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Revision as of 02:28, 31 May 2017
- I’m Jimmy Olsen – photojournalist for the Metropolis Daily Planet – and this is where I shine.
- — Jimmy Olsen src
History
Jimmy Olsen is a photographer and reporter working for the Daily Planet in Metropolis alongside Clark Kent and Lois Lane underneath chief-editor Perry White. He is most well known as being a close personal friend to Superman, and has a signal watch to call him for help at any time.
Origins
James Bartholomew Olsen was born to Jake and Sarah Olsen in Yonkers, NY. His father was in the military and was declared missing in Southeast Asia before Jimmy was born. In the absence of a father figure, Sarah Olsen became extremely protective of her son. His mother ran a newsagents, and he would get up early and collect stories about Metropolis from the paper for a scrapbook.
Jimmy was a very bright child, but sometimes grew bored with his schoolwork. Often, he would cut classes to attend lectures. He got a job as an intern at the Daily Planet while still a junior high school student.
Superman
Main article: Superman Origins
Jimmy first meets reporter Clark Kent during The Man of Steel while working at the Planet, when Kent is hired after beating Lois Lane to the first interview with Superman.[2] When one of his friend's life was in jeopardy, Jimmy jury-rigged some spare electronic parts to produce a hypersonic sound and attract the attention of Superman. His plan was successful, and Superman arrived to save the day. This led to the invention of his signal watch.[3]
Superman and his supporting cast had their origins rewritten in the Man of Steel series written by John Byrne, following the Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1986. This was part of many sweeping changes made to continuity in the Post-Crisis DC Universe. These stories would be considered the definitive history until his origins were revised again in Superman: Birthright, written by Mark Waid in 2003.
Death of Superman
Main article: Death of Superman
Jimmy's success grew at the Planet, rising up from a gopher to becoming a photographer and occasional reporter. Shortly before Superman's demise at the hands of Doomsday, Jimmy began freelancing for rival media magnate Collin Thornton of Newstime Magazine. When Superman was killed by Doomsday, it was Jimmy who took the infamous photograph of Superman's ragged cape, fluttering in the wind. This photograph was used as the frontspiece for a special Superman retrospective published by Newstime.
Up, Up and Away
Main article: Superman: Up, Up and Away
Jimmy ultimately returned to the Daily Planet and took a position as a regular star reporter, replacing the demoted Clark Kent. This caused a strain in the relationship between Clark and Jimmy. In the year following the Infinite Crisis, Clark regained his original role as the Daily Planet's star reporter, and Jimmy returned to being a photographer, winning the Pulitzer Prize for his photographic efforts.
Countdown
Main article: Countdown to Final Crisis
Some time after that, Jimmy discovered that he had become a repository for the ambient power of New Gods who had fallen in battle. This caused Jimmy to spontaneously develop super-powers. Each power was drastically different from the other and only manifested at times when Jimmy's life was threatened. [4]
New Krypton
Main article: Superman: New Krypton
During Superman's prolonged battle against the god-like Atlas, Jimmy witnessed a mysterious individual present at the scene. Investigating further, he discovered that this man was actually Codename: Assassin who had been responsible for murdering Dubbilex and the original Newsboy Legion. [5]
Faking his death with the help of Natasha Irons, he went undercover to find information about the mysterious organization known only as "Project 7734".
Flashpoint
This section of the history takes place during Flashpoint, a massive crossover event set in an alternate timeline to the mainstream DCU. History was completely changed when Professor Zoom finally found a way to erase his nemesis the Flash without harming his own legacy.
After the timeline was altered by Reverse Flash, parts of Jimmy's history were changed dramatically. He and Lois Lane were at the Fashionweek in Paris, France when a huge tidal wave hit the city. Jimmy and Lois tried to escape, but not before Jimmy remained to save a baby and to try to save a man who had fallen. Unfortunately, Jimmy and the man were both killed by the water.
It was later revealed that Jimmy had connections to Cyborg, the National Security Advisor. Jimmy's mission was to open a dialogue with the resistance movement in England.
Powers and Abilities
Abilities
- Photography: Jimmy is an ace photographer and an accomplished, though amateur, investigative reporter. He has been awarded the Pulitizer Prize for photography.
- Journalism
Weaknesses
Jimmy has an uncanny knack for getting himself into trouble. This often leads to Superman being forced to divert his attention from another crisis in order to rescue Jimmy. Over time however, Jimmy has become more responsible and Superman has learned that Jimmy can often take care of himself.
Paraphernalia
Equipment
Trivia
- Jimmy Olsen is also known as Agent Double-5, Alter Ego, and Superman's Pal.
- During the Reign Of The Supermen storyline, Jimmy wore a Spin Doctors T-shirt -- the name of the band that performed "Jimmy Olsen's Blues" from their Pocket Full Of Kryptonite album.
- Typically, Jimmy Olsen does not possess any superhuman capabilities. During the events of "Countdown," Darkseid started using Jimmy as a repository for the powers of fallen New Gods that he believed he would need in his plan to remake the universe in his image. The powers were different each time, and were specifically suited for each particular circumstance.
Related
- 704 Appearances of James Olsen (New Earth)
- 76 Images featuring James Olsen (New Earth)
- 14 Quotations by or about James Olsen (New Earth)
- Character Gallery: James Olsen (New Earth)
Footnotes
- ↑ Action Comics #699
- ↑ Man of Steel #2
- ↑ World of Metropolis #4
- ↑ Countdown
- ↑ Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen v.2 #1
Superman Family member |