itās a shame that after Tom Kingās Strange Adventures clearly positioned Mr Terrific as the clear avenue character for DC to do modern sci-fi adventure stories, they still never choose to do anything fun or worthwhile with the guy outside of the short lived Terrifics and lame ass JSA stuff. heās SEVERELY underutilized and iād love for Waid to have him be a big part of the new JL run. personal thoughts on the guy?
I love Holt because heās such an American character.
We Americans love our trash talkers. Oh we publicly make a big deal about the need to stay humble and respectful, but donāt believe that for a second. Look at our heroes and icons! Only thing Americans really respect are winners, and we love winners who can walk their talk. Michael Holt comes from the proud tradition of American heroes who can do just that. Heās incredibly smart and he knows it. Heās fantastically competent and he shows it. Heās Mr. Terrific! - able to cut through the bullshit with his mind or his fists as need be. And he doesnāt take crap from anyone.
Like Hal Jordan or Barry Allen before him, Holt might not be the first character to hold the mantle, but heās the one who made folks respect the name. No offense to the Terry Sloane fans out there (if you exist), but thereās a reason Holt is the only Mr. Terrific who ever gets used. Heās simply cooler than his predecessor in every way. His backstory, his design, his attitude, his powers, despite sharing the name I even hesitate to call Holt a ālegacy characterā. Heās more in the vein of a Hal Jordan, taking the title but reinventing the concept, than a Barry Allen or Wally West who is steadfastly trying to live up to a pre-existing ideal. How many people even know that Holt wasnāt the first Mr. Terrific? Who would care if they did know?
Holt is living in the timeline that John Stewart fans wish they had gotten after the DCAU. Far as the general public is concerned, thereās only one Mr. Terrific. Which I would be happy to see DC continue to act as if that were the case, I know this rubs against how most people view legacy as central to DC, but I donāt believe that any story about Holt āstrugglingā to live up to his predecessorās example will ring true. Besides, itās unnecessary.
Mr. Terrific already has plenty of baggage on his own to deal with. His unresolved trauma over the deaths of his wife and their baby, his mentally disabled older brother dying young also, his need to excel at anything he sets his mind to, his atheism in a universe where the gods are not only real but actively involved, the all but stated fact that he might be smarter than Bruce and Lex, but put himself in third place to not attract attention, and leading his own team the Terrifics. Returning to OPās statement, I too bemoan Holt being trapped on the Boomer Squadron. Yes itās expected given Geoff Johns created him to be part of the team in the first place, but like Wally on the Titans, Holt has outgrown his original team.
Making him the leader of his own team simply makes sense. Unlike most of his peers you can justify all sorts of adventures for Holt on the basis of SCIENCE! or simple adventure-seeking. The JL are not wont to taking field trips but the Terrifics have no problem doing that. Holt became an Olympian athlete simply to prove he could. Heās exactly the type of character who can easily justify a trip to space or through time simply because he felt like doing that. DC made it explicit but Holt always has been the natural counterpart to Marvelās Reed Richards.
DC struggles to create teams that donāt languish in the shadow of the League. No matter the protestations to the contrary the Titans and the JSA absolutely are stuck in said shadow. Mr. Terrific and his Terrifics however donāt have to be. Market them as explorers and adventurers rather than crime fighters and they would have a niche that isnāt covered by anyone else at DC, with a mandate to go anywhere and do anything.