Marvel has unveiled the first live-action glimpse of its own answer to Jimmy Olsen. While superheroes often dominate the spotlight, some of the most enduring comic book figures have no powers at all, especially those working behind the scenes in major newsrooms. DC made characters like Clark Kent at the Daily Planet and Peter Parker at the Daily Bugle iconic, and with Jimmy recently returning to the big screen, Marvel is now putting the spotlight on one of its own reporters.
In Prime Video's upcoming Spider-Noir, Robbie Robertson functions as the series' clear Jimmy Olsen analogue, the loyal newsroom reporter in the middle of the action.
Played by Lamorne Morris, this version of Robbie Robertson is a freelance journalist working the streets while maintaining a long-standing friendship with Ben Reilly, played by Nicolas Cage.
Much like Jimmy Olsen in the orbit of Superman, Robbie is positioned as a grounded presence in a heightened world, even if it means learning secrets about his friend.
In Superman, Skyler Gisondo delivered a well-received performance as Jimmy Olsen, firmly establishing the character as a ladies' man and do-good reporter.
With a Daily Planet-focused TV series now rumored to be in development, that archetype is clearly resonating again.
Robbie fills that same structural role for the TV-14 series Spider-Noir, the newsroom insider chasing leads and snapping.
In the first trailer for Spider-Noir, Robbie is seen asking Cage's character, "What's going on, Ben?" clearly unaware that his friend is secretly The Spider (or was).
Showrunner Oren Uziel told Esquire that Robbie and Ben "go back a long way," but differ sharply in worldview.
Where Ben expects everything to fall apart, Robbie carries what Uziel describes as a "rabbit's foot" mentality, convinced that luck and persistence will see him through the Depression-era darkness.
That dynamic directly mirrors the classic Superman-Jimmy relationship: a burdened hero offset by a hopeful friend, normally with a camera in hand.
In that sense, Robbie isn't just supporting the story; he's Spider-Noir's Jimmy Olsen in all but name.
Robbie also represents a common theme in any comic book project: how justice can be found in more ways than just punches, kicks, and web-slinging.
Long before they reimagined him for Spider-Noir, or dre any comparisons to Jimmy Olsen, Robbie was a defining presence in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy.
The late Bill Nunn portrayed the Daily Bugle editor as a steady moral counterweight to J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons), consistently arguing that Spider-Man was a hero rather than a menace.
In Spider-Man 2, the film even hints that Robertson may have quietly deduced Peter Parker's secret identity, something that the new version could figure out about Ben Reilly.
Robbie isn’t the only recognizable name making the jump into Spider-Noir. The series also introduces Li Jun Li as Cat Hardy, a noir-inspired take on Black Cat, while Jack Huston steps into the role of Flint Marko, better known to comic fans as Sandman. Meanwhile, Brendan Gleeson plays Silvermane, a mob boss with deep ties to Ben's past.
Robbie Robertson's Spider-Noir Role
Still a journalist and still Ben's close friend, this version of Robbie Robertson seems like he'll play a role in the overarching narrative, potentially chronicling the re-rise of the masked vigilante, with Cage's character coming out of retirement.
Given Robbie's comic history and the trailer's suggestion that he senses something unusual about Ben. With the dark setting and Cage's unique take on what it would mean to be Spider-Man, this could be an exciting chance to be a photographer in 1930s New York City.
As the series leans into its dual black-and-white and color presentation, Robbie could function as both narrative witness and moral compass, the reporter documenting a myth in real time.
