When Arrow Season 4’s second episode aired last October, viewers were introduced to Curtis Holt, Palmer Technologies employee and Felicity Smoak’s new tech pal. Comic book fans know that Curtis’ comic book counterpart, Michael Holt, is the superhero Mr. Terrific. While Curtis hasn’t quite made the jump from corporate inventor to superhero, Arrow fans can look forward to seeing a lot more of him next season thanks to his series regular promotion.
It was announced today (via TV Line) that actor Echo Kellum has been upgraded to Arrow Season 5’s main cast. So we can definitely rule him out as the person in that grave that’s been teased since the Season 4 premiere. Given that Arrow Season 4 isn’t finished yet and Season 5 probably won’t air until early October, it will probably be a while until we learn how Curtis’ increased presence will affect the show, but given how many superheroes this show has introduced, one wonders if a mask is coming for Curtis.
Ever since Felicity discovered that she’d been put in charge of Palmer Technologies following Ray Palmer’s “death,” Curtis has been key in helping her make sure the company is running smoothly. In “Restoration,” Curtis learned about Felicity’s involvement with Team Arrow when she brought him to the old hideout during William Tell’s attack, but aside from helping her a few times with his computer expertise, he’s mostly been going about his business at the company. We’ve also seen hints towards the Mr. Terrific identity in several episodes, like with the T-spheres he’s designing that inadvertently make great explosives.
Warning: spoilers for last Wednesday’s Arrow episode are ahead!
Arrow’s most recent episode, titled “Beacon of Hope,” was arguably Curtis’ biggest in terms of contributing to his possible future as a crimefighter. After seeing Brie Larvan on TV trapping Felicity inside Palmer Technologies with the building’s other employees and visitors, Curtis went to Oliver Queen’s former campaign headquarters to find help, and as you’d expect, he discovered the Arrowcave underneath. Pretty soon, he learned who all the Team Arrow members really were, and with Felicity in danger, he substituted as the team’s computer whiz. By the end of the episode, it seemed like Curtis didn’t want to have any more crazy experiences fighting bad guys, but the way he said “Terrific” suggested he may have doubts deep down.
There are six episodes left in Arrow Season 4, and while a lot can happen in that time, Felicity made it clear she didn’t want to contribute to Team Arrow anymore. Perhaps Curtis will be brought in as her replacement, even if it took some convincing to get him on board. This could eventually lead to him donning the “Fair Play” jacket and operating in the field as Mr. Terrific. Remember, Curtis was also an Olympic athlete, so with the right combat training, he could handle himself.
New episodes of Arrow air Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST on The CW.
