r/DC_Cinematic • u/Sossy2020 • Jul 11 '25
APPRECIATION Edi Gathegi Appreciation Post
As someone who saw Superman and was mostly enjoyed Mr. Terrific’s inclusion in the film, I was so happy that James Gunn and DC did right by Edi Gathegi after seeing how dirty Matthew Vaughn and Fox did his character in X-Men: First Class—and this is coming from someone who really likes that movie.
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u/UltimateArtist829 Jul 11 '25
I've aways liked Mr. Terrific since Justice League Unlimited and the movie actually did him justice, best part of the film for me.
Finally Darwin had his redemption arc.
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u/ez_wider2690 Jul 11 '25
I will definitely agree with you. To be honest I’m not even a Mr.T fan, but i absolutely feel like he was a powerhouse in Superman.
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u/Jaxonhunter227 Jul 12 '25
I love how Mr terrific was incredibly smart without being condescending, it never felt like he was trying to flaunt how smarter then everyone he is, the only exception was when a lex goon was telling him what to do and he got angry, leading to one of my favorite lines
"I don't need your help, I'm God damn mister terrific!"
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u/Sossy2020 Jul 12 '25
He’s like an anti-Lex Luthor in a lot of ways: both characters are insanely intelligent but Lex uses his intellect for selfish reasons while Terrific uses his intellect for selfless reasons.
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u/Muted_Study5166 Jul 12 '25
He had the best action sequence in the movie
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u/Skiwvlker Jul 12 '25
You ain't lying. I loved how useful his T-spheres were in combat and how the scene didn't drag at all. Super quick and efficient
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u/Up-in-the-Ayre Jul 12 '25
Yep, and I loved the camera work that made it seem like you were watching it from Lois' perspective.
Such a Terrific film.
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u/Solh0und Jul 12 '25
I noticed that his action sequence was pretty long but I think that is in spirit to sell the idea that he deserves a TV show spinoff of his own. In one action scene with Bloodsport in TSS, Peacemaker got to show off most of what he can do and we got a show on him.
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u/soonerfreak Jul 12 '25
I knew nothing about the character so my reaction was just like the the guard "it's only the nerd." I figured he had to be more powerful than I assumed but that fight was a very pleasant surprise and with the rest of his performance I'm down for the show.
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u/Aurora_Raptor Jul 12 '25 edited Jul 12 '25
Mr Terrific was Aura Farming in the movie . Never felt he was a character being overshadowed by Superman.
Felt more like Batman lite - injecting nanites in superman the day they met , being silent, calm, ruthless yet good hearted .... Excellent in hacking technology, having a terrific jet .
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u/An-29 Jul 12 '25
"Hey! Hey! All the records and codes are here.. I can help!"
"I don't need your help. I am goddamn Mr. Terrific"
And damn he is right. Edi Gathegi nailed it!
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u/Spence52490 Jul 12 '25
His fight scene at the camp was so dope.
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u/Xxjacklexx Jul 12 '25
Best part of the movie, reminds me of Rocket vs the Ravagers. Just amazing motion and camera work.
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u/MrHeavySilence Jul 12 '25
I was thinking of the Yondu arrow scenes from Guardians 1 and Guardians 2
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u/Swimming-Hour-6171 Jul 12 '25
Mr terrific,engineer, metamorpho,lex luthor,hawkgirl and guy gardner all of them are interesting characters in Superman movie
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u/Arinoch Jul 12 '25
Hawkgirl needed a bit more screen time, but the movie was packed and didn’t waste a minute, so that might have been difficult.
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u/harc70 Jul 12 '25
He killed it! This guy went full solo to rescue
Superman with no hesitation at all. The entire Justice gang rocked.
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u/Funkyouup82 Jul 12 '25
That’s a cool name, ‘Justice Gang’. Did you come up with that? I like it, I think it’ll catch on!
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u/AlmostRandomNow Jul 12 '25
If only he could get a faster garage door.
Honestly, loved all three of the Justice 'Gang' (we know they're the Justice Society) and I laughed at how good his costume looked as well, because it's the only costume Arrow 100% nailed, and they've done it even better here as a middle finger to Mark Guggenheim.
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u/Idoled_Out Jul 11 '25
Ah, yes. A character whose power is LITERALLY adapting to survive….is the only one that dies.
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u/Sossy2020 Jul 11 '25
And to add insult to injury, he was only one of two major black characters in the movie and the filmmakers still decided to kill him off the way they did.
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u/Concolitanos Jul 11 '25
Plus, the power to absorb Summers energy does exist and it's in the guy 30' to his right. Alex is right there and Darwin somehow can't find the right adaptation. An incredibly dumb scene that turns Darwin into a jobber for Shaw. IIRC, Claremont and Byrne made Shaw look like a real threat by having Colossus pummel him with little effect. They didn't need the Black Guy Dies First trope, unlike the hacks at FOX.
That said, this is a DC sub so I'm looking forward to seeing Edi's Mr Terrific and I hope he gets his spin-off.
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u/Teganfff Jul 12 '25
“I don’t need your help!
I’m Mr. Terrific!”
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u/DasDa1Bro Jul 12 '25
When people say "There are so many characters, why are they doing Superman and Batman over again?" They're referring to characters like Terrific. I cannot wait for this cinematic universe to expand! FINALLY, A PROPER DC CINEMATIC UNIVERSE.
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u/Sossy2020 Jul 12 '25
I’ll be honest I was nervous that the movie would feel over stuffed with all these other metahumans but after finally seeing it, I can safely say that the film kept a strong focus on Superman while still giving other characters their time to shine.
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u/DasDa1Bro Jul 12 '25
I can understand why some were concerned for that. I had enough trust in Gunn that he would handle all the characters well, and he did! I feel like all side characters had enough screen time to contribute to the plot, didn't need more didn't need less of them. Justice Gang doing some saving, Daily Planet gang doing some reporting. I trust Gunn with characterisation, and handling a bunch of characters. Cannot wait for more Terrific!!!
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u/MiserlyMongoose Jul 12 '25
Dude, I think he was my favorite part. Was not expecting that. So much fun
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u/captainhooksjournal Jul 12 '25
Anyone else intrigued by the song used in his big scene? We’re definitely getting his backstory in a future project and it’s gonna absolutely wreck me when I see it.
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u/Jason_with_a_jay Jul 12 '25
I loved his Mr. Terrific. I know nothing about Mr. Terrific. But I loved him in this
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u/reuxin Jul 12 '25
Can we also talk about how the mask didn't look ridiculous?
This is how they can do the Robin and Green Lantern masks.
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u/PaddywackShaq Jul 12 '25
Terrific was a definite highlight. Real Proto Batman and Superman dynamic between him and Clark
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u/AmbassadorCheap3956 Jul 12 '25
Big Love to Edi for his Mr Terrific performance.
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u/rosesgrowinmygarden Jul 12 '25
The version of Mr Terrific in the arrowverse was atrocious and I am happy that the character is now redeemed
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u/Max_452 Jul 12 '25
Having been introduced to the character there, it was amusing to see him when he’s finally backed by a budget - big improvement!
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u/Paul-E-L Jul 12 '25
I know nothing about Mister Terrific from the comics, but man he was so cool in this.
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u/JohnDiggle21 Jul 12 '25
I've been watching House and I liked his character in the show. Too bad he didn't stay on as a regular.
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u/SuspectKnown9655 Jul 13 '25
Just came back from the theater..did not expect him to get so much screentime and such a big role. Probably my second favorite character in the whole movie.
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u/MiKapo Jul 13 '25
"I don't need help. Im god dam mister terrfic"
I love how james gunn isn't afraid to go for the more oddball characters in the DC unverise. He made folks emotional about Weasel in Creature commandos and Polka dot man in The suicide squad
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u/Galaxy-Devil Jul 12 '25
He was fantastic as Mr Terrific, he arguably had the best and most unique fight scene in the movie
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u/Movieking985 Jul 12 '25
He was legit one of the better characters in the movie and played him perfectly imo as well as Nathan's Guy Gardner
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u/Beejatx Jul 12 '25
Loved seeing some of DC’s “who the heck are these guys” heroes in action. I knew (as a 50+ yr DC geekette) but I just was so happy to see Hawkgirl, Guy, Mr. Terrific and omg Metamorpho in the mix for this movie. @JamesGunn put a lot into the plot, it was fast moving and fun!!! I want more!!
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u/Str8Faced000 Jul 13 '25
I will never forgive that movie for killing the one character whose entire power is that he can’t die
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u/DanFarrell98 Jul 12 '25
You should also watch For All Mankind he’s pretty good there
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u/HippoRun23 Jul 11 '25
I had no damn idea who the hell Mr. Terrific even was.
I LOVED him in this movie. Excellent performance. Really want to see more of his character.
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u/Sossy2020 Jul 11 '25 edited Jul 12 '25
I also had very little knowledge of Mr. Terrific prior to seeing the movie, but I’m just happy that Gathegi got to play a character in major comic book film that didn’t get inexplicably killed off like what happened in First Class.
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u/whyspongeboy Jul 12 '25
Will never not piss me off. It's just mutant power to literally adapt to whatever could kill him. It's like Deadpool dying to a gunshot wound.
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u/RoyHarper88 Jul 12 '25
I get that First Class wanted to kill a character to make the threat more real to the audience. Darwin was not the character to do that with. Having another lesser known character there as a love interest for him, and showing how his survival powers are so outside of his control, they even force him to teleport out of danger, would have been such a better way to do it.
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u/speedster_irl Jul 12 '25
Mister terrific couldn't get better. Before entering the film , I wouldn't know that I'd love the character so freaking much
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u/DoctorBeatMaker Jul 11 '25
The way they did the mask convinced me a Batman Beyond mask is possible in live action.
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u/ElliottNation9 Jul 12 '25
He was great all the way through. I can't wait till he pop's up again in the DCU.
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u/Just-Wallaby-710 Jul 12 '25
the inclusion of Mr Terrific was the most pleasant surprise of the movie, you killed it
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u/ez_wider2690 Jul 11 '25
I might be the only one but I feel like he stole the show in the movie or maybe this character finally got the recognition he deserves.
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u/neoblackdragon Jul 11 '25
This is the guy the Justice League wants at the table.
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u/whyspongeboy Jul 12 '25
Was thinking that myself. I honestly wouldn't mind it if Terrific was on the Justice League roster.
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u/BodaciousTacoFarts Jul 12 '25
He was really good. Loved Guy Gardner and wish we could see more of Metamorpho.
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u/EAComunityTeam Jul 12 '25
Damn. I am so glad he was Mr Terrific. He did a fantastic job. Im so glad they showed how athletic he was. And his intellect was shown perfectly. As the 3rd smartest man on Earth. Can't wait to see him on a TV show.
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u/Rude_Machine Jul 17 '25
Love me terrific— stole the movie in a lot of ways - felt like it had neuro divert take - when he says something about emotions for himself to Lois
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Jul 11 '25
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u/Asto_Vidatu Jul 11 '25
seriously! I thought it was just thick rubber paint before I saw this image where it looks like some piece of plastic glued to his face!
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u/evte4 Jul 12 '25
I didn't know much about the character before the movie, and was wondering how much they could even do with a character that uses circles spheres as weapons. But man his fight scene at the beach was brilliant. Gunn has a gift of making lesser known characters into fan favourites.
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u/FreshVeterinarian940 Jul 11 '25
Those x-men movies have such high great moments and so many bad terrible moments lmao
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u/Spaceballz1 Jul 12 '25
It’s like people forget how awesome he is in for all mankind. Wasn’t shocked at all. Saw him in that show. Saw his casting and knew immediately it was a home run
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u/othersbeforeus Jul 13 '25
When he died in X-Men, I honest to god couldn’t believe that they killed the only black character in the movie so quickly.
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u/Xxjacklexx Jul 12 '25
Dude he was OUTSTANDING in this. I was shocked how much I enjoyed him, considering I was way more psyched for the other two gang members.
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u/Vrolak Jul 12 '25
He was great! I was mind blown. I was never a big fan of the character. But he was amazing and I loved it.
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u/Creepy-Intentions-69 Jul 13 '25
Just saw the movie, his action sequence was good. He was probably my favorite character in the film.
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u/Abominuz Jul 14 '25
I think he was one of the best characters in the movie. I really like the potrayal of Superman and Lex, but damn Edi did an awesome job.
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u/Idontwantyourfuel Jul 15 '25
Cool character, great performance. He deserves a well written movie of his own or another fun teamup.
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u/chilloutman24 Jul 11 '25
He’s finally getting his flowers. He stole the show. I loved the beach scene
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u/KentuckyFriedEel Jul 11 '25
this was Mr Terrific movie that just happened to feature Superman. he was great!
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u/SnooGuavas8161 Jul 11 '25
I really like him, he and Guy are the best part in this movie.
I actually knew Terrific was gonna be a Batman lite character when I saw the trailer, and he is exactly that in the movie.
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u/patriots1057 Jul 12 '25
So upset that they got rid of Darwin so quickly. Hopefully he has a long tenure in the DCU because he frigging nailed that performance.
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u/ACodAmongstMen Jul 12 '25
Again: so glad they put the "Fair Play" on the jacket. I feel like in most renditions only the first Terrific has "fair play"
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u/MaxReeboNoHBO Jul 12 '25
Hoowee, comparing Superman to the X-Men movies, especially the later ones, really makes me appreciate Superman. Who would’ve thought not being embarrassed of your source material makes a better movie!
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u/PastorNTraining Jul 12 '25
I am ashamed to say I did not know anything about Mr. Terrific but Gathegi made me care.
His fight scenes (chefs kiss) he was powerful but not OP and the somehow gave us side eye with a face full of prosthetic makeup.
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u/ThomasThePommes Jul 12 '25 edited Jul 12 '25
There was one scene that I felt was not really good. Maybe it’s the German translation.
When we see the complete message from Superman’s parents he’s like „This was checked by data scientists. These guys don’t make mistakes. It’s real.“
What? One of the smartest person on earth says „I don’t need to check this by myself. I trust Lex and his data analysts with this“ It felt a little bit out of character and rushed to make clear that this message is legit.
It would have been better if he said „I checked it by myself. I’m 99.9% sure it’s not a fake.“
Besides from that one scene i really loved him.
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u/lorimar Jul 12 '25
Yeah, that whole dialog felt like it was added at the last minute in response to audience feedback. Loved almost everything about the movie, but this one plot thread felt pretty klunky.
S: "It's gotta be doctored"
T: "No way Clark. I know these computer forensics guys. They aren't going to say it's legit unless they are sure. I'm so sorry man, but there's no way that message is fake"
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u/goblin_goblin Jul 12 '25
Yeah I kept waiting for a twist to say that they manipulated the translation or something because why would you ever trust them? If Terrific verified it, that storyline would’ve hit harder for me because I didn’t believe it myself.
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u/Far_Appearance3888 Jul 12 '25
Right? Like the guy who created a pocket universe prison with portals all over the world…can’t possibly have doctored footage? It was weird.
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u/southwick Jul 12 '25
Or just lean into the issues we are going to continue to have with media and verification, say it could be fake or real, but it's already out there and convincing anyone it's fake at this point probably won't matter.
He could validate that it's fake and it's not going to change a lot of public perception once it's in the wild.
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u/Far_Appearance3888 Jul 12 '25
He could have said something to that effect and it would have made more sense. The truth doesn’t matter because no one knows who to believe anymore and it’s all been controlled by technocrats. That would have been the better approach than Mr. Terrific just being all naively trusting about it.
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u/LeaphyDragon Jul 12 '25
It would have been so easy for him to say he hacked and analyzed the original message and translation himself and confirmed it was real.
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u/Bleezy79 Jul 12 '25
I think it was edited and we’ll find out later about it. That’s my guess at least.
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u/ThomasThePommes Jul 12 '25
I think we find out that the engineer rebuild the message but she fueled her emotions and anticipation into it. And now the message is compromised.
Imho the complete message is so over the top that it’s hard to believe it’s true. Spread your seeds and build a harem? Who would say that to his little child?
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u/thegeocash Nite Owl Jul 12 '25
I think it will just be mistranslated with words that could mean different things.
Like saying to rule over them could actually be the kryptonian word for protect them etc
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u/MysteriousEssay5709 Jul 12 '25
Just glad Mr Terrific has been getting recognized these last few years.
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u/Lower_Imagination_83 Jul 11 '25
Mr Terrific was done right. I'm sure some fans will check out a good entry point to read some of his comic book stories.
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u/SimpleSink6563 Jul 11 '25
Need him to come back for the Justice League.
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u/Deeformecreep Jul 11 '25
I think he should also get his own spin-off
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u/Greedyjack555 Jul 12 '25
I knew this guy since DCAU justice league, and now he's up there in live action, the best I have seen yet portrayed, can't wait for new mr terrific fans popping up after this movie.
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u/CharacterPair5151 Jul 13 '25 edited Jul 14 '25
Me. Terrific was terrific in Superman and i loved every scene he was in.. the fight was cool.. would love to see TV show or solo movie to get him the backstory Edited typos
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u/Martydeus Jul 13 '25
I really thought he was gonna come back and be all like. Man that took some time to adapt to xD
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u/Omnislash99999 Jul 16 '25
One of the highlights of the film, would definitely watch something focused on him
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u/bueneboy Jul 12 '25
His performance and character was so well done, but it actually made a lot of other characters look silly and stupid, including Superman himself.
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u/LeaphyDragon Jul 12 '25
I actually think Superman was really well done. He's supposed to be a good boy scout and a great person.
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u/blackwisdom Jul 12 '25
"mostly enjoyed Mr. Terrific's inclusion in the film"
Can you clarify why you only "mostly enjoyed" it? Genuinely curious!
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u/Justice_Prince Jul 12 '25
I remember hearing a rumor that the origin plan was for Darwin be revealed to be alive, and then become a major part of the plot in Days of Future Past, but that plan was scrapped because Jennifer Lawrence's career was blowing up, and they wanted to make her a bigger part of the next movie.
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u/cooltamer1 Jul 13 '25
I don't feel this was completely Vaughn's fault. While I really enjoyed Days of Future Past, Singer coming back definitely scrapped a lot of characters and stories that were likely going to lead somewhere in the future from First Class. Darwin coming back in energy form to save the team in a sequel would have been an amazing moment.
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u/hazzakthule Jul 13 '25
Man he sounded like Cleavon Little so much to me when he spoke… all I could think is he would be perfect in a Blazing Saddles reboot.
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u/kiddoujanse Jul 14 '25
no idea who this character was , just awesome god damn he was fun and cool!
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u/Mission-Ad-8536 Jul 12 '25
First time in years that a appreciation post isn’t just the same MOS, BVS, or ZSJL copied and pasted.
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u/Im_Akwala Jul 12 '25
went in thinking he was gonna be some lame, left out thinking he was cool asf
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u/ninejamb Jul 11 '25
I loved his portrayal in Superman even more the second time watching the movie. I really hope TPTB fast-tracking a Justice Gang/Mister Terrific spin-off project
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u/The-Owl-that-hoots Jul 11 '25
He was honestly my favorite part of the film. He excelled in his role
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u/wondermega Jul 13 '25
I was like.. wherrrrrre do I know this person from?
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"For All mankind" - oh geez, it's Dev!
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u/DocDerry Jul 14 '25
He had a very short run on Justified 10 years ago. He was great and I had hopes to see more of him.
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u/CompetitionThick6088 Jul 15 '25
They killed him off too early there too. Also written out of House too fast. Glad he’s in something huge with a character who’ll stick around for a while.
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u/bard0117 Jul 13 '25
Was I imaging things or did his performance remind anyone of RDJ in Tropic Thunder?
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u/savagealchemist Jul 14 '25
I’ve seen this come up elsewhere.
It’s because he’s doing a learned black American accent just like RDJ was. Still enjoyed the character and the depiction, but we can all hear it.
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u/Gethdo Jul 12 '25
Is he going to replace Cyborg?
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u/LeaphyDragon Jul 12 '25
Mr T and Cyborg are different characters. It just all depends if this DCU grows and if they decide to use the character this time.
Seeing as James used some less well known JL members makes me think we probably won't see more popular ones till later/if at all
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u/Powerful-Diver-9556 Jul 12 '25
Are you implying there can only be 1 black hero? Not trying to attack you. This is a problem in Hollywood.
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u/Gethdo Jul 12 '25
No, John stewart Green lantern is my favorite, I was implying that 2 tech heroes with very similiar skill set(tech) and being black can be boring for cinema audience, for example static shock and black lightning is also very similiar and I would not prefer to see them at the same time.
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u/Powerful-Diver-9556 Jul 12 '25
Understandable, I'm not sure, but they both have always existed in the DC universe even in the days of justice league. So as long as gunn and safran are able to fully flesh out the characters and story I wouldn't see a problem with both.
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u/Own-Quote-1708 Jul 12 '25
Possibly. The Justice League isnt formed yet....but it seems like these 4 (Superman, Mr Terrific, Guy and Hawkgirl) will be one of the founding members. If so... then maybe he does replace Cyborg as the tech savvy dude in the Justice League.
I prefer Cyborg in the Teen Titans anyways.
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u/Newni Jul 11 '25
I can't get into a character who says that Superman is messing around when he's clearly doing very important stuff 😖
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Jul 11 '25
Am I the only one who thinks its hilarious that Lex Luthor, Mister Terrific and Catwoman were all X-Men. They should cast J-Law as Black Canary stat.
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u/SuperDuperCoolDude Jul 11 '25
I think he was awesome in Superman, and I remember him being great in First Class.