#eric wallace

The emotional center of these issues lies in two conversations: Michael with Dre, and Michael with the Spectre. They delve into how Michael felt about Paula, how special she was, and the depth of his loss. One standout moment reframes the iconic “third-smartest person” tagline:

"I used to tell people I was the world’s third-smartest person, because she (Paula) was numbers one and two."

It’s a touching line that deepens Paula’s impact and offers a more satisfying origin for the tagline than the old assumption (that Batman and Lex Luthor held the top spots). As the spotlight and popularity of Mister Terrific grew that line intended for a C-list character seemed to unintentionally develop racial undertones. Why couldn't this great character rising in popularity be the smartest person? Did DC not think fans would buy a black man as the smartest person in the DCU? Because the third-smartest person tagline grew to annoy me, I eventually interpreted it as Michael deliberately downplaying himself to encourage adversaries to underestimate him. Letson's explanation is much more elegant and ads depth do both Michael, Paula, and their relationship.

This ties nicely into the plot involving the Nexus Engine, a powerful device Paula supposedly completed before Michael. Athena Prescot seeks to harness its power, and by issue #2, it’s revealed she's being controlled by the Anti-Life Equation. That explains Michael's ominous line from issue #1:

"And there he was – Darkseid. The hidden hand behind my darkest moment."

I have mixed feelings about inserting Darkseid and other DCU characters into Michael’s origin. His original origin was elegant in its simplicity:

Genius and Olympic-level athlete Michael Holt loses everything when his pregnant wife dies in a car accident. The Spectre intervenes during his suicide attempt and inspires him with the story of Terry Sloane, the original Mister Terrific. Michael chooses to carry on that legacy.

Simple. Iconic. Relatable. Expanding an origin can enrich it, but if you go too far—if you add cosmic conspiracies, legacy villains, and destiny-driven elements—you risk losing the emotional accessibility.

When Peter Parker’s parents were revealed as scientist and spies, his everyman appeal suffered. When writers insert Easter eggs like, the Penguin running the theatre Bruce's parents died outside of, or that Scarecrow was the projectionist, Batman became less about personal determination and more about predestination.

The addition of characters like Batgirl villain Cormorant, Superman villain Mercy Graves, and Black Lightning into Michael’s backstory starts to feel similarly bloated. I wouldn’t mind if Cormorant and Mercy were new characters tailored to Michael’s world. Black Lightning, on the other hand, works—he’s of similar age and also an Olympic-level athlete, and a crossover makes sense.

Darkseid, at least, builds off existing continuity. Granny Goodness already stole PJ Holt from Paula’s womb, so folding in Darkseid feels natural. And thematically, there’s something potent in an atheist navigating a universe filled with gods and demons. Still, if we’re going devil-analogue, Neron or Lucifer might have worked better. They would highlight Michael’s worldview more sharply, especially since Darkseid usually isn’t subtle—he uses the Anti-Life Equation to erase choice, not manipulate it.

This also diminishes Athena Prescot. Is she evil, or just a puppet? The more autonomy she has, the more compelling she is. If she’s merely controlled by Darkseid, she becomes a tool, not a character.

All that said, Letson and his team are doing an elegant job weaving a narrative thread through decades of continuity. Michael and Paula feel more human than ever. If the creative team can stick the landing, we might get a modern origin that retains the heart of the classic while adding real depth.