Is Mister Terrific Gay or Straight in DC Comics?
Both DC and Marvel Comics have worked a lot at creating a diverse representation inside their canon. Some of the most known superheroes nowadays are a part of the LBGT community; Loki, Batwoman, Harley Quinn, Dreamer, Thunder, Jonathan Kent, and even Wonder Woman. The existence of these characters has helped both main comic book houses to create a well-appreciated roster of diverse characters. In this article, we will see if Mister Terrific is gay or straight in DC comics.
The original Mr. Terrific Terry Sloane was never recognized as gay in the comics, and Michael Holt was not either. However, the TV series Arrow introduced in Season 4 an original character named Curtis Holt, played by Echo Kellum, who donned the mantle of Mr. Terrific in the series. Arrow’s Mr. Terrific was introduced as TV’s first-ever African-American gay character. In the series, Curtis’ ex-husband was Paul Holt, who is presumed to be a gender-swapped incarnation of Paula Holt, who was Michael Holt’s wife in the comics.
Mister Terrific might not be the best-known DC character, but he’s certainly one of the veteran characters. There are two characters that are known for donning the mantle of Mr. Terrific. The original Mr. Terrific was Terry Sloane, who was first introduced in Sensation Comics #1 in January 1942. The second character who is known for being Mr. Terrific is Michael Holt. He was introduced in 1997, and he’s probably a better-known Mr. Terrific among Gen Z DC fans. In this article, we will clear out if either of them were ever a part of the LGBT community.
Mister Terrific & His Sexuality
Although Mister Terrific isn’t as popular as the A-list DC characters, he’s very known to the fans of DC’s comic books. Mister Terrific has never appeared on the big screen before, so if the live-action movies are all you follow from DC, you probably do not know much, if anything, about this character. Still, that doesn’t mean Mister Terrific never appeared in live-action media. Although Mister Terrific was briefly mentioned and there were some references to both of them in the TV series Smallville, the TV series Arrow introduced the original character Curtis Holt who was Mister Terrific in the series.
The character was introduced in Season 4. and was a part of the series until the conclusion in Season 8. Mister Terrific appeared in several animated projects as well. Michael Holt appeared in the animated series Justice League Unlimited, Justice League Action, the animated movie Injustice, and Justice League vs. the Fatal Five. Terry Sloane’s Mister Terrific appeared in the TV series The Brave and the Bold. Despite not being one of the DC A-listers, Mister Terrific also had his own comic book in 2011 and 2012, but the series was canceled after only eight issues.
The original Mr. Terrific Terry Sloane was first introduced in the mainstream universe in Sensation Comics #1 in January 1942. He was a member of the Justice Society of America, and he was killed off in Justice League of America #171 in October 1979. The second Mr. Terrific Michael Holt was first introduced in Spectre (vol. 3) #54 in June 1997. Michael was a talented man with five black belts and many degrees and doctorates. His wife Paula and unborn child have died in a car accident, and while Michael was contemplating suicide, he was met by the Spectre, who told him about Terry Sloane, which led to Michael becoming the second Mr. Terrific. Since then, Michael was deemed the ultimate Mr. Terrific in the eyes of most DC fans.
As we have previously said, Terry Sloane and Michael Holt weren’t canonically gay in the comic books. The incarnation of Mr. Terrific who was a part of the LGBT community was the original character Curtis Holt in the TV series Arrow. Curtis was the first ever African-American gay superhero on television. The character was first introduced in the fourth season as a co-worker of Felicity Smoak at Palmer Technology.
Just like the comic book incarnation, Curtis created T-spheres that he used as his weapon of choice and wore a Fair Play leather jacket. At the time of his introduction, Curtis was married to Paul Holt, but they divorced later. After that, Curtis met an SCPD police officer Nick Anastas, whom he later married. Curtis became a vigilante known as Mr. Terrific and a member of Team Arrow in Season 5, and he remained on the show until its end in Season 8. In the end, to give the definitive answer to the title question, Mister Terrific is straight in DC comics, but there is a live-action incarnation of the character who is gay.
