Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen Is the DCU Spinoff We Deserve

The cast for Superman: Legacy is continuing to take shape, with more and more actors announced for James Gunn’s ensemble cast. The latest to join that list is The Righteous Gemstones and Booksmart‘s Skyler Gisondo, who has been tapped to portray Jimmy Olsen.

While Legacy is still nearly two years away from debuting in theaters, and only nine other projects have been confirmed thus far in Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Studios slate, Gisondo’s casting as Jimmy sets up an interesting possibility. Depending on how things shake out, a solo movie or Max series starring Jimmy Olsen could be perfectly suited for one of the franchise’s first spinoffs from Legacy.

Who Is DC’s Jimmy Olsen?

Initially created for the Adventures of Superman radio serials, Jimmy first made his comics debut in 1941’s Superman #13. A photojournalist for the Daily Planet, Jimmy becomes a close friend and confidant for both Clark Kent and Superman, even learning about his dual identity long before some of Clark’s other friends and family, and using a secret comms device to alert him of danger. 

During the Silver and Bronze Ages of comics, the overall success of Superman led to Jimmy landing his own solo series, Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen, which was later rebranded into the anthology series Superman Family and ran for a total of 222 issues. Superman’s Pal presented a litany of wacky stories for Jimmy to appear in, including (but not limited to) morphing into a giant “Turtle Boy”, becoming an honorary member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, and tussling with gorillas multiple times. But at the same time, the book provided a stage for major consequences for the DCU — particularly through Jack Kirby’s work on the series, which led to the canonical introduction of Darkseid and the New Gods. The series was relaunched a few years ago with Matt Fraction and Steve Leiber, winning a number of awards and reintroducing these zany concepts (and some new ones) into the modern DC mythos.

What Would Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen Be About?

As comic fans of Jimmy Olsen know — and as the tenure of Superman’s Pal as a comic proves — the possibilities are basically endless for a live-action spinoff starring Gisondo. It’s easy to imagine a number of his hilarious comic-accurate hijinks, from becoming a turtle to having an ongoing prank war with Batman, being realized in a spinoff Max series or movie. At the same time, the hypothetical spinoff could further explore the status quo of the DCU’s Metropolis, in the same way that Max’s forthcoming The Penguin series is showcasing The Batman‘s Gotham, without needing Bruce Wayne or Batman to make an appearance.

While a cameo from Clark Kent / Superman (David Corenswet) would certainly be welcome, it wouldn’t be necessary for a Jimmy Olsen spinoff to work. Maybe the show could further explore the Daily Planet with subplots involving Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) and Perry White, or maybe it could tap into Jimmy’s “Hatfields and McCoys”-esque family feud with Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult). At this point, it’s not even impossible to imagine the DCU repeating the precedent of DC’s comics, and using a Jimmy Olsen spinoff to introduce a new live-action on Darkseid. Either way, a Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen project could easily carry the torch of Superman: Legacy, while still feeling like its own lighthearted and goofy entity. 

Would you want to see a Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen spinoff after Superman: Legacy? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!