Michael Holt is a prodigy who demonstrates advanced intelligence at a young age, comprehending the works of physicists
Niels Bohr,
Albert Einstein,
Max Planck, and
Richard Feynman. Michael grew up with his mentally challenged older brother, Jeffrey, whom he loved dearly. When Jeffrey died at the age of 12, Michael was devastated. Before becoming a superhero, Holt possessed 14
Ph.Ds and was a self-made multi-millionaire and
Olympic decathlete. The
Spectre (
Jim Corrigan) tells Holt about
Terry Sloane, the
Golden Age superhero known as Mister Terrific, who died years prior. Inspired by Sloane's life story, Holt becomes the second Mister Terrific and joins the
Justice Society of America (JSA), eventually serving as its chairman. 's cover of
JSA #76, during the "
Infinite Crisis" storyline|left|225x225px
One Year Later During a conflict over leadership of the Justice Society between former chairman
Hawkman and the current chairman
Sand, Terrific is elected as the JSA's new chairman by his teammates despite not actively seeking the office.
Death and return In
Justice Society of America (vol. 3), the low-level villain
Tapeworm takes several hostages and demands that
Wildcat show himself. As the rest of the team leaves to help Wildcat, All-American Kid goes into Mister Terrific's lab and stabs him in the back, pretending to have been mind controlled. Terrific is mortally wounded, but
Alan Scott slows time around his body, hoping that he can be healed before he dies. Terrific is healed by
Doctor Fate and attacks All-American Kid, who is revealed to be the villain
Kid Karnevil in disguise.
DC Rebirth In
The Terrifics, Mister Terrific stumbles upon
Simon Stagg's plot to open a portal to the
Dark Multiverse with
Metamorpho transmutated to
Nth Metal. While trying to get Stagg to close the portal with the help of
Plastic Man, Mister Terrific is sucked into the portal with Plastic Man and Metamorpho as Plastic Man shields them from the Dark Multiverse energy. Upon arriving on a lifeless world, they encounter
Phantom Girl, who has been trapped in her intangible form and had no knowledge of sending a signal. When the four of them find a computer in the gut of a dead giant creature, they are greeted by a hologram of
Tom Strong, who states that they are needed to save the universe. After the four return to Earth, they learn that they have been bonded by the Dark Multiverse energy, which causes them to be forcibly drawn to one another if they try to be apart. In
The New Golden Age, Mister Terrific adopts Terry Sloane's former sidekick
Quiz Kid after he is transported to the present. When
Wally West's newborn son Wade is kidnapped by
Granny Goodness, he organizes a team that includes Mr. Terrific to free him from
Apokolips. There, it is discovered that Goodness had been training superhuman boys as the Furious, an all-male counterpart to the
Female Furies. Among them was Jeffrey Holt, Michael's son, who was taken from a dying Paula Holt's womb and raised as an orphan. After being freed, Jeffrey comes to live with Michael and Quiz Kid, using the moniker Fairplay. ==Skills, abilities, and resources==