Edi Gathegi Doesn’t Need a Breakout. In ‘Superman’, He’s That Guy – and It’s His Universe Now

In a segment on the popular The Rewatchables podcast — a podcast that revisits some of the biggest hits from yesteryears — the ever-revolving hosts always take a beat to celebrate a particular movie’s “that guy.”

In polite society, that role is called the supporting cast, and the performers who have perfected that pocket in cinema are aptly known as character actors. Beloved as they may be, their main job is to become the chameleon that makes a world feel lived in — whatever world that may be: the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the gloomy Forks, Washington in Twilight, or sunny Metropolis.

When I recently watched Superman on the IMAX screen at Garden City the way James Gunn intended – after shuffling through which 3D glasses were appropriate — it was everything you’d expect: a film clearly made by a fan for even bigger fans. But what genuinely surprised me was just how lights out Edi Gathegi was as Mr. Terrific. So much so that when the film ended, and we were all rooted in our seats awaiting the post-credits scenes, Gathegi’s name drew a spirited mini-applause.

He’s a hometown hero, of course, and that played a part in it. But what’s more fascinating was that nobody could call the performance “a breakout role” per se. That’s not how Gathegi has mapped out his career. Unlike Lupita Nyong’o, an A-list star who’s scored above-the-title leads — Gathegi’s not going to do the next Chanel campaign, be the next cover star of GQ, or be included in any of Time magazine’s influential lists.

Fame has its role in the entertainment industry, but its importance in actors’ lives is greatly overstated. Just the other day, Ebon Moss-Bachrach downplayed people calling The Bear his breakout role simply because it nabbed him an Emmy and led directly to a Marvel role in the upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps. He called it an example of “lazy journalism,” arguing that the idea all actors get into the craft for fame and notoriety is a gross simplification of what truly drives them.

That’s actually a good lens through which to view Gathegi’s career. Right now, he is seen as the man of the moment. In a recent interview with Variety, he explained how deeply he immersed himself in the lore of his Superman character, Mr. Terrific. While Superman was, well, about Superman, Gunn’s approach to the reboot threw us right into the thick of things, opting for that great Star Wars-esque onscreen scroll instead of showing baby Kal-El being sent from space for the umpteenth time. We barely had enough time to dig into Clark and Lois, so there was definitely no time to explore Mr. Terrific’s civilian persona, Michael Holt.

Still, Gathegi shared that he explored the character far beyond what the story demanded, diving into the tragic backstory of a hero whose canonical intelligence ranks only behind Lex Luthor’s and, presumably, Batman’s.

“Fourteen PhDs, polyglot, polymath, auto-didactic, natural aptitude for natural aptitudes, Olympic athlete — all of these characteristics,” Gathegi said in his Variety interview. “But then there’s a big wound. He lost his wife, was on the verge of suicide, is visited by The Spectre, who educates him on the previous Mister Terrific, Terry Sloane, and he takes up the mantle himself. I thought, this is a character who’s equal parts d’Artagnan and Sherlock Holmes.”

In a rebooted universe, you’d think all that unexplored lore would suggest Mr. Terrific is indispensable going forward, but character actors — especially Black character actors in Hollywood — often find the rug pulled out from under them just when momentum is building.

Gathegi had this experience many moons ago when he landed the role of a lifetime in yet another comic book movie reboot – this time in the Marvel universe – as an X-Men character whose literal power is that he’s indestructible. Yet he became another victim of the tired trope of black characters dying first, something that still puzzles him (and fans) to this day. Director Matthew Vaughn promised him he would return in a later instalment but that never happened. The cast kept expanding as they churned out more X-Men movies, but there was never space for the Kenyan native.

The experience left a mark and Gathegi almost turned down Superman because of it. It’s not just about finding work for him — he’s been consistently booking roles since the dark action comedy Crank alongside Jason Statham in the late 2000s. He’s delivered memorable mini-arcs on TV shows like Justified and The Blacklist (which even spawned his spin-off), and he had a respectable three-season stint on StartUp, despite the show being on a smaller network and only finding a wider audience after landing on Netflix.

Most character actors are actually some of the busiest performers in Hollywood. Casting directors trust them, and they’re often the first call when a specific type is needed for the next blockbuster, be it Twilight or the Jay-Z-produced Netflix film The Harder They Fall. In fact, Gathegi’s casting as Mr. Terrific wasn’t even the usual “best audition wins” scenario. Apparently, he first met Gunn at the premiere of The Suicide Squad, where the director told him he was a big a fan of his work. Gunn had reportedly seen 200 other actors for the role before asking his casting directors why “his” Mr. Terrific hadn’t auditioned yet. He even communicated to Gathegi’s agents that he was specifically waiting for his tape. It’s no surprise then that he ended up getting the role.

Sometimes, character actors end up taking the lead. The archetype isn’t a pigeonhole; it’s a career path. Actors like Forest Whitaker, Jeremy Strong and Viola Davis have all stepped up to become movie stars, but their earlier work still holds a special place for fans. With all the praise and Gunn’s obvious enthusiasm for his performances, if the script and timing align, Gathegi could very well get his shot at leading a major project soon.

But that’s not the point here. Character acting is one of the most vital parts of building a movie’s world. In limited screen time, these actors carve out a history beyond the script and the leads, becoming the difference between a believable Metropolis and one that falls flat. Mr. Terrific didn’t just have the best costume in Superman (though he did); he felt like that co-worker who never messes up, who always has your back, and even if you don’t know his whole story, you trust him.

That’s the power of Edi Gathegi. He’s always been that guy.

Superman is currently playing in cinemas countrywide.

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