Aaron Ashmore Stars as Jimmy Olsen on Smallville

Smallvile has seen its share of iconic DC Comics characters: Perry White, Lois Lane, Braniac, Aquaman, a version of the Flash, and even a fake Supergirl. And, this season, another well-known Superman character will be settling into Clark Kent’s hometown. Or, at least, in Metropolis, the big city three hours away.

When the sixth season of Smallville premiers on September 28th, viewers will be introduced to a brand new version of Jimmy Olsen, this one played by Aaron Ashmore. And there’s a major change brewing. In other incarnations of Superman, Jimmy Olsen has always been younger than Clark Kent and Lois Lane, mostly playing the role of the wide-eyed, nieve “apprentice” to the two older and wiser seasoned reporters. But the Smallville version of Jimmy Olsen will be in his 20s, around the same age as Lois and Clark. He will also be the love interest of Chloe Sullivan, Clark Kent’s favorite Girl Friday, and Lois Lane’s favorite younger cousin.

Smallville definitely has its own take on the Superman mythos.

The members of the Ashmore family are hardly strangers to the world of Smallville. Aaron Ashmore’s twin brother, Shawn Ashmore (who played Iceman in the X-Men films), appeared as a villain in Smallville’s first season, then reprised his role in a third-season episode. But, while Shawn Ashmore played a two-shot villain, Aaron Ashmore will have a recurring role in Smallville’s sixth season.

Aaraon Ashmore’s role on Smallville is just the latest in a long list of television credits for the 26 year-old actor. Ashmore and his brother, who is just one minute younger, started acting when they were ten years old. Since then, Aaron Ashmore appeared in the popular Nickelodeon series Are You Afraid of the Dark (1993 and 2000) and Animorphs (1999). He also appeared in the series Due South (1996), the Disney Channel series The Famous Jett Jackson (2000), and Le Femme Nikita (2000). More recently, Ashmore has appeared on Veronica Mars (2004 to 2006), and The West Wing (2005). He also had a recurring role on the Lifetime series Missing (2005).

Now, Aaron Ashmore has landed the role of a pop-culture icon on a popular television show. And, as always, Superman fans will be watching closely to see if the Smallville version of a well-known DC Comics character will live up to his iconic name.

You can watch Aaron Ashmore on Smallville this fall. Smallville’s sixth season will premier on the new CW network Thursday, September 28, at 8 pm Eastern.