Actor Edi Gathegi Talks ‘Superman' And Trusting James Gunn's Vision

Forbes

13 hours ago

Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific in "Superman"
James Gunn's new Superman film is quite arguably the most anticipated blockbuster of the summer, as the DC Studios and Warner Bros. project introduces actors like David Corenswet as Superman/Clark Kent, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor - just to name a few. However, there is another established actor in this ensemble cast that has been somewhat of an 'unsung hero' in his own right throughout his dedicated career of on-screen storytelling.
Edi Gathegi is a Kenyan-American actor, who has taken the reins in effectively embodying the larger-than-life, cinematic version of Mister Terrific in Superman, which arrives in theaters on July 11. Even though Gathegi, 46, has been a consistently working actor over the past couple of decades, including as the immortal Laurent in Twilight and the super mutant Armando Muñoz/Darwin in X-Men: First Class, it is playing the incredibly focused and unwaveringly confident Mister Terrific that will surely make him become even more of a household name and a new fan favorite.
Sitting down with Gathegi at the Superman press day in Los Angeles, California, I first wondered what it was about filmmaker Gunn's direction on this Superman project that made him want to make this the next role within his career.
Nicholas Hoult, David Corenswet and James Gunn on the set of "Superman"
Gathegi said of Gunn, 'I mean, it starts for me going to the theater and watching Guardians of the Galaxy, and what he did with these characters that nobody really heard of and the level of heart that he brought to that project - and the spectacle, and the colors, and the relationships, and the depth. Everyone was blown away when they saw Guardians of the Galaxy, and if you were an actor in the business at that time, you made a vow to yourself to try and work with that director. So, it just became a dream that was made manifest.'
Even though he is no stranger to being a part of popular and beloved film franchises before Superman, I was curious if he found any greater enjoyment in his experiences around this DC cinematic universe, than he had on previous projects.
'I'm more of a Marvel fan growing up as a kid with the comic books and the TV shows - X-Men cartoon that came out. I was aware of DC and there were certain DC characters that I loved, like Batman and Superman, but it was really James going over to DC and knowing his creative mind. To me, that was an exciting place to try to park your talents, if they would have you. So, I just got lucky.'
Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane in "Superman"
I quickly interjected, saying to Gathegi, 'Lucky, and you worked hard.'
He added: 'Well, we do the job. You show up, and I was lucky because he cared so much about Mister Terrific. He wrote a pretty amazing part and the blueprint was there. I lent myself to it - but honestly, the character is dope.'
With all of the ways that Gunn and Gathegi wanted to portray Mister Terrific in the new Superman film, I wondered if there were any aspects of the character during the development process that Gathegi was adamant about striving to not have Mister Terrific become for the big screen.
Gathegi said, 'There's tons of comic appearances that Mister Terrific has, so there's a lot of different angles that you can take, and James has created a very specific version of this character that makes sense for this story. So, there wasn't a lot of questioning for me. I trust the filmmaker, I trust his vision - the character is an extraordinary character in the comics. He's a futurist, a tech innovator, but also an ethical innovator. He believes in the ethical use of artificial intelligence. This character is so dynamic and then he's got a huge wound. He lost his wife and his daughter, and he doesn't let that define him, but he also doesn't ignore that - he uses that to fuel his brilliance.'
Working alongside his Superman co-stars Corenswet, Brosnahan and Hoult, as well as Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced and more, I was curious of Gathegi's thoughts about his many screen partners.
(Left to right) James Gunn, David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Wendell Pierce, Sara ... More Sampaio, Edi Gathegi, María Gabriela de Faría, Mikaela Hoover, Isabela Merced, Skyler Gisondo and Anthony Carrigan at the "Superman" press junket on June 28, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
'That's the other thing that James does, is he puts people in his projects that he would want to spend a lot of time with. So, he casts good people and they obviously have to be able to do the job. He casts the right actors, but the right actors might not make it in the movie, if they're not also good people. So, it was an absolute privilege to work alongside not only talented people - people who have good hearts, and the movie's about heart.'
Having been a working actor in and around Hollywood for several years now, how would Gathegi describe the trajectory of his career, and what does it mean to him to now be here with Superman, one of the biggest films of 2025?
Edi Gathegi attends "Superman" Atlanta special screening at Regal Atlantic Station on July 2, 2025 ... More in Atlanta, Georgia.
'Well, you have to have a certain level of delusion to enter into this career, and sometimes, it's a matter of what you believe internally catching up to what's external - but it's not guaranteed that you'll ever find success. There's only one due north and that's doing the work, and being open to opportunities. It's just an unwavering calling. You're either willing to die for it, or you're not. I take the work very seriously. I don't take myself seriously, but I take the work very seriously.'
With all that Mister Terrific brings to this Superman universe, I wondered what Gathegi thinks that our real world could learn from his superhero character's chosen approach and advanced technological skills.
Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl and Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific in ... More "Superman"
Gathegi said, 'This guy is - he's the third smartest man in the universe, so I mean, I think he's pretty much capable of solving a lot of the world's problems. Hopefully, this universe continues to expand and Mister Terrific has opportunities to show just what he's truly capable of, in terms of world-changing tech - ethical tech.'
As I concluded my conversation with Gathegi about his Mister Terrific experiences in Superman, I asked the actor my original and signature interview question, wondering what he would say to his character, Mister Terrific, if only he could. After embodying him for the screen and seeing his ways, seeing his mannerisms, seeing his objective within this fictional world, what does Gathegi feel that Mister Terrific needs to hear?
'This Mister Terrific is, again, different than the Mister Terrific in comics. I think this Mister Terrific has a little bit less patience for people who aren't operating anywhere near his level, so maybe I would tell him - just be a little more patient.'