Man Of Steel Turns Superman's Pal Into A Lady

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Earnest Cavalli

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Man Of Steel Turns Superman's Pal Into A Lady



When Man of Steel hits theaters, you'll recognize a number of familiar comic book characters, but you may not be quite as quick to notice a key member of the cast who is suddenly an attractive woman.

In Superman continuity there are a few constants: Clark Kent is Superman's secret identity, Lois Lane is his love interest, and Jimmy Olsen is his best pal. That's how it's always been. It's just accepted as a cornerstone of the DC Comics universe. However, the upcoming film adaptation Man of Steel seems to be switching things up a bit, as Jimmy has been replaced by Jenny Olsen.

According to Screen Crush, Ms. Olsen is not a mere gender-swapped analogue for her comic book inspiration, but is instead described as his sister. As Screen Crush points out, the character (played by actress Rebecca Buller), should assume Jimmy's position in the film however, meaning that while the people behind the film would like her to be remembered as an entirely new female character, realistically (and as far as fans are concerned), it's simplest to just imagine her as a gender swap.

How will this affect the plot of Man of Steel? That remains to be seen, but if we had to guess we'd likely say that it won't. Honestly, we aren't sure why the people behind Man of Steel opted to turn Olsen into a lady, as any key plot points hinging on her new gender are likely to alienate long-time fans of the character's comic book persona. On the flipside, if Olsen's nascent femininity is not directly addressed in the film's story, we're having trouble imagining why this change was instituted in the first place, beyond the film's creators wanting to do something unique with a fictional character many people know quite well.

Sadly, we aren't likely to get any solid answers on this topic until the movie hits theaters. Hopefully all will be revealed when Man of Steel debuts on June 14.

Source: Screen Crush [http://screencrush.com/man-of-steel-pics-new/?utm_source=zergnet.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=zergnet_60723]

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Mr Cwtchy

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Why the fuck is certainly a question I wouldn't mind getting answered at some point, kay thanx.
 

Gorrath

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As someone who has never cared too much for MOST of Jimmy Olsen's parts in Supes comics, I'm interested to see what they do with this. I've never felt particularly compelled by most of Jimmy's presence in the stories. That's just me though, and to be honest I am not the hugest Superman fan anyway.
 

Kmadden2004

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Feb 13, 2010
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Okay, no big deal.

Right?

Or is this going to be another one of *those* things the comic book fans get up in arms about before actually seeing the film?
 

Diablo1099_v1legacy

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Dec 12, 2009
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...What exactly does this have to do with the plot? Aside from his spinoff comic giving us Darkseid, what has he done that's important plot wise in ANY of Superman's outings?
 

Guffe

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YAY, MOOAAARRR B0000000BBBBIIIEEEEESSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*cough*

So yeah, no big deal, right?
Didn't find a good lad so opted for a ladie instead?! No harm done, moving on!
 

Aeshi

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Eh, Jimmy Olsen was always transforming in one way or another in the comics, I doubt anyone will notice (and to be blunt this would be the least bizarre change by quite a large margin)
 

Hagi

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Seems like a somewhat odd decision, as long as they don't turn it into some sort of love triangle I don't really mind either way though.

Would be interesting to hear their reasons though, can't really think of much myself.
 

Froggy Slayer

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Jimmy has changed into far stranger things than women before. I'm down for it.

Inb4 the stinger has her drinking a potion or getting hit by radiation and turning into Jimmy.
 

bearlotz

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Hagi said:
Seems like a somewhat odd decision, as long as they don't turn it into some sort of love triangle I don't really mind either way though.
This is more or less my thought process, but my suspicion is that a love triangle is exactly where this is going. Maybe my imagination just isn't the best, but I can't really think of too many other reasons they would have done this. Possibly just to prove the point that the gender swap won't actually effect anything, in which case it's an interesting experiment...actually, I think that's just how I'm going to look at it for now.
 

Earnest Cavalli

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Froggy Slayer said:
Jimmy has changed into far stranger things than women before. I'm down for it.
Truth. And if we're being totally honest, this isn't the first time Jimmy's been a lady either.
 

Goofguy

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Makes no difference to me. I want to see the movie but I'm not a Superman nerd so it's not like I'm already invested in the character.
 

Formica Archonis

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<img src="http://s91291220.onlinehome.us/formica/jimmy-olsen.jpg" align=right height=465 width=315>It's so nice that Supes helps his pal get dressed up.
 

Lieju

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Yeah, why is this?

There already are female characters that they could give a bigger and more active role in the movie.
CriticKitten said:
Kmadden2004 said:
Okay, no big deal.

Right?

Or is this going to be another one of *those* things the comic book fans get up in arms about before actually seeing the film?
I would say "no big deal" too, except for one thing.

I'm betting ten bucks right now that the only reason this gender swap was done is to introduce a love triangle subplot into their "darker, grittier, more REALISTIC" Superman movie. Why? Because love triangles are kind of a "thing" now (after a certain teenage supernatural trio made it more mainstream) so they're trying to appeal to a broader audience with it.
Why not go with Lana Lang and Lois Lane, then?

This makes very little sense, but if she serves as the kind of platonic friend and comic relief Jimmy did, I'm fine with it. If she is a love interest, I must scratch my head and wonder what they were thinking.
 

Korzack

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Mmh, not a big deal. Didn't they change the ethnicity of one of the characters in Thor as well? Seems like a "Add some diversity into this, it's not the bloody 50's anymore" thing more than anything. Fair enough, I guess...