The focus of Superman is the rivalry between the Man of Steel and Lex Luthor. Despite the titular hero doing all he can to make the world a better place, Lex does everything in his power to ruin his image and make the world turn on him. The villain succeeds at one point after uncovering the truth of the message Kal-El’s parents sent him to Earth with. However, Superman’s girlfriend, Lois Lane, doesn’t believe her partner is trying to rule anyone, so she enlists the help of a few people, including fellow Daily Planet employee Jimmy Olsen. Jimmy uses his powers of persuasion to get Lex’s girlfriend, Eve Teschmacher, to spill the dirt on her abusive boyfriend. The plan works to perfection, and Lex goes down hard at the end of Superman.
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Despite not having any superpowers, Jimmy proves that he can be a hero. It also helps his case that he’s played by the talented Skyler Gisondo, best known for his roles on The Righteous Gemstones and Santa Clarita Diet. Surprisingly, scrolling down Gisondo’s resume will reveal that Superman isn’t his first comic book movie credit, as he also appears in a couple of underrated Marvel films.
Skyler Gisondo Plays a Heartbreaking Part in The Amazing Spider-Man Films
Like most iterations of the character, Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man franchise doesn’t have many friends. He gets bullied by Flash Thompson, and one of the few people who embrace him is Gwen Stacy. The two hit it off pretty quickly, but things get complicated as Peter’s superhero career starts taking off. He takes to the streets of New York City every night as Spider-Man, helping people in need. Well, Gwen’s father, Captain George Stacy, doesn’t appreciate a vigilante taking matters into his own hands, so he vows to track down the Wall-Crawler. That promise hits Peter close to home when he goes to Gwen’s house for dinner. Howard Stacy, Gwen’s younger brother, is played by Skyler Gisondo, and his asking his dad about the Spider-Man issue causes an argument between George and Peter.
While the two can’t see eye-to-eye, they have to forget about their differences when the Lizard starts causing trouble. Sadly, George dies during the battle, leaving his entire family devastated. And things don’t get much better for them in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 after Peter breaks his promise to stay away from Gwen. Of course, the Green Goblin drops Gwen from a clock tower in that movie, leading to her death. Peter isn’t the same after, but he didn’t deal with as much loss as Howard and the rest of the Stacy family. Fortunately, if James Gunn and Co. have Jimmy reach his full potential in the DCU, Gisondo won’t have to worry about other people saving one of his characters again.
The Sky Is the Limit for Jimmy Olsen in the DCU
Like Howard, Gisondo’s character in Superman keeps his feet on the ground. He finds a way to help Superman, sure, but it’s not like he could face down Ultraman and live to tell the tale. The magic of comic books, though, is that anyone can be super, especially if they’re around for decades. There are countless DC Comics stories that the DCU could pull from if it ever wants to give Jimmy powers of his own. In one instance, he takes a serum that gives him super speed. Going by the name “Speed Demon,” he keeps up with his good pal Superman and fights crime. Later down the line, Jimmy takes another serum that turns him into “Elastic Lad,” able to stretch his body like Mister Fantastic.
With all of the forces at work in the DCU, there’s no doubt that someone has a way to give a regular person metahuman powers. That’s not to say Jimmy would be compelled to take one, but becoming a superhero of his own will certainly help the character earn some cred ahead of his potential solo show. While seeing Jimmy use his charm to advance his career on the small screen could be great, it’s going to be a tough sell given that the DCU is still in its infancy.
Superman is in theaters now.
Did you know that Skyler Gisondo appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man films? Would you like to see Jimmy Olsen get powers in the DCU? Let us know in the comments below!
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