In 2011’s “X-Men: First Class,” the mutant character Armando Muñoz, played by Edi Gathegi, was given the nickname “Darwin” due to his unique ability to adapt and survive in various situations. He was enlisted into Division X of the CIA, a forerunner to the X-Men, in 1962. Darwin was among Professor Charles Xavier’s first group of young mutants, which included Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), Beast (Nicholas Hoult), Havok (Lucas Till), Banshee (Caleb Landry Jones), and the winged Angel (Zoë Kravitz).
However, during the progression of Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men prequel, “X-Men: First Class”, the character Darwin was unfortunately terminated by Sebastian Shaw (portrayed by Kevin Bacon) from the Hellfire Club. This occurred when Shaw, a villain capable of absorbing energy, exploited his powers to excessively stimulate Darwin’s reactive abilities, ultimately leading to his demise. It’s been noted by fans that among all the characters in “First Class”, it was Darwin who should have persisted.
In an interview for “Superman,” Gathegi shared with Entertainment Weekly, “They didn’t make a mistake,” he said, referring to the character portrayal of Mister Terrific. “I believe it was a case of poor representation and missed potential. There were numerous directions they could have taken with that character, possibly should have pursued for the character.
Gathegi mentioned that Darwin, having survived before in First Class, would return because of his unique abilities. He pointed out that even though the character died initially, this wouldn’t be significant if he followed his comic book counterpart, who has the power to resurrect. Every movie where this didn’t happen was seen as a misinterpretation and a wasted chance.
In the follow-up film from 2014 titled “X-Men: Days of Future Past“, many actors from the original cast were not featured, except for James McAvoy as Professor X, Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, Nicholas Hoult as Beast, Lucas Till as Havok (in a minor role), and Michael Fassbender as Magneto. Despite his single appearance in “First Class” as the mutant Darwin, Gathegi mentioned that he is correcting past errors with this role. He added, “As it stands now, this isn’t my only project.
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In his recent interview, Gathegi didn’t reveal where Mister Terrific will show up after the “Superman” series, but it’s worth noting that this character has been a part of various superhero teams in the comics. He has been a member of the Justice Society of America, the Justice League, and a quartet known as the Terrifics which includes Plastic Man, Phantom Girl, and Metamorpho, who is also featured in “Superman” (portrayed by Anthony Carrigan).
Mister Terrific is described as one of the most thought-provoking heroes in DC comics. He doesn’t believe in a higher power, but rather champions justice. Gathegi highlights this aspect of the character, who dons his signature “Fair Play” jacket as part of the Justice Gang, a group that includes Guy Gardner Green Lantern (portrayed by Nathan Fillion) and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced).
Following the tragic car accident that took his wife’s life, Michael Holt discovered purpose in learning, as Gathegi stated. “He recognized that although the universe could be harsh, knowledge, science, and progress could improve it. Instead of giving in to despair over losing his wife, he opted to embody hope.
In this upcoming film, helmed by James Gunn (the Guardians of the Galaxy series, The Suicide Squad), David Corenswet takes on the role of Clark Kent/Superman, opposite Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult portraying Lex Luthor. This impressive ensemble also features Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho, Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, María Gabriela de Faría as Angela Spica/the Engineer, Wendell Pierce as Perry White, Alan Tudyk as Superman Robot #4, Neva Howell as Ma Kent, Pruitt Taylor Vince as Pa Kent, with Sean Gunn and Frank Grillo in the roles of Maxwell Lord and Rick Flag Sr., respectively.
Superman soars into theaters July 11.
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2025-06-12 20:43