10 Iconic DC/Marvel Characters Who Originated Outside The Comics
5. Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen, a photographer for the Daily Planet and close ally of Superman and Lois Lane, is arguably one of the single most recognizable non-superhero characters among DC fans, and has been a part of the Superman mythos for decades upon decades.
However, the character of Jimmy actually did not debut in the comic books. A Jimmy-esque office boy did appear in Action Comics #6 in 1938, but the photojournalist we know today as Jimmy Olsen made his first appearance in the radio show The Adventures of Superman in 1940, the purpose of his introduction being to give the titular hero someone to talk to.
Jimmy was then given a design and a more fleshed out personality by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, who transferred the character over to the Superman comics in 1941.
Jimmy Olsen has since become a mainstay of the Superman lore, appearing in countless DC comics, as well as in numerous television shows (both animated and live-action) and feature films, such as the original Christopher Reeve Superman quadrilogy, 2006's Superman Returns and, most recently, 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.