Edi Gathegi Says Mister Terrific Isn't Exactly Superman's BFF - 'He's a Little Grumpy' — GeekTyrant

Geek Tyrant

3 days ago

In James Gunn's upcoming Superman , we've got the strongest man alive, the most dangerous villain in the world, and, according to Edi Gathegi, the smartest guy in the room, and he's not particularly impressed by either of them.
While the trailers have already teased some tension within the new Metropolis-based 'Justice Gang,' Gathegi is making it clear that his version of Mister Terrific has layers, and not all of them play nice with Clark Kent's idealism.
Gathegi said during an on-set interview with ComicBook.
'Superman thinks that Mister Terrific is his BFF. That's not true. [Mister Terrific] thinks he's a herb. They are brothers in fighting crime. They're brothers in being heroes. But they don't have a lot in common.'
David Corenswet's Superman may be the heart, and Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor the threat, but Mister Terrific, aka Michael Holt, is all about the brain. In the comics, Holt's a polymath, an Olympic athlete, and the founder of a cyberwear empire. And in this version of Superman, he's also... kind of cranky.
'Our version of Mister Terrific is a little more complex in the sense that he's battling other demons that pepper out. So he's a little grumpy in this film,'
That grumpiness shows up in the footage too, like in one moment from the trailer, where he yells at a weary Superman, 'Quit messing around,' only for Supes to weakly mutter back, 'I'm doing important stuff.'
Despite that little bit of playful friction, Mister Terrific seems to be a key player in the battle against Lex Luthor and his dangerous new alliances, including Ultraman and Engineer. When it comes to a battle of wits between Holt and Luthor, Gathegi teases there's a real showdown happening behind the action.
'In a sense, there is a battle of the brains. He's a genius, and if you want to know who wins this battle, you have to watch the film.'
Mister Terrific is bringing his own complicated energy, a fair amount of scowling, and possibly the smartest moves in the movie. Just don't expect him to start trading friendship bracelets with Superman anytime soon.