Terry Sloane was a rich man whose photographic memory, Olympic-level athletic skills, and mastery of the martial arts made him a virtual
Renaissance man. After graduating college at age thirteen, he eventually became a renowned business leader in the community. Having accomplished all of his goals by the time he was in his early 20s, Terry felt there were no challenges left for him to pursue, leading him towards suicidal tendencies. However, upon seeing a young woman jump from a bridge, Sloane reacted quickly and saved her. He learned her name was Wanda Wilson. Sloane assisted her brother, who had been caught up in a gang, by creating the Mister Terrific persona. He then designed the "Fair Play Club" to stymie growing juvenile delinquency. Sometimes nicknamed "The Man of 1,000 Talents", Terry Sloane turned to crimefighting after excelling at everything else. He wore a red suit with a green tunic. A golden emblem on his tunic proclaimed his motto, "Fair Play". According to ''Jess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes'', "his Rogues Gallery includes Black Barax, the Tyrant from the Year 7532; Dr. Laff, who uses practical jokes like itching powder and venomous snakes to commit crimes; the Five Geniuses, five talented men who commit crimes to entertain themselves; and Terry Savatte, a tap dancing
savate master". Mister Terrific became a reserve member of the
Justice Society of America, taking part in two of their chronicled 1940s adventures. He also was a full-fledged member of the
All-Star Squadron and assisted both teams on several more occasions throughout the remaining decade, retiring along with his peers in 1951. Sloane resumed his crimefighting career, at which point he was given full status as a member of the Justice Society. On several occasions he assisted them in various cases, such as combating the Lawless League and the Black Orb crime gang. Sloane made an appearance in
Justice League Year One, at the first gathering of the League. He was seen being looked after by
Phantom Lady during a gathering of heroes on
Blackhawk Island, after the final defeat of the alien
Appellaxian army. Sloane came out of retirement to pursue his old nemesis, the
Spirit King. The Spirit King took control of the
Golden Age Flash and used him to kill Sloane.
After death After his death, Sloan has appeared in the afterlife and via time travel. In
Starman, title character Jack Knight is visited annually by the spirit of his deceased brother David. One year, David brings several deceased heroes with him, including Mister Terrific. The heroes have a dinner party with Jack, where they discuss their motivations for heroics. Sloane appears in the
Day of Judgement series when a team of heroes attempt to break into Heaven to persuade
Jim Corrigan to retake the mantle of the
Spectre. Sloane and other dead heroes try to dissuade the heroes from their mission. During the "
Blackest Night" storyline, Sloane is reanimated as part of the
Black Lantern Corps. He is one of many JSA-associated Black Lanterns to attack the JSA in New York City. The corpses are destroyed by a device created by the current Mister Terrific (
Michael Holt).
The New Golden Age reveals that Mister Terrific had a sidekick named
Quiz Kid who was one of thirteen sidekicks kidnapped by the
Time Masters to prevent them from being erased from existence after
Doctor Manhattan altered the timeline to stop the Justice Society from forming.
Stargirl later rescues him and twelve other sidekicks before bringing them to the present day. ==Powers and abilities==