The Best Action Scene In Superman Doesn’t Include The Man of Steel (And It’s Not Even A Contest)

Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for James Gunn’s Superman

I can’t believe one of the best action scenes in James Gunn’s Superman didn’t feature David Corenswet’s titular Man of Steel. While the first live-action DCU movie naturally has Superman as its lead, the film features plenty of other heroes too. This includes the new team known as the Justice Gang, though one of its members in particular had one of Superman’s best action scenes by far.

In James Gunn’s Superman, audiences are introduced to an established DCU. Kal-El has been Metropolis’ protector for a few years. His rivalry with Lex Luthor is already ongoing, as well as his romance with Lois Lane. Likewise, the DCU is filled with other metahumans like the Justice Gang, Metamorpho, and more. However, it’s pretty remarkable that Edi Gathegi’s Mister Terrific easily has one of Superman’s best action scenes.

Mister Terrific Has The Best Action Scene In Superman (And It’s Not Even Close)

Fighting A Whole Team Of LuthorCorp Raptors

After Superman turns himself in and becomes Luthor’s prisoner in a pocket universe, Lois Lane seeks the Justice Gang’s help. However, Michael Holt aka Mister Terrific is initially the only one willing to help her find the Man of Steel. Using microscopic trackers he’d put into Kal-El’s bloodstream, Mister Terrific and Lois find the portal to Lex’s pocket universe at LuthorCorp’s beach site just outside Metropolis.

Exiting Terrific’s impressive T-Craft, the Justice Gang’s resident super-genius wastes no time taking on an entire squadron of Luthor’s security forces known as Raptors. Using his floating T-Spheres, Terrific places an energy shield around Lois before getting to work. Likewise, the action itself is incredible as Terrific uses the extremely versatile devices with expert precision, not only to uniquely navigate but also to dispatch multiple Raptors simultaneously.

Notably the only sequence in Superman to feature a song in the score before the credits, Terrific quickly dispatches all the Raptors while Noah and the Whale’s “5 Years Time” plays. Of course, the juxtaposition of such a lighthearted song combined with so many thugs getting taken out is classic James Gunn at his finest. Likewise, Lois’s shock and awe once the dust settles hilariously matches the audience’s (at least in my theater).

Lex Luthor’s goons never stood a chance. For those who remember the Mister Terrific of the CW’s Arrowverse, the T-Sphere action on display from the DCU’s Terrific is absolutely next level by comparison. Mister Terrific is so incredibly cool, calm, and collected the entirety of the fight, barely breaking a sweat with some very entertaining gravitas from Gathegi.

Why Mister Terrific Deserves His Own DC Universe Project

The DCU’s Biggest Breakout Star (Besides Superman)

Beyond this epic action sequence, Gathegi’s Mister Terrific also had some of the movie’s best lines, and some great chemistry with Superman himself. As such, recent reports that DC Studios is potentially considering a spin-off starring Mister Terrific aren’t surprising at all. Out of all the supporting heroes introduced in James Gunn’s Superman, Mister Terrific is certainly the most deserving of his own show down the line.

James Gunn’s Superman is now playing in theaters from DC Studios.