Michael Holt is a

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

. He is the second character to take up the Mister Terrific mantle, after the

Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during wh ...

character

Terry Sloane Terry Sloane is a fictional superhero appearing in DC Comics, and the first character named Mister Terrific. He first appeared in ''Sensation Comics'' #1 (January 1942). Fictional character biography Terry Sloane was a rich man whose photogra ...

. Holt has been substantially adapted into media outside comics.

Michael Beach Michael Anthony Beach (born October 30, 1963) is an American actor. He has appeared in the films '' Lean on Me'' (1989), ''One False Move'' (1992), ''Short Cuts'' (1993), ''Waiting to Exhale'' (1995), ''A Family Thing'' (1996), ''Soul Food'' (19 ...

Hannibal Buress Hannibal Amir Buress ( ; born February 4, 1983) is an American comedian, actor, producer, and writer. He started performing comedy in 2002 while attending Southern Illinois University. He starred on Adult Swim's '' The Eric Andre Show'' from 20 ...

, and

Kevin Michael Richardson Kevin Michael Richardson (born October 25, 1964) is an American actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, he has mostly voiced villainous characters in animation and video games. In film, Richardson voiced Goro in ''Mortal Kombat'' (1995) ...

, 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 The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...

Arrowverse The Arrowverse is an American Superhero fiction, superhero media franchise and shared universe that is centered on various interconnected television series based on DC Comics superhero characters, primarily airing on The CW as well as web series ...

series ''

Arrow An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...

''.

Edi Gathegi Edi Mūe Gathegi (; born March 10, 1979) is a Kenyan-American actor. He appeared as a recurring character, Dr. Jeffrey Cole (aka "Big Love"), in the television series ''House'', as Cheese in the 2007 film ''Gone Baby Gone'', Laurent in the films ...

will play the character in the 2025 film ''

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

'', set in the

DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the shared universe in which most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. In context, the term "DC Universe" usually refers to the main DC Continuity (fiction), continuity. It contains v ...

(DCU).

Publication history

Michael Holt was created by

John Ostrander John Ostrander (born April 20, 1949) is an American writer of comic books, including ''Suicide Squad'', '' Grimjack'' and '' Star Wars: Legacy''. He co-created the Oracle persona for Barbara Gordon and created the second and modern version of t ...

and

Tom Mandrake Tom Mandrake (born 1956) is an American comics artist, perhaps best known for his collaborations with writer John Ostrander on several series, including ''Grimjack'' (from First Comics) and ''Firestorm (comics), Firestorm'', ''The Spectre (DC Comi ...

and first appeared in ''

Spectre Spectre, specter or the spectre may refer to: Religion and spirituality * Vision (spirituality) * Apparitional experience * Ghost Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Spectre'' (1977 film), a made-for-television film produced and writt ...

'' (vol. 3) #54 (June 1997). As part of DC's 2011 reboot of its continuity,

The New 52 The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero American comic books, comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint (comics), Flashpoint" Fictional crossover, cros ...

, Mister Terrific received a self-titled ongoing series written by Eric Wallace and drawn by Roger Robinson. Holt begins sporting a new costume designed by

Cully Hamner Cully Hamner (born March 7, 1969) is an American comic book artist, known for his work on such books as '' Green Lantern: Mosaic'', '' Blue Beetle'', ''Black Lightning: Year One'', and ''Detective Comics''. He is the co-creator and illustrator of ...

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

Fictional character biography

Michael Holt is a child prodigy who demonstrates advanced intelligence at a young age, comprehending the works of physicists

Niels Bohr Niels Henrik David Bohr (, ; ; 7 October 1885 – 18 November 1962) was a Danish theoretical physicist who made foundational contributions to understanding atomic structure and old quantum theory, quantum theory, for which he received the No ...

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein (14 March 187918 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who is best known for developing the theory of relativity. Einstein also made important contributions to quantum mechanics. His mass–energy equivalence f ...

Max Planck Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck (; ; 23 April 1858 – 4 October 1947) was a German Theoretical physics, theoretical physicist whose discovery of energy quantum, quanta won him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918. Planck made many substantial con ...

, and

Richard Feynman Richard Phillips Feynman (; May 11, 1918 – February 15, 1988) was an American theoretical physicist. He is best known for his work in the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of quantum electrodynamics, the physics of t ...

.'' JSA'' #13 (August 2000) Before becoming a superhero, Holt possessed 14 Ph.Ds and was a self-made multi-millionaire and

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

decathlete The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of 10 track and field events. The word "decathlon" was formed, in analogy to the word "pentathlon", from Greek δέκα (''déka'', meaning "ten") and ἄθλος (''áthlos'', or ἄθ� ...

.''JSA'' #28 (November 2001)''JSA'' #53 (December 2003) Holt has been noted as the most intelligent member of the JSA and the third-smartest person in the world.''

Infinite Crisis "Infinite Crisis" is a 2005–2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, ...

'' #5 (April 2006) Holt contemplates suicide after the death of his wife Paula and unborn child in a car crash. His previous

atheism Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the Existence of God, existence of Deity, deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the ...

is exacerbated by trauma and he comes to not believe in souls or reincarnation. However, the

(

Jim Corrigan James Brendan "Jim" Corrigan is a fictional character that have appeared in numerous comic books published by DC Comics. The first Corrigan initially appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' #52 (February 1940), a deceased cop acting as host to the cosm ...

) inspires him to become the superhero Mister Terrific, inspired by

. Holt joins the current

Justice Society of America The Justice Society of America (JSA) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Books. It first appeared in '' ...

(JSA), eventually serving as its chairman.

One Year Later

In the "

One Year Later "One Year Later" is a 2006 comic book storyline running through the books published by DC Comics. As the title suggests, it involves a narrative jump exactly one year into the future of the DC Universe following the events of the "Infinite Crisi ...

" storyline, Holt joins the intelligence agency

Checkmate Checkmate (often shortened to mate) is any game position in chess and other chess-like games in which a player's king is in check (threatened with ) and there is no possible escape. Checkmating the opponent wins the game. In chess, the king is ...

, causing him to relinquish his position of JSA chairman to

Power Girl Power Girl, also known as Kara Zor-L, Karen Starr, and Paige Stetler, is a superheroine appearing in American comic books by DC Comics, making her first appearance in ''All Star Comics'' #58 (January/February 1976).''Who's Who in the DC Unive ...

Death and return

In ''Justice Society of America'' (vol. 3), the low-level villain Tapeworm takes several hostages and demands that

Wildcat The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while th ...

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 Doctor Fate (also known as Fate) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version was originally created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Howard Sherman, debuting in ''More Fun Comics' ...

and attacks All-American Kid, who is revealed to be a disguised Kid Karnevil.

DC Rebirth

In '' The Terrifics'', Mister Terrific joins the eponymous team alongside

Metamorpho Metamorpho (Rex Mason) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bob Haney and Ramona Fradon, the character debuted as the lead feature in The Brave and the Bold, ''The Brave and the Bold'' (January 1965). ...

and

Plastic Man Plastic Man (Patrick "Eel" O'Brian) is a superhero featured in American comic books first appearing in ''Police Comics'' #1, originally published by Quality Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. Created by cartoonist Jack Cole (artist), Jack Co ...

after they are exposed to Dark Multiverse energy that bonds them to one another. In ''

The New Golden Age "The New Golden Age" is a crossover event in DC Comics publications. Written by Geoff Johns, the story follows the Justice Society of America unraveling a mystery following the Golden Age heroes and villains and the untold stories that come with i ...

'', Mister Terrific adopts Terry Sloane's former sidekick Quiz Kid after he is transported to the present.

Powers, abilities, and equipment

Michael Holt is among the smartest people on Earth, being skilled in multiple fields of medicine, engineering, science, and martial arts. Holt's uniform and equipment were designed by Grey Williamson with a mask that doubles as a communication system and enables him to detect various forms of energy, and "T-Spheres", remote controlled floating robotic spheres with multiple functions that include

holograph An autograph or holograph is a manuscript or document written in its author's or composer's hand. The meaning of " autograph" as a document penned entirely by the author of its content (as opposed to a typeset document or one written by a copy ...

ic projection, hacking into other machines, and generating energy bursts.

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. * An alternate universe variant of Michael Holt appears in " Flashpoint". * An alternate universe variant of Michael Holt appears in ''

DCeased ''DCeased'' is a six-issue comic book miniseries published by DC Comics from May to October 2019. It was created by writer Tom Taylor and the artistic team including penciler Trevor Hairsine and inker Stefano Guadiano. The story takes place in an ...

: A Good Day to Die''. He attempts to find a cure for the

Anti-Life Equation The Anti-Life Equation is a fictional concept appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Various comics have defined the equation in different ways, but a common interpretation is that the equation may be seen as a mathematical proof ...

virus before being killed by an infected

Big Barda Big Barda is a superheroine appearing in American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, ...

In other media

Television

* Michael Holt / Mister Terrific appears in ''

Justice League Unlimited ''Justice League Unlimited'' (''JLU'') is an American superhero animated series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation with DC Comics in season 3 and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Universe, and ...

'', voiced by

. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. This version is a member of the

Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...

who eventually becomes the group's mission coordinator after J'onn J'onzz resigns from active duty. * Michael Holt appears in the ''

Beware the Batman ''Beware the Batman'' is an American animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment, the series premiered in the United States on Cartoon Network on July 13, 2013 as pa ...

'' episode "Hunted", voiced by

Gary Anthony Williams Gary Anthony Williams (born March 14, 1966) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He has voiced the character Uncle Ruckus on ''The Boondocks'', General Horace Warfield in '' StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty'' and Dr. Richard Tygan in '' ...

. This version is a businessman. * A character based on Michael Holt / Mister Terrific named Curtis Holt appears in series set in the

, portrayed by Echo Kellum: ** Introduced in the fourth season of ''

'' as a member of Palmer Technologies, Curtis is in a relationship with a man named Paul, the creator of the T-spheres, and a fan of the

Green Arrow Green Arrow is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and designed by George Papp, he first appeared in ''More Fun Comics'' No. 73 on September 19, 1941 (cover dated November 1941), th ...

. In the fifth season, Curtis joins "Team Arrow" in their vigilantism, taking the name "Mister Terrific" in honor of his favorite wrestler,

. In the sixth season, Curtis starts an online business and breaks off from Team Arrow to form a separate group with Dinah Drake and

Rene Ramirez ''Arrow'' is an American superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Andrew Kreisberg based on the DC Comics character Green Arrow, a costumed crime-fighter created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, and is ...

. In the seventh and eighth seasons, Curtis leaves Star City to work at Washington D.C., though he returns to help Team Arrow combat the

Ninth Circle The following is a list of fictional criminal and terrorist organizations that have been published by DC Comics and their imprints. 0-9 100 Originally based in Metropolis, the 100 kept a firm grip on the city's criminal underworld for years, i ...

and

Grant Wilson Grant Steven Wilson (born July 3, 1974) is an art director and developer for Rather Dashing Games (now a division of Kalmbach Publishing), a game company he founded with Michael Richie, and is the co-founder of The Atlantic Paranormal Society ( ...

, help the Green Arrow locate a weapon capable of killing the

Monitor Monitor or monitor may refer to: Places * Monitor, Alberta * Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States * Monitor, Kentucky * Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States * Monitor, Washington * Monitor, Logan County, Wes ...

, rescue William Clayton, and attend Green Arrow's funeral after he dies averting the

Crisis A crisis (: crises; : critical) is any event or period that will lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human or environmental affairs, especially when ...

. ** Curtis appears in the animated series '' Freedom Fighters: The Ray''. * Michael Holt / Mister Terrific appears in ''

Justice League Action ''Justice League Action'' is an American superhero animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero team Justice League. The series is produced by Jim Krieg, Butch Lukic, and Alan Burnett. The show debuted on Cartoon Network UK on N ...

'', voiced by

. This version is the self-proclaimed third-smartest person in the world, a former

child prodigy A child prodigy is, technically, a child under the age of 10 who produces meaningful work in some domain at the level of an adult expert. The term is also applied more broadly to describe young people who are extraordinarily talented in some f ...

, and college roommate of

Martin Stein Martin Stein is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is commonly associated with, and sometimes is, the superhero Firestorm. Stein has made several appearances in DC-related media. He is portrayed by ...

Film

* An alternate universe variant of Michael Holt / Mister Terrific named Mister Horrific makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in '' Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths'' as a minor member of the

Crime Syndicate The Crime Syndicate or Crime Syndicate of America (CSA, with America sometimes spelled Amerika) is a team of supervillains featured in DC Comics. The team is composed of evil Multiverse (DC Comics), parallel-universe counterparts of the Justice Le ...

under

Superwoman Superwoman is the name of several fictional characters in DC Comics. Most of them are, like Supergirl, women with powers similar to those of Superman, such as flight, invulnerability, and enhanced strength. In 1942, DC Comics trademarked the n ...

's command. * An alternate universe variant of Michael Holt appears in '' Justice League: Gods and Monsters'', voiced by Arif S. Kinchen. This version is a scientist involved with

Lex Luthor Alexander "Lex" Joseph Luthor () is a supervillain in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the character first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (published on February 22, 1940, with a cover d ...

's "Project Fair Play", a contingency program meant to counter their universe's Justice League if necessary. After three of their fellow scientists are killed, Holt and the remaining scientists attempt to regroup, but are killed by the

Metal Men The Metal Men are a group of robot superheroes that appear in DC Comics. The characters first appeared in '' Showcase'' #37 (March–April 1962) and were created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Ross Andru. Debuting in the Silver Age of C ...

. * Michael Holt / Mister Terrific appears in '' Justice League vs. the Fatal Five'', voiced by

. This version is an associate of the Justice League. * Michael Holt / Mister Terrific appears in ''

Injustice Injustice is a quality relating to unfairness or undeserved outcomes. The term may be applied in reference to a particular event or situation, or to a larger status quo. In Western philosophy and jurisprudence, injustice is very commonly—but ...

'', voiced by

Edwin Hodge Edwin Martel Basil Hodge (born January 26, 1985) is an American actor. He is recognized for portraying Dante Bishop in ''The Purge'' film series, and is the only actor to appear in all of the first three films. Early life Hodge was born on Jan ...

. * Michael Holt / Mister Terrific appears in '' Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths'', voiced by

Ato Essandoh Ato Essilfi Bracato Essandoh (born July 29, 1972) is an American television and film actor. He has appeared in numerous films and TV series, including a major role in the 2023 Netflix political drama series '' The Diplomat''. Early life and e ...

. * Michael Holt / Mister Terrific will appear in ''

'', portrayed by

Video games

* Michael Holt / Mister Terrific makes a cameo appearance in '' Injustice: Gods Among Us'' via the

Watchtower A watchtower or guardtower (also spelt watch tower, guard tower) is a type of military/paramilitary or policiary tower used for guarding an area. Sometimes fortified, and armed with heavy weaponry, especially historically, the structures are ...

stage. * Michael Holt / Mister Terrific appear as a character summon in '' Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure''. * Curtis Holt / Mister Terrific appears as a playable character in ''

Lego DC Super-Villains ''Lego DC Super-Villains'' is a Lego-themed action-adventure platform video game developed by Traveller's Tales. The fourth installment in the ''Lego Batman'' series of games, it is a spin-off that focuses entirely on villains of the DC Univers ...

'' via the "DC TV Super-Heroes" DLC pack.

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 Theodore Stephen "Ted" Kord is the second fictional character to use the identity of Blue Beetle, a superhero who was originally published by Charlton Comics and later acquired by DC Comics. He was created by Steve Ditko and first appeared as a bac ...

.''Smallville Season 11: Chaos'' #3 (December 2014)

Merchandise

* Michael Holt / Mister Terrific received a figure in the

DC Universe Classics DC Universe Classics was an action figure toyline, a sub-line of the DC Universe toy brand manufactured by Mattel. They were 6-inch scale figures based on the fictional characters owned by DC Comics. The entire line was sculpted by the Four Horse ...

line. * Michael Holt / Mister Terrific received a figure in the

Target Target may refer to: Warfare and shooting * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artille ...

-exclusive ''Justice League Unlimited'' line.

References

External links

World of Black Heroes: Mister Terrific (Michael Holt) BiographyDCComics.com's Origin of Mister Terrific
* Mister Terrific (Michael Holt) at the DC Comics wiki {{Authority control African-American superheroes Characters created by John Ostrander Comics characters introduced in 1997 DC Comics businesspeople DC Comics male superheroes DC Comics martial artists DC Comics scientists Fictional atheists and agnostics Fictional child prodigies Fictional surgeons Fictional track and field athletes