Edi Gathegi, DCU’s Mr. Terrific, Originally Thought His ‘Superman’ Audition Was for Lex Luthor

Edi Gathegi didn’t know much about Mister Terrific before landing the role in the new Superman movie. In fact, the first time he ever heard about the character was through James Gunn’s social media post.

Gunn had posted a picture of Mister Terrific not long after becoming co-head of DC Studios in 2023, and fans immediately started guessing who could play the role. One of the first names suggested was Gathegi himself.

In an interview with Variety, Gathegi said, “So my thought was, ‘Let me look him up.’” He said he was impressed by what he found, calling Mister Terrific “equal parts d’Artagnan and Sherlock Holmes.”

What stood out most to Gathegi was how smart the character was. Mister Terrific, also known as Michael Holt, has fourteen PhDs, speaks many languages, is a self-taught genius, and even an Olympic athlete. But behind all that brilliance, there’s a tragic past. Holt lost his wife and was planning to end his life before being visited by The Spectre and inspired to take on the Mister Terrific mantle.

At first, Gathegi thought the fan casting wasn’t going to lead anywhere. He explained, “The next day, it was all the usual suspects: John Boyega, Daniel Kaluuya, Michael B. Jordan. I just let it go and I forgot about it.”

Years earlier, Gathegi had already experienced the superhero world when he played Darwin in 2011’s “X-Men: First Class.” His character, however, was killed off early in the film, something he still remembers as frustrating. This time, playing Mister Terrific feels different to him.

When James Gunn finally cast him, Gathegi was surprised and excited to discover that Mister Terrific wasn’t just a minor role. In the new Superman movie, Terrific is second in importance only to Superman himself.

Interestingly, when Gathegi first auditioned for the film, he didn’t know he was trying out for Mister Terrific. “I thought it was for Lex Luthor,” he said, explaining that the role in the audition script was called “Apex Lex.” He assumed it was a different version of the classic Superman villain.

When researching Mister Terrific, what stood out most to him was how the character wasn’t just about fighting crime. “Mister Terrific does want to fight crime, but he’s actually trying to change the entire world in tangible ways,” he said. Gathegi called him “the highest concept character that I’ve read.”

The actor also spoke about Mister Terrific’s unusual T-shaped mask. He said there weren’t many design changes from the comic book version, apart from making the mask more comfortable to wear.

It took over an hour each day to apply the mask. Gathegi admitted that he didn’t really get the mask design at first but later understood it was part of the character’s unique style. “He’s the third smartest man in the universe. Everything that that guy does, including wearing a whimsical jacket with ‘Fairplay’ on the sleeve, is going to be cool,” he said.

As for Mister Terrific’s tragic backstory, fans won’t see much of it in the new Superman movie. Gathegi explained that since this film is focused on Superman, there wasn’t space to explore his own character’s past. “If we’re lucky, we’re going to have a lot more opportunities to dig into what Mister Terrific is and who he is. I feel like we’ve only scratched the surface,” he said.

New reports also claim that one of the Superman spinoffs Gunn is currently planning is a show focused on Mr. Terrific so there’s that.

Gathegi confirmed that he signed a multi-project deal to appear in future DC movies or shows, but he doesn’t know exactly what’s coming next. He trusts James Gunn and DC Studios to take their time getting the stories right. He also said that he won’t appear in next year’s “Lanterns” series on HBO Max. “Oh, no, I can tell you that I’m not,” he said.

For Gathegi, playing Mister Terrific feels like a fresh start in the superhero world and a real chance to show audiences a character that many people might be learning about for the first time.

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