Superman Spinoff Series for HBO Max Reportedly Features Major Flash Villain

DC Studios is really excited about Superman’s friend, Jimmy Olsen. After making his movie debut as a photographer at The Daily Planet in James Gunn’s Superman, Skyler Gisondo appears to be diving into some undercover shenanigans for an upcoming Jimmy Olsen spinoff series on HBO Max. According to reports, Gisondo will reprise his Superman role in what is being called a crime anthology series that will showcase villains from various corners of the DC Universe. (The Wall Street Journal was first to break the news about spinoffs for Jimmy Olsen and Edi Gathegi’s Mr. Terrific.)

In the upcoming Jimmy Olsen series, as-of-yet unnamed, Gorilla Grodd will make his debut as the initial antagonist, as reported by The Insider. Known primarily for his villainous roles in Flash comics since his introduction in The Flash #106 of 1959, this telepathic ape possessing psionic powers and an intelligence equal to that of humans, is a power-hungry ruler from Gorilla City. With the ability to control other minds mentally, Grodd often finds himself at odds with Barry Allen’s Flash character.

Gorilla Grodd has fought against teams like the Injustice League, the Anti-Justice League, and Lex Luthor’s Legion of Doom, engaging in battles with heroes such as Superman, Batman, Wally West’s Flash, Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern, and various versions of the Justice League, using guerrilla tactics.

In the story written by Gunn, the comic series Creature Commandos seemed to foreshadow a gorilla-apocalyptic future for the DC Universe. This was hinted when the Flash’s rogue character appeared in “Chasing Squirrels.” Here, the psychic villain Circe (played by Anya Chalotra) revealed a vision of the future to Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), showing that Princess Ilana Rostovic (Maria Bakalova) from Pokolistan would ultimately bring about the destruction of the world with the help of Gorilla Grodd.

It’s not uncommon for DC Comics’ main antagonists to have connections to Jimmy Olsen. For instance, Darkseid first appeared in the long-running comic series titled “Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen”, which also introduced significant elements of the DC Universe like the Fourth World and Project Cadmus. Known for its unusual transformations, this series featured Jimmy Olsen who, on occasion, transformed into a variety of characters such as an interdimensional imp, Elastic Lad, a giant Turtle Man, and even a “gorilla reporter” after swapping minds with a gorilla. This series was created by some notable comic book creators like Jerry Siegel, Otto Binder, Curt Swan, and Jack Kirby.

In the first season of Peacemaker, Gunn had a tribute to Grodd when the characters – Peacemaker (John Cena), Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), Vigilante (Freddie Stroma), Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), and John Economos armed with a chainsaw (Steve Agee) – squared off against Charlie, a gorilla who could speak, and was one of the escaped zoo animals carrying the parasitic aliens called Butterflies.

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2025-07-23 22:10