Sensational Kenyan-American actor Edi Gathegi plays Michael Holt, also known as Mister Terrific, in the 2025 Superman film.
In an interview with Variety, Gathegi opened up about how he landed the role.
After DC Studios co-chief James Gunn posted an image of the Mister Terrific character, fans began speculating who would play the part. Gathegi’s name quickly emerged as a top contender.
Curious, Gathegi looked up the character, and instantly connected with him.
“Fourteen PhDs, polyglot, polymath, autodidact, natural aptitude for natural aptitudes, Olympic athlete, all of these characteristics,” he said.
He described Mister Terrific as a blend of “a brave fighter and a clever detective.”
But it wasn’t just the character’s intellect that drew him in.
“There’s a big wound,” Gathegi explained.
“He lost his wife, was on the verge of suicide, is visited by The Spectre, who educates him on the previous Mister Terrific, Terry Sloane, and he takes up the mantle himself. I thought, this is a character who’s equal parts D’Artagnan and Sherlock Holmes.”
Although other actors like John Boyega, Daniel Kaluuya, and Michael B. Jordan were floated by fans, Gathegi didn’t expect to land the part.
Still, it wasn’t his first brush with superhero roles; he previously portrayed Darwin in X-Men: First Class, a character who was killed off early in the film.
Gathegi was thrilled when James Gunn personally chose him to play Mister Terrific, a key figure in the Superman 2025 storyline.
“The character is second only to Superman,” he noted, emphasizing its significance.
Surprisingly, Gathegi only learned at the film’s premiere that Mister Terrific would appear alongside Superman in the final scene.
He also praised the costume department for designing a custom T-shaped mask that stayed faithful to the comics while allowing facial expression.
“It took like an hour, hour and a half to put it on,” he said.
Superman 2025 has earned rave reviews from fans, with David Corenswet’s Superman and Edi Gathegi’s Mister Terrific both receiving widespread acclaim.