Mister Terrific (Michael Holt)

Michael Holt is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. First appearing in Spectre (vol. 3) #54 (June 1997), the character was created by John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake. Holt is the second character to use the Mister Terrific codename, succeeding Terry Sloane. As Mister Terrific, the character is often affiliated with the Justice Society of America, serving as a prominent member and as its chairman.

Holt's background has varied over the course of his history but he is commonly depicted as African American, highly intelligent, and driven towards excellence and perfection. This earned him vast accolades, wealth, and athleticism until the untimely death of his wife. Sunken into depression, Michael contemplates suicide until divine intervention leads him to learning about the story of Terry Sloane, the former Mister Terrific, who had suffered circumstances similar to his own. Inspired by Sloane, he adopts his codename as well as the concept of "Fair Play", and honors his late humanitarian spouse by helping others. As the superhero Mister Terrific, Holt is considered among the most intelligent and wealthiest people on Earth and a noteworthy martial artist. While regularly on the JSA, the character has also served as a member of the Justice League and has led his own team, The Terrifics.

Holt has been adapted into media outside comics. Michael Beach, Hannibal Buress, and Kevin Michael Richardson, 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 Arrowverse series Arrow. Edi Gathegi played the character in the 2025 film Superman, set in the DC Universe (DCU).