The new "Supergirl" television series is off to a great start, and while the main focus of the show is to tell how Kara Zor-El (Melissa Benoist) embraces her superpowers while still maintaining a normal life on Earth, fans are still excited to see who she falls in love with and how she will fare in the romance department.
Mechad Brooks, the actor who portrays her protector and mentor James "Jimmy" Olsen hinted during New York Comic-Con that Jimmy will definitely develop a romantic interest in Kara, but he might not act on his feelings because of Superman.
"There's definitely an attraction between the two (James and Kara) but there's kind of a bro code with Superman. If Superman asked you to go check in on his cousin, you can't just go hitting on Superman's cousin, because you start getting hit on by Superman - and that's not a good thing. He will heat vision you and freeze breath you to death," he jokingly told Screen Rant.
Still, Brooks cannot deny that Jimmy will make a wonderful match for Kara because he understands completely what she is going through, and he can help her realize her full potential.
"He's very protective of her. He's very protective but he also allows her the room to grow," he said. "Being Supergirl is just the metaphor for all of us being our higher selves. When it comes time to be a hero, when it comes time to be proud of yourself in a moment where you can choose your lower frequency or your higher frequency - and you choose your higher one, you need room to grow. But you also need support. He fits that role very well."
Brooks actually drew flak for being cast as Jimmy, who is more widely recognized as a red-headed Caucasian male. However, the actor would like to tell everyone not to worry because Jimmy will still be the same person that they've come to know and love.
"The DNA of the character is the same. Here's the thing. So Jimmy was created in 1940, so we had a much different world back then. People lived a monochromatic existence, so you really can't blame them for writing what they knew," Brooks said, according to Tech Times. "It's not that the character's changed so much as that we're taking cultural liberties with him as he might be today."
People also noted that Jimmy looks and acts differently in "Supergirl" as opposed to previous depictions of him, but Brooks urged people to develop a more understanding perspective.
"Think about if Jimmy Olsen was hanging out with Superman for a long time. He was like, you know what, I want to be my own man. So, you go to confidence bootcamp, go to the gym, change your style. He gets a Pulitzer Prize for photographing Superman. He gets a better job," Brooks said. "This is who we're dealing with now. We're dealing with a Jimmy Olsen who's coming into his own."
