“What is going on with Jimmy Olsen?” I recently asked the stars of Superman. “What is it about that guy?” “He’s got rizz,” replied Rachel Brosnahan, who plays Olsen’s fellow reporter Lois Lane. “This is a true fact about Skyler Gisondo,” Clark Kent himself, David Corenswet, added about the Olsen actor. “Which I hope is appropriate to share. Sorry, Skyler… His testosterone is through the roof. Off the charts. True story. So of course, who is surprised that his Jimmy Olsen is pulling the kind of game that he’s pulling?”
Well, suffice to say, pretty much everyone was surprised, David. There are many delightful things in James Gunn’s Superman but the mostly out-of-the-blue choice to have Olsen be an inexplicable, unstoppable ladies man is among the best. Over the decades, the Olsen character has been portrayed in many ways across various mediums. He’s been a superhero. He’s had love interests. He’s done a little bit of everything. But the majority of the time, the character is a down-the-middle sidekick type. Clark Kent’s nerdiest best friend and colleague. And, with the casting of the usually nerdy Gisondo (best known for his roles on The Righteous Gemstones and Booksmart), we all assumed that was Gunn’s take too.
But then Gunn introduces him, and we briefly see a photo on his desk with two attractive women. Which is a bit odd. Then two other young women who work at the Daily Planet flirt with him from across the room, almost entranced by his very presence. That’s weird. Finally, when Lois Lane needs help finding Superman, Olsen goes into his phone and messages someone called “Mutant Toes.” Clearly, “Mutant Toes” is not a flattering description, and, from the previous texts they’ve exchanged, Olsen dumped this person pretty brutally. Our mind races to someone who looks like Doomsday. Nevertheless, “Mutant Toes” gives Olsen the key information almost instantaneously in exchange for a meeting. And it’s then we realize “Mutant Toes” is Eve Tessmacher, Lex Luthor’s stunning, statuesque girlfriend played by Sara Sampaio.
Eve is, to put it bluntly, way out of Jimmy Olsen’s league. And yet she acts like it’s the complete opposite. She swoons over Jimmy. Begs him to hang out. Has fond memories of his mother, whom she met once. All of which he resists with borderline disgust. It’s a dynamic that continues throughout the rest of the movie with often hilarious results. Then, ultimately, it’s Olsen’s relationship with Tess and her desire to rid herself of Lex that gives Olsen and Lois the key info to nail the supervillain once and for all.
All of which is, almost certainly, my favorite throughline in the movie. It’s just played so perfectly. We never learn what it is about Olsen that women find so appealing. He never flaunts this power he has over them. He’s just good old aw-shucks Jimmy Olsen, who might be the most desirable man in all of Metropolis. A man who, when he walks down the street, sex workers fawn over like he’s a celebrity. “What is it about this guy?” Of course, we can speculate about that, which is half the fun. And maybe future movies (or even a TV show!) centered on the character will give us further insight.
Honestly, though? I’d almost prefer to never find out. Let Jimmy Olsen be the ultimate player. Let the guy we assume is meek and nerdy be confident and cool on a level we rarely see. Looks can be deceiving. Instead, his superpower is swag, and it’s as powerful as the yellow sun.
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