Black Lightning could kickstart a whole new “Lightningverse.” Series showrunner Salim Akil hopes to build more superheroes into the show, which could potentially lead to spinoffs set in Jefferson Pierce’s world.
Asked if Black Lightning could launch a “Lightningverse” with spinoff series, Akil told Yahoo!, “Yeah, let’s hope so. We want to entertain. I know this show is topical and it has some political merit to it, but we also want to entertain and make people laugh and get them excited about the fight sequences, and the characters that are coming in, as well as the villains that are coming in. We hope it will be a well-rounded experience so yes, we’d love to see other superheroes come through.”
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He already has another superhero in mind for the series. “Static could be interesting,” he posited.
As to the possibility of a spinoff starring Anissa “Thunder” Pierce and Jennifer Pierce’s Lightning, he said, “Not yet, but you know anything is possible.”
In a past interview, Akil made it clear that Black Lightning is not part of the Arrowverse. “I say this with all due respect, but [the Arrowverse shows are] not really relevant to the show that we’re doing,” he explained at the Television Critics’ Association Winter press tour. “The great thing that Warner Bros. and CW allowed us to do was create our own world. We really wanted folk to get to know this family before we started branching out.”
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However, Black Lightning has established that Jefferson isn’t the only vigilante in his world. In the series premiere, his wife Lynn watched a broadcast that addressed this very point. “Why is [Black Lightning] a vigilante, but other communities have folks with superpowers and suddenly they’re heroes?” special guest Roland Martin demanded to know. This confirmed that, within the confines of the show, other superheroes do exist and that they are known to the world at large.
Like Akil mentioned, there is potential for a Thunder and Lightning spinoff. Additionally, the show features several members of the Outsiders, including Black Lightning himself, Thunder and Grace Choi, which could dovetail into its own series.
Airing Tuesdays at 9 pm ET/PT on The CW, Black Lightning stars Cress Williams as Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightning, China Anne McClain as his younger daughter Jennifer Pierce, Nafessa Williams as his older daughter Anissa Pierce, Christine Adams as Lynn Pierce, James Remar as Peter Gambi, Damon Gupton as Henderson, Marvin “Krondon” Jones III as Tobias Whale and Chantal Thuy as Grace Choi.