Superman star Edi Gathegi unveiled the physical and mental process he underwent to become Michael Holt/Mister Terrific. The actor will be the first to play the hero in a live-action theatrical project, marking a huge milestone for the character. Mister Terrific previously appeared in several animated and television projects, including the Arrowverse, in which Echo Kellum portrayed him. In addition to Gathegi, Superman stars David Corenswet, Nicholas Hoult, Rachel Brosnahan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Sara Sampaio, Wendell Pierce, Skylar Gisondo, and Frank Grillo, among others.
In an appearance on the DC Studios Showcase Podcast, Gathegi addressed the challenges of playing a character like Mister Terrific, who is both physically and mentally a powerhouse. When asked about his preparation for the role, the actor joked: “Well, as you know, Mr. Terrific has 14 PhDs… So my preparation was to learn my lines.” He then continued:
You just can’t really enter the body of somebody who’s this accomplished. However, I did read everything that I could get my hands on.I trained for about five months. I just consumed all the animation.
Anything that had Mr. Terrific in it—I was trying to get my hands on it, but, you know, when you’re preparing any role, your level of investment and your level of commitment is depending on the degree of unsparingness of the character.
So if you have a character that calls for great prep, you try to do that, and I’ve never played a character that was a decathlete. So I was pushing my body to the limits just so I could feel like I did everything that I could, that I turned over every stone before stepping on that set.
Because the last thing that you want to do is step on a huge Hollywood production and feel like you don’t deserve to be there. My thing was, if you do as much work as you can, you’re going to feel confident when you step on that set.
Of note, Gathegi also revealed he is an avid comic reader. However, his favorite version of Mr. Terrific is from a video game: “In Injustice, that’s when I understood he was operating at a different level. Like, this guy can do anything.“
What Edi Gathegi’s Comments About Playing Mister Terrific Mean
While Mister Terrific is not Gathegi’s first superhero role, it varies wildly from his previous part as Darwin in X-Men: First Class. Because Michael is both incredibly intelligent and fit, there are a lot of dimensions for an actor to draw from, which Gathegi did not get to do with Darwin due to the character’s limited screen time. Moreover, the actor teased that his Mister Terrific will somewhat differ from previous iterations, explaining: “We found something that I think is a little bit more interesting, a little bit deeper, a little bit more complex, a little bit more unhinged.”
He continued by adding: “I mean, comic books, 2D, you can get deep, and you can get complex, but humanity is more complex. So I think Mr. Terrific just has more layers.“ Based on his comments on crafting his portrayal of Michael, Gathegi put a significant effort into making sure he embodied the character’s diverse skillset while also bringing something new to the table.
Our Take On Edi Gathegi’s Comments About Playing Mister Terrific
Mister Terrific is a great character; seeing him make his theatrical debut is exciting for any DC fan. Moreover, Gathegi underwent a multipronged preparation process, both reading up on the character and physically getting into decathlete shape. This dedication will hopefully translate to the screen.
Gathegi himself said: “I’m excited to inspire a whole generation of young Black kids with this new superhero. Mr. Terrific is so fantastic of a character, and there is so much potential.” Gathegi’s Mister Terrific will debut when Superman hits theaters on July 11, 2025.
Upcoming DC Movie Releases
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Superman
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July 11, 2025
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Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow
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June 26, 2026
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The Batman Part II
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October 1, 2027
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