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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.

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Holt's background has varied over the course of his history but he is commonly depicted as African American, highly intelligent, and driven towards excellence and perfection. This earned 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, the former Mister Terrific, who had suffered circumstances similar to his own. Inspired by Sloane, he adopts his codename as well as the concept of "Fair Play", and honors his late 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] Michael grew up with his mentally challenged older brother, Jeffrey, whom he loved dearly. When Jeffrey died at the age of 12, Michael was devastated.[10]

Before becoming a superhero, Holt possessed 14 Ph.Ds and was a self-made multi-millionaire and Olympic decathlete.[11][12][9] Following the death of his wife Paula and their unborn child in a car crash, Holt contemplates suicide and becomes an atheist, with his previous beliefs being exacerbated by trauma.[13] The Spectre (Jim Corrigan) tells Holt about Terry Sloane, the Golden Age superhero known as Mister Terrific, who died years prior. Inspired by Sloane's life story, Holt becomes the second Mister Terrific and joins the Justice Society of America (JSA), eventually serving as its chairman.[14][15][16]

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

One Year Later

Main article: One Year Later

During a conflict over leadership of the Justice Society between former chairman Hawkman and the current chairman Sand, Terrific is elected as the JSA's new chairman by his teammates despite not actively seeking the office.[15] He serves in this capacity until the team disbands following the "Infinite Crisis" storyline. Holt also joins the organization Checkmate, which causes him to relinquish his position as chairmate to Power Girl.[17]

Death and return

In Justice Society of America (vol. 3), the low-level villain Tapeworm takes several hostages and demands that Wildcat show himself. As the rest of the team leaves to help Wildcat, All-American Kid goes into Mister Terrific's lab and stabs him in the back, pretending to have been mind controlled.[18] Terrific is mortally wounded, but Alan Scott slows time around his body, hoping that he can be healed before he dies.[19][20][21] Terrific is healed by Doctor Fate, and attacks All-American Kid, revealing that he is actually the villain Kid Karnevil.[22]

DC Rebirth

In The Terrifics, Mister Terrific stumbles upon Simon Stagg's plot to open a portal to the Dark Multiverse with Metamorpho transmutated to Nth Metal. While trying to get Stagg to close the portal with the help of Plastic Man, Mister Terrific is sucked in to the portal with Plastic Man and Metamorpho as Plastic Man shields them from the Dark Multiverse energy. Upon arriving on a lifeless world, they encounter Phantom Girl, who has been trapped in her intangible form and had no knowledge of sending a signal. When the four of them find a computer in the gut of a dead giant creature, they are greeted by a hologram of Tom Strong, who states that they are needed to save the universe.[23] After the four return to Earth, they learn that they have been bonded by the Dark Multiverse energy, which causes them to be forcibly drawn to one another if they try to be apart.[24]

In The New Golden Age, Mister Terrific adopts Terry Sloane's former sidekick Quiz Kid after he is transported to the present.[25]

When Wally West's newborn son Wade is kidnapped by Granny Goodness, he organizes a team that includes Mr. Terrific to free him from Apokolips. There, it is discovered that Goodness had been training superhuman boys as the Furious, an all-male counterpart to the Female Furies. Among them was Jeffrey Holt, Michael's son, who was taken from a dying Paula Holt's womb and raised as an orphan. After being freed, Jeffrey comes to live with Michael and Quiz Kid, using the moniker Fairplay.[26]

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Skills, abilities, and resources

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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.[11][12][9][27][28][1][2] He has been described as the most intelligent member of the JSA and the third-smartest person in the world.[29][30] Holt also owns a self-made cyber-tech company and is considered a natural leader.[27] Holt is also a natural athlete considered in peak condition, cited as an Olympic gold medalist decathlete.[2][27] His athleticism also makes him an adept martial artist with black belts in six different disciplines.[28]

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 light.[31][32][33] Nanotech within his costume cloaks him from "technology", preventing him from being sensed by radar and audio sensors.[28] 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.[34][35][36][37][38][39]

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.[40][41]
  • An alternate universe variant of Michael Holt appears in "Flashpoint".[42]
  • 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

  • Michael Holt appears in Smallville Season 11: Chaos #3. This version is a billionaire, the CEO of HoltCorp, and an associate of Bruce Wayne and Ted Kord.[52]
  • Michael Holt / Mister Terrific appears in the crossover miniseries DC X Sonic the Hedgehog.[53] This version is a member of the Justice League and primary operator of their Watchtower.

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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