DC Crowns Its New Smartest Hero, Replacing Mr Terrific
DC Comics
Published Oct 7, 2026, 10:30 PM EDT
Adam has been writing in the entertainment news space for over a decade. Beginning his career of covering film and TV at CinemaBlend, he has also appeared on The Flash Podcast and done several radio spots.
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Although Michael Holt, a.k.a. Mr. Terrific, doesn’t have any superpowers, he makes up for that with his exceptional intelligence. Having earned 14 Ph.Ds and founded Holt Industries, Michael followed in the footsteps of Terry Sloan, the original Mr. Terrific, and became a superhero following the tragic death of his wife. That puts him in good company with fellow non-powered heroes like Batman and the Ted Kord version of Blue Beetle, because when the second Mr. Terrific isn’t punching bad guys, he’s taking them out with his T-Spheres and other advanced technology.
Though Mr. Terrific has been described as the third-smartest person in the world, up until now, the Olympic-level athlete's increased prominence in the DC Universe made a strong argument to be made for why he should be at the top of the list. However, there’s a new DC superhero to whom that title now belongs, though this character was clearly inspired by Michael in the same way that he was by Terry.
Ms. Terrific Is Actually DC’s Smartest Hero
The Deadman #5, Written By W. Maxwell Prince, Art By Martin Morazzo
DC ComicsThe Deadman #5 sees the titular protagonist, a.k.a. deceased circus aerialist Boston Brand, visiting a future where he’s alive, but the world has also become devoid of karma. Along with meeting tech-themed versions of supernatural characters like Swamp Thing and The Phantom Stranger, Boston also meets Amril Melville, a.k.a. Ms. Terrific, who possesses a higher IQ than him. She’s accompanied by Connor Hawke, who’s still fighting as Green Arrow, but has dropped the ‘e’ from his last name.
Amril is the second Ms. Terrific DC has introduced in recent years, following the Earth-23 variant of Paula Holt, Michael’s late wife, from The Terrifics. In Amril’s case, however, she “bears no filial relationship” to Michael, though like Paula, she uses T-Cubes instead of T-Spheres. Unfortunately for Amril, before she can clue Boston in on what happened to the Justice League Omega in this time period, she’s attacked by a swarm of birds unleashed out of one of her opponents’ mouths.
Now back in the present day, The Deadman #6 will show Boston grappling with this future where there is no Heaven or Hell, all while the conflict with Mr. M and his Soul-Eaters continues. As such, it’s unclear whether Ms. Terrific will somehow return before the series is over, be brought back in a different book, or if this was a one-and-done appearance. The Deadman was originally announced as a six-issue limited series, but it was expanded to 12 issues in August.
As for Mr. Terrific, he continues to be one of the main players in the Justice League Unlimited title, and has also made recent appearances in books like The Flash, JSA, and Superman. From July 2025 to January 2026, Michael starred in the six-issue limited series Mr. Terrific: Year One, which retold his origin story for the DC All-In era. Edi Gathegi will also reprise the DCU franchise's Mr. Terrific in the upcoming DC movie Man of Tomorrow following his debut in Superman.
The Deadman #5 is now available from DC Comics.
Created by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson
Character(s) Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, Cyborg, Harley Quinn, The Joker, Shazam, Darkseid, Amanda Waller, Lex Luthor, Doomsday, Deadshot, Deathstroke, Black Canary, Black Adam
Movie(s) Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, Justice League, Aquaman, Shazam!, Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman 1984, Zack Snyder's Justice League, The Suicide Squad, Black Adam, Shazam! The Fury of the Gods, The Flash, Blue Beetle, Superman, The Brave and the Bold
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