DC Just Shook Up Everything We Know About Jimmy Olsen and Now He Could Be Superman’s Biggest Threat

Even though he normally fights alone, Superman is rarely without help on his adventures. He has all manner of friends and allies who are there to support him when he needs it and provide new ideas and perspectives that help the Man of Steel save the day. Sometimes, these friends even join him on adventures and are as integral to the plot as he is. The most notable and published of those characters, of course, is none other than Superman’s very own pal, Jimmy Olsen. Jimmy has a knack for getting into all kinds of trouble that Superman needs to bail him out of, but through it all, he’s always been there to support his super-powered buddy. Until now.

The Absolute Universe is built on subverting expectations. It has Martian Manhunter as an abstract concept of thought, while Wonder Woman was raised in Hell but kept her patented gentle soul. Superman himself went through a lot of changes, and so did his supporting cast, but perhaps none more than Jimmy Olsen. At first, it seemed like he was simply a more jaded version of his Prime self, but as Absolute Superman #21 showed us, he’s far more willing to go to the dark side than you might imagine. He tried to kill Talia al Ghul and then left Superman to join a team of his biggest villains.

From Pal to Something Far More Dangerous

This issue’s main focus was the finale of the fight between Superman and King Shazam, but while they literally ripped the moon apart with their fists, Lois battled her own war against Talia al Ghul. Lois had gone looking for revenge, but was left wondering if that’s really what she wanted when Superman stopped her. Lois and Talia battled it out, but just when it seemed like Talia was pulling ahead, Jimmy appeared with a handgun. Talia taunted him, saying he didn’t have the guts, but he proved his track record wrong and pulled the trigger. He shot Talia in the left shin, but even Lois doesn’t believe that’s where he aimed.

After bringing down Talia, Jimmy left Metropolis. He decided to rejoin the Omega Men, the terrorist/resistance group he was a part of at the beginning of the series, and, as far as I can tell, he took off his Superman Watch. He completely cut contact with the others, heavily implying that he was going to do things that Superman wouldn’t approve of. He wanted to fight to save the world in his own way, but after what he experienced in Metropolis, he might have learned the wrong lesson and embraced too much extremism instead of wanting to help. Of course, the reality is that the seeds for this always existed, and maybe Jimmy’s path to potential villainy, or at least anti-herodom, was inevitable.

Absoltue Jimmy Olsen’s Extreme Makeover

This Jimmy has always been different from the original in a major way; he’s cynical to his core. He believes that Superman is doing good and will improve the world, sure, but he’s not sure that the world is worth saving. In his first true conversation with Superman, he said he joined the Omega Men because he wanted to make a difference for his future children, but immediately got a vasectomy when he saw how corrupt the world was. He told Superman not to trust anyone on this miserable mudball, showing that he truly is lost in the darkness, no matter how much light he tries to exude on the outside.

Jimmy has always walked a fine line, choosing to hold onto his morals even at the darkest hour, but he’s seen unimaginable horrors since that good start. Heck, even when he landed a dream job at the Daily Planet, all he did was enter AI prompts, crushing any hope that individuals could turn the system around from within. He was pushed too far, and thus, rejoined the Omega Men. I don’t think Jimmy would ever go full villain, and he definitely wouldn’t want to fight Superman, but he might not have a choice. The Omega Men were founded in Darkseid’s name, even though Jimmy doesn’t know that. They were meant to pervert rebellion and control those who stood against his reign.

Even if Jimmy only works with other kind-hearted Omega Men, who is ot say that a system dedicated to Darkseid’s methodology, using his symbol, can truly escape the cycle of hate that created them in the first place? Jimmy has always been Superman’s best pal, but here, he’s throwing that away to fight evil on his own. The problem is that he definitely isn’t ready for that, and that if he’s truly willing to cross the line, then Superman will be forced to bring him in at some point or another. Jimmy could very well be a Superman antagonist, and that’s a twist nobody saw coming.

Absolute Superman #21 is on sale now!

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