James “Jimmy” Olsen himself is about to step into the superhero spotlight with his own alter ego and costume. Star Mehcad Brooks revealed via social media that his SUPERGIRL character will take on the mantle of Guardian, a character that has been part of the DC Comics universe since 1942. We get a first look at the costume (below), along with some hints about where the series might be headed.
Originally introduced in the comic books back in Star-Spangled Comics #7, James Harper version of the character previously appeared in SUPERGIRL episode “Manhunter,” although this will obviously go in a different direction with the inclusion of Olsen as the character.
“James is going to decide that he can no longer be a sidekick, so he’s going to become a vigilante,” producer Andrew Kreisberg explained via a press release. “He’s going to become Guardian, complete with the shield, which is going to cause a massive problem in his relationship with Kara because he decides not to tell her. There’s this new masked vigilante, and she has her own feelings about vigilantes. … And he’s recruited Winn to help him. Winn is his man in the van. Winn and James together is like comedy gold.”
We felt that Brooks’ Olsen was given the short-shrift when Kara/Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) suddenly gave their relationship the flick after a whole season of unrequited pining, so it is good to see that the CW have something a but more substantial planned for the important character. Olsen was never Guardian in the comics, but during the Silver Age of Comics, the character would find himself imbued with various abilities or costumes at the whim of writers and editors. The storylines from Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen were notorious for this kind of weirdness.
Actually, TV could use a little bit of this silliness. Bring on Giant Turtle Man!
