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BLACK LIGHTNING Showrunners Talk Villain, Possible Arrowverse Crossovers, Static and More

At ATX Television Festival (via International Business Times), Black Lightning showrunners Salim Akil and Mara Brock Akil offer plenty of details on The CW’s latest DC Comics series. They confirm the main villain, while also discussing the show’s LGBT+ representation, Static, and the chances of the series crossing over with the Arrowverse.

  • While other superhero shows frequently deal with a “villain of the week,” Black Lightning will avoid that trope. Instead, we’ll be spending a lot of time with the show’s big bad, Tobias (presumably Tobias Whale from DC lore). Salim explains, “It’s a character driven show. I don’t know if there’s going to be a fight every week. There’s certainly not going to be a villain of the week. I don’t want to do that. We really want to explore the characters, even the villains. I think one of the most interesting characters right now from a storytelling standpoint is Tobias. Because we’re not having him sort of twist his mustache. His hatred for himself and for others comes from a real place, so we want to know why he’s like that.”
  • Fans have speculated that the series may also introduce DC’s other black superhero with electric powers, Static (who starred in the classic animated series Static Shock). When asked about the possibility of Black Lightning meeting Statick, Salim says there are currently no plans, but that can change in the future. “I love the idea of Static Shock, and in success, hopefully, we’ll be able to pull other characters in in that way. So I’m holding out hope because I love that character.” Warner Bros. was previously developing a Static series for digital, but we haven’t gotten any updates on that in a couple years.
  • Mara Brock confirms that Anissa Pierce, Jefferson’s daughter, is gay, just like in the comics. The series will feature characters of other sexualities, but instead of addressing the topic as a “special” issue, the characters will be depicted just how any other character would, regardless of sexuality.
  • Despite airing on The CW and being co-produced by Greg Berlanti, Black Lightning does not exist in the Arrowverse, and there are currently no plans for Jefferson Pierce to meet the likes of Flash and Green Arrow. However, Salim doesn’t sound entirely opposed to the idea of crossovers one day. “The storytelling [in Black Lightning] is a little bit more political. It’s topical, and it’s a little grittier. … It doesn’t mean that down the road there won’t be visits.”
For more from the Akils on Black Lightning, such as the show’s approach to police brutality and telling the story of a father protecting his community, click HERE.
Black Lightning will premiere sometime next year on The CW.

Founder and Editor-in-Chief of WOBAM! Entertainment.