Why THE TERRIFICS Would Be the Perfect Spinoff for SUPERMAN'S Mister Terrific

Of all the Justice Gang heroes introduced in Superman , the breakout star was easily Mister Terrific, played by Edi Gathegi. He had the best action beat of the movie (sorry Kal), and some of the best lines too. Recently, reports came out that James Gunn is thinking of a Mister Terrific spinoff. Although, what form that will take is unknown. It could be a movie, but we think the best chance for Terrific to shine would be an HBO Max series. And instead of simply a Mister Terrific show, we think an adaptation of the DC Comics 2018-2020 series The Terrifics , where the said hero leads his own team, is even better. And one of those team members, Metamorpho, is already part of the DCU. It feels like James Gunn is already setting this up on a platter for the DCU.

The DC Comics Backstory of Mister Terrific

In the comics, Mister Terrific is the world's third smartest man, behind Lex Luthor and Bruce Wayne. Although if you ask us, DCU Mister Terrific is almost certainly smarter than DCU Lex. In the comics, Mr. Terrific is really Michael Holt , a genius billionaire who lost his wife in a tragedy. With nothing left to believe in, he nearly took his own life. But the ghostly Spectre intervened, inspiring him to use his brains and money to become a superhero. We're not sure if the DCU version of Mister Terrific has the exact same backstory. However, we think the basics of his origins are likely the same.

The Formation of The Terrifics Team

Mr. Terrific formed the team when he learned about billionaire Simon Stagg's plan to open a portal into the Dark Multiverse by using his son-in-law Metamorpho To transmute into Nth Metal. Only by using this rare metal could one access the Dark Multiverse. Mr. Terrific, along with his ally Plastic-Man, tried to force Stagg into closing the portal. Instead, all three were sucked into it. There, they met Phantom Girl, an ancestor of the Legion of Super-Heroes' member of the same name from the 31st century. Upon meeting her, the team learned that she had existed in an intangible state since she was a child.

After the four metahumans returned from their exile in the Dark Multiverse, they found themselves bound together. If any of them went too far away from the others, they were automatically drawn back together. Their time in the Dark Multiverse cosmically bonded the quartet as a unit. Now stuck together, they used Simon Stagg's facility to explore the Dark Multiverse as a team. The Terrifics The series was originally written by Jeff Lemire and illustrated by Ivan Reis, lasting only 30 issues. While it didn't last long, its fans loved it. And it still has a loyal cult following. And it's the perfect template for a potential live-action series.

The Terrifics Is DC Comics' Homage to the Fantastic Four

Obviously, The Terrifics The series is DC Comics' tribute to Marvel's Fantastic Four. It's a team of four heroes, led by one of the world's smartest men, bonded together as a family thanks to a cosmic accident. Like the Fantastic Four, they are more explorers than traditional superheroes. And although their powers are not exactly like the Fantastic Four's, the similarities are there. Plastic Man stretches like Mr. Fantastic, but is a big goofball like Human Torch. Phantom Girl is similar to Invisible Woman, and Metamorpho is the tragic "freak" of the team, like the Thing. He's also the team's muscle. And of course, Mister Terrific is a next-level scientific genius like Mister Fantastic. And the team's name is the same as the team leader's. Much like The Incredibles , it's a loving homage to Marvel's First Family.

How the Terrifics Could Exist in the DCU

So how would the Terrifics work in the DCU? We know Stagg Industries exists in this DCU, because we see Clark go into a Stagg building after Luthor gets the public to turn on him in Superman . We think "the Dark Multiverse" isn't the way that James Gunn would take the concept. After all, the Multiverse is getting pretty tired between the MCU and DC's Flash movie. But instead of the Dark Multiverse, Stagg's experiments could take the Terrifics into different realms, not just alternate versions of Earth.

As for the new team members, actor Ben Schwartz has been very public about wanting to play Plastic Man . A Terrifics series (or film) would be the perfect avenue for him to finally play the role. As for Phantom Girl, this would also be a great role for one of Gunn's former Guardians of the Galaxy stars , Pom Klementieff. The table is quite literally set for an awesome adaptation of The Terrifics from DC Studios. Here's hoping James Gunn finds a way to bring the team to the screen.

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Marvel's Ironheart Post-Credits Scene, Explained

This article contains spoilers for the "Ironheart" season 1 finale.

"Ironheart" may have taken off as quickly as it arrived, but not before including a post-credits scene in its final episode. Hopefully continuing the trend that "Thunderbolts*" managed to recapture by delivering a post-credits scene that actually means something Riri Williams' (Dominique Thorne) adventure ends with a struggling villain trying to regain his former glory and visiting a mutual associate of Ironheart who could play a bigger role in the future of the MCU, specifically for one A-list hero.

After being cut loose from the long-awaited villain Mephisto (Sacha Baron Cohen), Parker Robbins, aka The Hood (Anthony Ramos), is now a lone agent, since the team he gathered is scattered to the winds. On a mission to reclaim his former title and take hold of the power he once had, Robbins tracks down the Stantons' store, fully aware of the secret the establishment hides and how it can help Robbins' mission of getting his ill-fitting Hood back. (Boy, did that thing look terrible.) While it might seem a little questionable as to why this new and mysterious customer gets special treatment from Zelma Stanton (Regan Aliyah) within minutes, the young spell-wielder-in-the-making has proven she's willing to get mystical at the drop of a magic hat. The concern here is just how deep into the sacred arts she'll find herself for the criminal formerly known as The Hood, and what it will cost her when Robbins gets his threads back.

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Is Zelma About to Have the Hood Pulled Over Her Eyes?

It's already been well established that Robbins can talk anyone into getting into cahoots with him with the right pitch, regardless of the dangers he might be sending them to face in the process. Keeping this in mind, it wouldn't be a total shocker if the impressionable Zelma was the first on his list of new team members, which could find him one step closer to becoming an even greater threat to the MCU.

In the comics, Robbins became a significant presence and a formidable threat to both heroes and villains alike. Facing off against The Kingpin and The Avengers on occasion, he even pushed Doctor Strange to such a limit that he lost his title of Sorcerer Supreme battling him. To be this impactful, it would make sense that The Hood would lead Zelma down the wrong path and regain (and perhaps even surpass) his previous state that was offered to him by Mephisto. The problem with doing that is it could draw the attention of the wrong crowd for The Hood. After narrowly living to scheme another day and taking on Riri, this return to old tricks could find him on the radar of other magic-wielders in the MCU and characters that Zelma's mother has already lightly referred to. After all, when spells are cast and ancient evils are revived, sometimes the best option is to call for a Doctor.

Could Doctor Strange Or Wong Spoil The Hood's Future Plans?

Besides The Hood having a few run-ins with Doctor Strange over the years in the comics, Zelma also has a longstanding history with the most magical member of The Avengers. Debuting in "Doctor Strange" #1 in 2015, Zelma called on Strange for aid when she came down with a nasty Mind Maggots infection. Stephen eventually addressed the issue, but in doing so, led to Zelma being more sensitive to magic and employing her as a librarian at Strange Academy. which is one of the best "Doctor Strange" comics you need to read (Think Hogwarts for the MCU with Strange as its Dumbledore). Currently, though, Strange Academy has since come under new management, with none other than Doctor Doom becoming the new Sorcerer Supreme and relocating the school to the villain's homeland of Latveria, renaming it Doom Academy.

With all these major story developments taking place in the comics involving The Hood and his new potential ally, it would make sense for other major players in the MCU, such as Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange or even the MCU's Sorcerer Supreme, Wong (Benedict Wong) , to turn up to help Riri with whatever Robbins throws at her next. That crossover would be in the same vein as when Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) met Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), just with a more magical spin. For now, all we can hope for is that whenever The Hood returns suited and booted, Riri is ready to deal with the issue and uses even more powerful magic and mechanics to take him down.

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