max Planck, and Richard Feynman.[9] Before becoming a superhero, Holt possessed 14 Ph.Ds and was a self-made multi-millionaire and Olympic decathlete.[9][10][11] Holt has been noted as the most intelligent member of the JSA and the third-smartest person in the world.[12][13]

Holt contemplates suicide after the death of his wife Paula and unborn child in a car crash.[14] His previous atheism is exacerbated by trauma and he comes to not believe in souls or reincarnation.[15] However, the Spectre (Jim Corrigan) inspires him to become the superhero Mister Terrific, inspired by Terry Sloane. Holt joins the current Justice Society of America (JSA), eventually serving as its chairman.[16][17]

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Holt as he appears on Alex Ross' cover of JSA #76, during the "Infinite Crisis" storyline

One Year Later

Main article: One Year Later

In the "One Year Later" storyline, Holt joins the intelligence agency Checkmate, causing him to relinquish his position of JSA chairman to Power Girl.[18]

Death and return

In Justice Society of America (vol. 3), the low-level villain Tapeworm takes several hostages and demands that Wildcat show himself. Mister Terrific retreats to his lab and the rest of the team leaves to help Wildcat. All-American Kid stabs Mister Terrific in the back, pretending to have been mind controlled. Holt is gravely wounded, but is healed by Doctor Fate and attacks All-American Kid, who is revealed to be a disguised Kid Karnevil.[19]

DC Rebirth

In The Terrifics, Mister Terrific joins the eponymous team alongside Metamorpho and Plastic Man after they are exposed to Dark Multiverse energy that bonds them to one another.[20]

In The New Golden Age, Mister Terrific adopts Terry Sloane's former sidekick Quiz Kid after he is transported to the present.[21]

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Skills, abilities, and resources

While possessing no inherent superpowers, Michael Holt is considered a super-genius and inventor holding over a dozen PhDs in many fields of study, including medicine, engineering, law, mathematics, and physics.[22][23][1][2] Holt also owns a self-made cyber-tech company and is considered a natural leader.[22] Holt is also a natural athlete considered in peak condition, cited as an Olympic gold medalist decathlete.[2][22] His athleticism also makes him an adept martial artist with black belts in six different disciplines.[23]

Terrific also possesses advanced technology; Holt's uniform and equipment were designed with a mask that doubles as a communication system and enables him to detect various forms of energy.[24][25][26] Nanotech within his costume cloaks him from technology, preventing him from being sensed by radars and audio sensors.[23] His greatest inventions, the "T-Spheres", are remote-controlled floating robotic spheres with multiple functions that include holographic projection, hacking into other machines, and generating energy bursts.[27][28][29][30][31][32]

Other versions

  • An alternate universe variant of Michael Holt from Earth-2 appears in Justice Society of America (vol. 3). This version is a college professor who became a devout Christian after his wife was nearly killed in an accident.[33][34]
  • An alternate universe variant of Michael Holt appears in "Flashpoint".[35]
  • An alternate universe variant of Michael Holt appears in DCeased: A Good Day to Die. He attempts to find a cure for the Anti-Life Equation virus before being killed by an infected Big Barda.
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In other media

Television

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Mr. Terrific as he appears in Justice League Unlimited

Film

Video games

Miscellaneous

Merchandise

  • Michael Holt / Mister Terrific received a figure in the DC Universe Classics line.
  • Michael Holt / Mister Terrific received a figure in the Target-exclusive Justice League Unlimited line.
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References

External links

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