For those unfamiliar with the world of Black Lightning, here’s a synopsis for the series:
Jefferson Pierce is a man wrestling with a secret. Nine years ago, Pierce was gifted with the superhuman power to harness and control electricity, which he used to keep his hometown streets safe as the masked vigilante Black Lightning. However, after too many nights with his life and his family on the line, he left his Super Hero days behind. Almost a decade later, Pierce’s crime-fighting days are long behind him…or so he thought. But with crime and corruption spreading like wildfire, Black Lightning returns — to save not only his family, but also the soul of his community.
Black Lightning was created by Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil, and stars Cress Williams as Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightning, Christine Adams as Lynn Pierce, China Anne McClain as Jennifer Pierce and Nafessa Williams as Anissa Pierce.
The titular character is based on the DC Comics superhero of the same name created by Tony Isabella and Trevor Von Eeden. According to Black Lightning: Year One, he’s a metahuman born with the ability to generate and magnify externally localised electro-magnetic phenomena by manipulating intense bioelectric fields generated from his body. He debuted in 1977 and was one of the first major African American superheroes to be featured in DC Comics.
Black Lightning is set to premiere on 17 January 2018 on Netflix in the UK. Get all the latest superhero news with every issue of SciFiNow.