James Gunn’s Jimmy Olsen Reinvention Brings Major Changes To Superman Character

“Superman” spoilers follow.

If you know the Superman basics, you’re likely aware that a) his home planet is/was Krypton, b) his alter-ego is Clark Kent, c) Clark lives in Metropolis and works at the Daily Planet alongside intrepid reporter Lois Lane, d) Clark is keen on Lois, but Lois is gaga for Superman and e) both rely on the assistance of plucky cub reporter Jimmy Olsen to do their jobs.

There have been many iterations of Jimmy Olsen over the years, but be it comic books, movies, television or animation, he has generally been a good-hearted hustler, a bit of a suck-up to his boss Perry White, and the ultimate team player. You get the sense that the entire Daily Planet would grind to a halt if Olsen suddenly disappeared.

Given that the character of Jimmy Olsen has been around in some form or fashion since at least 1940 (there was an office boy character in the comic books prior to this that some claim represents his first appearance), writers have toyed with the character, if only to keep the world of Superman fresh. Olsen has been transformed into Turtle Boy, married Lois Lane’s sister, and joined the Legion of Super-Heroes (in an honorary capacity) as Elastic Lad. He was once promoted over Clark, and once again turned into a turtle so that he could take on Darkseid – which almost got him killed.

Speaking of death, the last time we saw Jimmy Olsen in a movie, he was getting his head blown clean off by an African warlord in Zack Snyder’s execrable “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” In the blessedly dead Snyderverse, Olsen was apparently working with the CIA, which might’ve been an interesting new direction in which to take the character. But after the joylessness of that film and “Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” it felt like it was time to get back to those Superman basics and give audiences a Metropolis populated by likable people. James Gunn has done precisely this with “Superman,” but he colors outside of the lines in a number of exciting ways. Indeed, he’s done something kinda crazy with Jimmy Olsen. Does this latest incarnation of our beloved cub reporter go too far by making him a startlingly adept ladies’ man?

If you’re unfamiliar with Skyler Gisondo, this means you’ve got four glorious seasons of Danny McBride’s “The Righteous Gemstones” to watch. Gisondo is brilliant on the series as McBride’s oldest son, so I might’ve danced a mini-jig when I read that he’d been cast as Jimmy Olsen in Gunn’s film.

I thought I knew what Gunn might be up to with his take on Olsen, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Gisondo’s Olsen basically comes off as an everywhere-at-once dynamo like Mark McClure’s version of the character in Richard Donner’s “Superman.” He’s reliable as ever, calls Perry White “Chief” (to his boss’ mild annoyance) and dresses like a bit of a nerd, but this time around he’s a stealth lothario. And the woman he’s got wrapped most tightly around his finger happens to be Eve Teschmacher (Sara Sampaio), Lex Luthor’s girlfriend!

Eve is actually Jimmy’s ex, but she’s been hyper-eager to rekindle their flame, to the point where she’s been ceaselessly sending him sexts and thirst trap photos. She’s a beautiful, vivacious woman, but Jimmy is clearly overwhelmed by her. Ultimately, he’s using her as a source to leak info about Luthor to Lois (who expresses bemused befuddlement at Jimmy being a raging object of desire), which would be kinda cruddy if Luthor weren’t hellbent on world domination at the dire expense of the world’s population. When Jimmy sneaks out to meet Eve, he looks as if he’d rather have a hornets nest dropped on his head. But he soon learns he’s completely underestimated her; those thirst trap photos contained valuable intel on Luthor’s operations.

So at the end of “Superman,” the world is saved in part because Jimmy Olsen is a sex machine. It’s one of many delightfully daring ideas in Gunn’s film, and one that suggests that his love for the DC Universe is governed by cheerful irreverence. This is the antidote to the dreariness of the Snyderverse, and, quite possibly, the salvation of comic book movies at a time when audiences seem to be checking out on the genre.