Superman Characters We Want More Of: Jimmy Olsen

By: Rick O’Donnell

Now that Superman has enjoyed wildly popular success over the past week, we have to wonder what comes next. With early screenings last Tuesday and a huge box office weekend in its first week (by today’s standards), the new DCU kicked off and now everyone is talking. Some of that talk is whispers about a potential Jimmy Olsen and/or Mr. Terrific spin offs. Both had their time to shine in the Superman movie and both characters left us wanting more. Whether it was future appearances in other movies or even their spin offs, both Edi Gathegi (Mr. Terrific) and Skylar Gisondo (Jimmy Olsen) were peak side characters.

But what would a Jimmy Olsen spin off even look like? The character has always been wildly popular with the fans despite being just an ordinary guy who has, at times, extraordinary adventures. He doesn’t have superpowers so he won’t be fighting off the big baddies of the DCU. Jimmy’s story would have to be more down to earth.

So what have we seen of Jimmy so far? Well he’s still Clark Kent’s best friend. That friendship spills over to Lois Lane. We also know from teasing it as a running joke throughout Superman that Jimmy might be a little bit of a ladies man. He seems to be loved by all.

Yet, that doesn’t feel like the whole story. Being as he’d have to have a more grounded story, it would have to hit on a more personal and relatable note. A Jimmy Olsen show could easily revolve around his insecurities of living in the shadows of these larger than life characters.

He’s not only Superman’s best friend, he has to work along side Lois Lane who is near the top of the Daily Planet food chain, we see him constantly being told by Perry “don’t call me chief.” In that moment we see him stumbling through it as if to show his uncertainty. Even his interactions with Eve come off with the hint of regret.

If I were to write a beloved character that audiences wanted more of, I’d do so with the all to real emotion of his insecurities. I say let Matt Reeves run with this one too. It’s true, Reeves’ Batman isn’t a part of the main continuity (right now) so you might slightly confuse audiences, but not with proper storytelling. So far, between the Penguin series and The Batman movie, Reeves has highlighted the emotions of the characters he’s built. He hasn’t gone overboard with the metahumans and powered beings. He might be able to tackle this as well.

The only problem there is, could he pull off a shift in tone. Superman was fun and upbeat as well as the characters. A Jimmy Olsen story would also seem like it would need to be drama behind the curtain of a comedy. Up until now, Matt Reeves has set a tone similar to the previous DC regime with a grittier take on Gotham. Could he switch it up? If they found someone else, how would it turn into more than just a limited series?

Rumors are fun and all, and as much as we trust James Gunn’s vision so far, there’s a lot of questions on how this would work. Of course we want more Jimmy Olsen from Skylar Gisondo. That’s the calling card of a James Gunn movie is playing up the sidekicks. Whatever the case may be, there’s no doubting these actors have knocked it out of the park with these characters so far. Could a Jimmy Olsen show work? Maybe, but where would it fit in the current slate of Waller, Lanterns, and the rest of the DCU slate?