James Gunn's Superman Spin-Off Series Could Introduce One Of DC's Weirdest Characters

In what might be the best James Gunn spin-off news since "Peacemaker," the "Superman" breakout character Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) is getting his own, true crime mockumentary show called "DC Crime." The intrepid reporter-slash-reluctant heartthrob will have his hands full, too, seeing as the "Jimmy Olsen" spin-off will feature major DC Comics villain Gorilla Grodd as the focus villain of the first season. 

Primarily an antagonist of the Flash, Grodd is an intelligent, super-strong gorilla with telepathic powers, which makes him a perfectly outlandish figure for Olsen to clash against. His inclusion on the show also provides an opportunity to bring another, far more obscure DC character in glorious live action: Bruna the Gorilla, whose sporadic but extremely eventful DC Comics tenure has seen her both marry Jimmy Olsen and date Grodd. 

If I was a betting man, I'd say that Bruna is extremely likely to make an appearance on the show — and even argue that Gunn and the "DC Crime" helmsmen Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault of Netflix's "American Vandal" true crime fame may have chosen Grodd as the show's villain specifically because of the Bruna connection the villain shares with Jimmy. Be that as it may, though, Bruna is a notable (if obscure) part of both characters' lore, and it's high time for us to take a look at her backstory.

Bruna's initial claim to fame came in 1966, when she appeared in "The Bride of Jungle Jimmy!" story of "Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen" issue #98. This particular comic series is notably unserious and finds Jimmy in various outlandish predicaments, and this story is no exception: Jimmy becomes the object of Bruna the Gorilla's affection, and things escalate to a point where the two get married with Superman himself officiating the wedding. Fortunately for Jimmy, there are some caveats to the ceremony, and since "Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen" likes to reset the status quo at the end of its stories, Superman manages to break up the couple by tricking Bruna to toss Jimmy off a cliff. I'd love to say it makes sense in the context, but this particular comic was far more concerned with fun "what if" scenarios than the concept of sense. 

Bruna remained a one-off character for decades, but in 2025, Christof Bogacs and Jacoby Salcedo reintroduced her in the "Kal-El-fornia Love" one-shot comic. Here, she's specifically confirmed to be Jimmy's legitimate ex-wife, who has since become a famous Hollywood star and is dating Grodd. 

Since both "Kal-El-fornia Love" and "Superman" depict Jimmy as a prolific ladies' man, it would seem like a real travesty if "DC Crime" wouldn't feature at least one incredibly awkward conversation between Skyler Gisondo and his gorilla ex. Then again, it's incredibly hard for me to believe that the creative team behind "American Vandal" would drop the ball on a plot point like that, so until I'm proven wrong, I'll just go ahead and expect that the big whiteboard at Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault's office is dominated by the name BRUNA written in bright red all caps.