Superman‘s Edi Gathegi has already teased a spin-off for his character, with a secret DCU reference setting this up. By the time of Superman‘s ending, Edi Gathegi had solidified himself as a scene-stealer by expertly portraying Mister Terrific. Mister Terrific even appeared in Superman‘s post-credit scene, only proving just how big a role he had in the DCU’s debut film.

Gathegi’s Terrific was just one of the character-centric DC references in Superman, included to flesh out the wider DC Universe. Terrific’s teammates, Hawkgirl and Guy Gardner, were two others, with the film being chock-full of more subtle Easter eggs to the DCU’s Chapter One: Gods and Monsters. Via one of these subtle references, Superman teased a future for Terrific.

This comes after Gathegi himself indicated Mister Terrific’s upcoming adventures in the DC Universe. When combining the story of Superman, the impact Mister Terrific has had on audiences, and the hidden DC Universe reference in question, the future of Gathegi’s character looks admittedly bright.

Edi Gathegi Has Already Teased Mister Terrific’s Potential

The DCU’s Future Is Exciting

Concerning Mister Terrific’s DC Universe future, Gathegi has already implied that there is more to come. Gathegi mentioned that he has a multi-project deal for the DCU, but that the specifics of this deal are unknown. This strongly implies that Gathegi will reprise his role in the future, but where that comes will be dictated solely by James Gunn and his writing team.

Since the beginning of the DCU’s formation, Gunn has insisted that stories will only be told if the scripts are up to scratch. Gathegi reiterated that:

“They’re [DC Studios] never going to rush into production with scripts that aren’t ready, so even whatever they do have planned for my characters is irrelevant until the draft comes in and it’s shootable.”

That being said, though, the multi-project deal is proof that more stories involving Mister Terrific are at least in the planning stage. Gunn clearly likes the character, with audiences around the world discovering the same thanks to his excellent role in Superman​​​​​​.

This makes the teases at Mister Terrific’s future all the more exciting. Although the upcoming DC movies that have been announced, like Supergirl and Clayface, are unlikely to include him, Gunn has made it clear that he is working on projects that no one knows about.

Any of these could include the fan-favorite Superman character, with one potentially being Mister Terrific’s origin story spin-off. Gathegi teased as much to Variety, stating that Superman did not offer room to explore Terrific’s backstory. Nonetheless, Gathegi stated that he thinks DC has only scratched the surface of Terrific’s story and that he will hopefully have opportunities to delve deeper.

Superman Features A Secret Nod To Mister Terrific’s Origin

Tied To The Justice Gang

If one of Mister Terrific’s upcoming stories were an origin-style spin-off, Superman has already laid the groundwork for it. As Gathegi himself stated, little of Terrific’s DC history was outlined in the movie, but that is not to say hints were not provided. One scene in Superman takes place inside the Hall of Justice, the newly constructed headquarters for the Justice Gang.

On the walls in Superman‘s Hall of Justice is a giant mural depicting several heroes from DC Comics. Whether these heroes already exist in the DCU or are just Easter eggs for comic fans remains to be seen, but the former would make sense. Interestingly, one of the DC characters on the mural in the Hall of Justice is the Spectre.

The Spectre links to Mister Terrific’s origin story, having appeared to the latter when he was at his lowest point. It was the Spectre who inspired Michael Holt to become Mister Terrific. This origin story, as well as Michael Holt’s backstory that led him to a dark place, were left out of Superman.

I’m Convinced Superman Is Setting Up A Mister Terrific Spin-Off

The Spectre’s hidden cameo in Superman could indicate that the film was intentionally setting up a Mister Terrific spin-off. This would align with Gathegi receiving a multi-project deal, while also not going against the rules of the DCU. After all, Gunn has stated that movies and shows will not be outright teased in others, with each project’s priority being the story at hand.

Superman is proof of that, given that the film works well in its own right. The supporting characters, like Terrific, played a big role in the story, yet they were all in service of Superman himself. Still, this does not stop Gunn and his DC Studios partners from planning ahead, which could explain both Terrific’s big role and the Spectre’s mural cameo.

Terrific served Superman‘s story and the Spectre’s cameo was barely noticeable, reinforcing Gunn’s rules for the DCU, yet both could be folded into a larger story for Gathegi’s character. If this were to happen, Superman would have teased what is to come without sacrificing its own story, which means big things for Gathegi’s scene-stealing Mister Terrific.