Before Superman, Jimmy Olsen Actor Skyler Gisondo Had A Forgotten Marvel Role

This article contains spoilers for "Superman."

In James Gunn's "Superman," the charming and talented Skyler Gisondo plays Jimmy Olsen, the plucky reporter for the Daily Planet. He is depicted as something of a ladies man, the cute boy of the office, often drawing demure titters from his co-workers. Jimmy seems a little baffled by how attractive he is; he's no lothario. Jimmy is also secretly in contact with Eve (Sara Sampaio), Lex Luthor's girlfriend, which allows him access to vital information late in the film. 

Gisondo vibrated with "leading man" energy, and he once even (naturally) assumed that his audition for James Gunn was actually to play the role of Clark Kent. The only think keeping him from playing the Man of Steel, one might argue, are his boyish good looks. 

Gisondo is also no stranger to the world of superheroes or legacy characters. As a child, Gisondo already voiced the golden retriever puppy B-Dawg in multiple "Air Buddies" movies, and he played the young Tommy Doyal in Rob Zombie's remake of "Halloween." Tommy was, horror fans can tell you, the young boy being babysat on the night of Michael Myers' notorious killings. He would play the young Moe Howard in the Farrelly Bros.' underrated "Three Stooges" movie, and later in his career, he would play James in the remake/sequel of "Vacation."

Attentive readers might also know that Gisondo had a small role in Marc Webb's "The Amazing Spider-Man" and its sequel. He played Howard Stacy, the younger brother of Gwen Stacy. He didn't have many scenes, and his presence doesn't have too much bearing on the plot, but he is memorable nonetheless. Also, his work on the "Amazing" movies make him one of a handful of actors to have appeared in both high-profile Marvel films and a high-profile DC film.

As Spider-Fans recall, the "Amazing Spider-Man" movies were a reboot of the superhero's continuity after Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man 3" disappointed fans. Peter Parker was now played by Andrew Garfield, and his usual girlfriend, Mary Jane, was replaced with Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). Gwen is the daughter of a police captain, George Stacy (Denis Leary), who doesn't much like Peter, and certainly doesn't like Spider-Man. Gwen also has two little brothers, including Howard, seen at the dinner table above. It's Skyler Gisondo. He asks his father if he's caught the Spider-Guy yet. Later, he asks about a cuss word that his father drops. Other members of the Stacy clan were played by Kari Coleman, Charlie DePew, and Jacob Rodier. 

(The fact that Gisondo's character is named Howard Stacy might be a little confusing for Spider-Fans, as actress Bryce Dallas Howard played Gwen Stacy in "Spider-Man 3.")

Gisondo has been working steadily ever since. He had already appeared in all 31 episodes of "The Bill Engvall Show," and had a recurring role on the hit series "Psych." In 2019, he would attract a lot of attention for playing the vapid, rich Jared in Olivia Wilde's "Booksmart." He also had a noted appearance in P.T. Anderson's "Licorice Pizza" in 2021 and a great run on HBO's "The Righteous Gemstones," all leading to his gig on "Superman." He has expressed an interest in playing Jimmy Olsen in any upcoming sequels or DC-related TV shows, and that he feels Jimmy could expand as a character. Let's hope he gets his wish.