Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for Titans season 4, episode 1, "Lex Luthor."The premiere episode of DC's Titans season 4, "Lex Luthor," may have featured a cameo appearance by its world's version of Jimmy Olsen. The character in question was not explicitly identified as the photographer known the world over as Superman's Pal. However, the credits for the episode, coupled with his role in the episode and excitable demeanor, suggest that the character identified only as Jim is the Earth-9 version of Jimmy Olsen.
The action of Titans season 4, episode 1, "Lex Luthor," found the Titans traveling to Metropolis, so that Conner "Superboy" Kent (Joshua Orpin) could finally meet Superman in person. Sadly, an emergency pulled Superman away from the appointment, leaving Connor disappointed and open to an invitation to meet with Lex Luthor (Titus Welliver) instead. Seeking to learn more about his human biological father, Connor visited the Daily Planet archives, where a superhero fanboy (X'avier Montague-Burton) agreed to help him research everything the paper had ever printed about Lex Luthor. The helpful employee was never identified by name in the episode, but the closed captioning and the closing credits both gave his name as Jim. This seems to be a clear shout out to Jimmy Olsen, who has worn a number of hats while working at the Daily Planet in various Superman adaptations and comics.
Why Jimmy Olsen Can Be Important For Titans Season 4
Presuming that Jim is meant to be Titans' version of Jimmy Olsen, he could prove invaluable to the Titans while they are in Metropolis. Jimmy would be particularly helpful given his special knowledge of Lex Luthor and his ability to contact the Man of Steel with his signal watch, setting up Superman's Titans debut. Additionally, the City of Tomorrow is new territory for the Titans, and a native like Jimmy Olsen would know the lay of the land better and have contacts in Metropolis the Titans wouldn't.
Even if Jim's name is just a coincidence, and he isn't meant to be the Jimmy Olsen of Earth-9, he could still prove useful to the Titans as a research assistant and informant. Jim's brief appearance in Titans season 4, episode 1, "Lex Luthor" made it clear that Luthor had a hand in multiple illicit activities, with the Daily Planet archives having special collections devoted to Luthor's "capital crimes, crimes on the high seas (and) space-based crimes..." among others. Despite Lex Luthor's apparent death at the end of the episode, it seems likely that the Titans will have to delve into what Lex was working on in the days before he met Conner and Jim could easily help the heroes puzzle that out.
Titans Can Give Jimmy Olsen Justice After The DCEU
Even if Jim doesn't make another appearance in Titans season 4, this cameo is far more respectful than Jimmy Olsen's brief DCEU cameo and a far better use of the character. Batman v. Superman featured a CIA agent (played by Michael Cassidy) who posed as a Daily Planet photographer while escorting Lois Lane. The character was meant to be Jimmy Olsen, but was never identified as such on-screen and Superman fans were outraged when Zack Snyder revealed the swiftly-executed character was meant to be Jimmy Olsen. While it seems unlikely that Titans' Jim will become Guardian like Supergirl's Jimmy Olsen, he might still prove to be as good a pal to Superboy as he is to Superman.
New episodes of Titans release on HBO Max on Thursdays.