The Powers And Abilities Of DC's Mister Terrific Explained

The excitement is growing around James Gunn's assumption of creative control for the next comic book-adapted cinematic universe. The celebrated director of Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy" series has been announced as the co-chairman and CEO of DC Studios, alongside Peter Safran. Essentially, is being presented as a counterpart to Kevin Feige, who has been hugely successful at engineering the Marvel Cinematic Universe since its inception. The difference, of course, is that the filmmaker behind "The Suicide Squad" and "The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special" has developed a reputation for servicing fans with obscure nods, elevating even the most obscure heroes, and having plenty of fun doing it.

It didn't take long for Gunn to start playing around with his new toys. Already, the new chairman has teased many characters by posting subtle images on social media. Whether Gunn is building a wishlist or illuminating projects otherwise talked about only in hushed tones behind closed doors is undetermined. But that has not kept the media and fans from speculating on what is brewing.

One of the more interesting enigmatic posts from Gunn featured the character of Michael Holt (a.k.a. Mister Terrific) — a deep pull for anyone not well-versed in comic book lore. For those unaware of Terrific's overly impressive superhero resume, continue reading for a crash course on everything Holt is capable of, and why he is so aptly nicknamed.

Unsurprisingly, based on the comic book industry's habit of recycling characters, Holt was not the first character to go by the superhero alias Mister Terrific. The original Terrific, Terry Sloane, introduced in 1942's "Sensation Comics" #1, was as much a renaissance man as his predecessor. The vintage hero has a long list of accomplishments, but nothing fulfilled him more than helping people. It was this desire to assist that made Sloane adopt the superhero alias and start the "Fair Play Club," an organization designed to guide troubled youth. Self-identifying as "the defender of fair play," Sloane retired from vigilantism upon the disbanding of the Justice Society of America.

Years later, Holt was facing depression after losing his wife and unborn child in a car crash. Blaming himself for the accident, Holt almost let a mugger shoot him to death before being visited by The Spectre, DC's Spirit of Vengeance, in 1997's "Spectre" vol. 3 #54. The mysterious ghost inspired Holt with the legend of the first Mister Terrific, encouraging him to take on the mantle. Along with the Mister Terrific title, Holt adopts the "Fair Play" theme, wearing the slogan on his outfit and starting his own youth center.

In the DC Universe, Michael Holt has been recognized multiple times as the third smartest man on Earth — behind only Lex Luthor and Bruce Wayne. Although The Riddler likes to throw his hat into the ring sometimes, the ranking of this trio has been confirmed across multiple titles and is widely recognized across the fictional planet. Holt did not earn his distinguished placement amongst Earth's intellectual elite through being a superhero, however. Truthfully, Mister Terrific had the qualifications to be a certified genius long before putting on the T-shaped mask.

In the MCU feature "Thor: Ragnorak," Mark Ruffalo's character Bruce Banner mentions that he has an impressive seven PhDs, making him one of the most educated heroes amongst the universe. Still, he has nothing on Holt, who possesses double the educational credentials with 14 PhDs — as confirmed in "JSA" #28. Revisiting "JSA" #53, Doctor Mid-Nite states that a few areas of his educational background include law, psychology, chemistry, political science, physics, and mathematics. 

For comparison, in real life Michael Nicholson is considered one of the most educated men in the world; it took him 55 years to collect 23 master's degrees, three specialist degrees, and just one doctorate (per Vice).

Pushing the boundaries of what one human can accomplish, Holt has additional athletic accomplishments. Of course, every great superhero needs to have the skills to fight, especially if they do not have any metahuman abilities. Yet, unlike many of Mister Terrific's peers, Holt began his superhero career with extensive training in hand-to-hand combat. As the character mentions in "JSA" #12 while fighting Kobra, he is trained to the level of black belt in six various disciplines of martial arts.

During Mister Terrific's first appearance, in "Spectre," Holt handily defeats a gang of thugs harassing children at a basketball court. Although he will traditionally use his intelligence and high-tech weaponry to do much of the heavy lifting, Holt's natural talents and extensive martial arts training are more than a last line of defense; they give him an unexpected upper hand against his enemies.

It's easy to forget that DC originally stood for Detective Comics — probably because people generally refer to them as DC Comics, which would translate to Detective Comics Comics. Still, the entire company is badged after one comic series from 1937, "Detective Comics," which mostly featured the World's Greatest Detective, Batman, after his arrival in issue #27. Essentially serving as the mascot of the company, the Caped Crusader has become as famous a criminal investigator as Sherlock Holmes, and is renowned as the greatest detective in the DC Universe. But who could one call if Batman was too busy to take the case?

Mister Terrific has been at the table for many of DC's biggest investigations. One of the most significant mysteries to plague Earth's heroes was the death of Elongated Man's wife Sue Dibny, which launched the "Identity Crisis" miniseries. As one of the brightest minds available, Holt assisted Batman and Doctor Mid-Nite in Dibny's autopsy. Additionally, Terrific's gumshoe skills have seen him serve on the United Nations Security Council's special intelligence operative team, Checkmate — where he was briefly promoted to the prestigious title of White King.

Sometimes the only thing that makes a superhero is a powerful costume. Iron Man, for instance, is a prime example of a suit giving someone everything they need to fight the most powerful of villains. But Holt maintains a costume that doesn't do anything past looking good. A leather jacket is essentially the only thing he needs to transform into Mister Terrific. Although he is hiding a secret in his T-shaped mask.

During the events of "Infinite Crisis," Terrific states that he has one superpower, "I'm invisible to technology." Holt's personally designed "T-Mask" is made from nanotechnology that grants him the ability to disguise himself to any camera or scanner. Additionally, the mask can disappear at will, project holograms, and protect its wearer from physical and chemical attacks.

The mask works in collaboration with an earpiece and the T-Spheres, all connected to his thought waves, allowing Terrific to control these tools with his mind.

If it were not for Michael Holt living in a world filled with Kryptonians, Luthors, and a Batman, he would be the most accomplished person on his planet. And while he might be outshone by his more powerful peers, Mister Terrific is an aptly named character, one capable of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the best of them. However, all his amazing talents pale in comparison to the definitive thing that makes him a great superhero: Determination.

Rising up from a humble upbringing, Holt overcame the odds to become a decorated academic, an Olympic gold medalist, and a self-made millionaire. Even after his wife passed, leaving him destroyed emotionally, Holt found passion in becoming a superhero. Anything that Mister Terrific puts his mind to, he accomplishes. It is this fortitude that separates Terrific from other superheroes granted their abilities by happenstance. Mister Terrific is a reminder that when it comes to achieving something great, all you truly need is an undying determination.