| Jefferson Pierce | |
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| Arrowverse character | |
.jpg) Cress Williams as Jefferson Pierce / Black Lightning | |
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| Adapted by | Salim Akil |
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| In-universe information | |
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| Nickname | Jeff |
| Species | Metahuman |
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Jefferson Michael "Jeff"Pierce, also known by his alter egoBlack Lightning, is afictionalcharacter inThe CW'sArrowverse franchise, first introduced in the 2018 episode "The Resurrection"[1] of the television seriesBlack Lightning. The character is based on theDC Comics characterof the same name,[2] created byJenny Blake Isabella andTrevor Von Eeden,[3] and was adapted for television in 2018 bySalim Akil.[4] Jefferson Pierce has been continually portrayed byCress Williams,[5] with Kaden Washington Lewis portraying a young Jefferson.[6]
In the series, Jefferson, is the principal of the Garfield High School, and a retired vigilante, who lives inFreeland. His powers are many, with electrokinesis,energy absorption and superhuman strength being a few. During thefirst season he has to return to his superhero life, and help his daughter, Anissa handle her powers, while also stopping his nemesis,Tobias Whale.[7] In the following seasons he has to deal with new threats, likeA.S.A. andMarkovia. He is a friend of fellow superhero,Central City-based superheroThe Flash, who is also the leader of the Justice League.
Williams has appeared as Jefferson Pierce and his vigilante persona in two crossovers of theArrowverse, the "Crisis on Infinite Earths"[8] and "Armageddon".[9]
Jefferson Michael Pierce was born on September 12, 1974, to Alvin Pierce and an unnamed mother. At one point Jefferson was given a vaccine by his father, which Alvin later found out was tainted, this would eventually be how Jefferson would get his powers. Alvin was a reporter who was after Tobias Whale. One night, Jefferson watched as Tobias murdered his father. When Jefferson was twelve, he took part in a riot, which he was chased down an alley by two SWAT officers and accidentally set off his powers for the first time, knocking out both of the officers. He was then found in the alley byPeter Gambi, who discovered Jefferson's powers and then began raising Jefferson.
Jefferson is living in Freeland and works asPrincipal of the Garfield High School. He has retired from superhero life years ago, and is divorced withLynn Stewart, and also has two daughters,Anissa andJennifer. When he lears that Anissa is in danger, he saves her using his powers in the process for the first time in a long time. After some consideration, and some conversations with his friendPeter Gambi, he decides to talk up the mental ofBlack Lightning again, acting as a superhero during the night and principal and parent during the day. Jefferson learns about the existence of a newdrug, called "green light", that is distributed by a criminal group called "The 100", headed by Tobias Whale. After The 100 killed two civilians,the local community march on the streets of Freeland, without police protection as requested. The 100 attacked the marching, but with only one casualty, as Jefferson was there and protected them. Following a fight with Anissa, who has superpowers like her father and is acting as a vigilante, he injures her and calls Gambi to take care of her, and she learns that Jefferson is the Black Lightning. Jefferson began training Anissa, to learn to control her powers. She eventually adapts the alias of "Thunder", and works on operations with her father. His younger daughter, Jennifer, learns that he is Black Lightning, and that she also has superpowers. Jefferson later learns that a government organization called the A.S.A. is behind the creation of green light drug, and wants to use it to create metahumans. It is headed by Martin Proctor, who is acting independently. Eventually Gambi kills him and Black Lightning exposes A.S.A. operations in Freeland.
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AfterThe Flash,Nash Wells,Frost,Earth-90 Flash andVibe fail to stop theAnti-Monitor's weapon, Nash brings Jefferson toEarth-1 to help contain the energy of the anti-matter weapon. He does so, but Earth-90 Flash sacrifices himself and saves the universe from total destruction. Nash teleported them back to theWaverider, where Jefferson meetsClark Kent / Superman and the other superheroes. Unfortunately, the Anti-Monitor appears and destroys the rest of the universe, killing Jefferson too.
AfterOliver Queen / Spectre sacrifices himself to restart theMultiverse and merge other Earths including Jefferson's, he savesFrost andMick Rory from a shadow demon. Afterwards, he joinsKara Danvers / Supergirl,Sara Lance / White Canary,Clark Kent / Superman,J'onn J'onzz / Martian Manhunter,Barry Allen / The Flash andKate Kane / Batwoman to form theJustice League. Following their meeting, he returns to Freeland.
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Following the dissolution of the A.S.A. and the War for Freeland, Jefferson began to mourn Henderson's death during the conflict. After doing so he decides to put an end on the ambitions of Tobias Whale, now Mayor of Freeland. He eventually fights him and kills him. He finally decides to go back to retirement from the superhero life.
In compliance with the Injustice Protocols,Barry Allen asks Jefferson to permanently remove his powers. He begins to, but stops when Barry mentionsDespero. Barry angrily lashes out at Jefferson, but is eventually convinced to stand down. Despero learns where Barry is and travels there, but is held off by Jefferson.
Cress Williams has portrayed Black Lightning in three out of sevenArrowverse TV series, with these being:
Akil described Jefferson and his family as "theObamas of the superhero world" and compared the duality of Jefferson Pierce and hisalter ego Black Lightning to the duality ofMartin Luther King Jr. andMalcolm X.[12] Williams said that "it was a dream come true" when he was cast asBlack Lightning[13] and it was hard, at first, portraying him, but loved it in the process. Williams also stated that "I always saw a parallel between Black Lightning andBatman [...] Before Batman becomes part of theJustice League, he's essentially the savior ofGotham. I think that's what Black Lightning is about."[14] When asked if it was stressful to portray the character he said "It's not so much pressure as it is an honor.", while also saying that "The physical part of it [was the biggest challenge in taking on this role]".[15]
On February 24, 2017,Cress Williams was announced in the lead role ofJefferson Pierce / Black Lightning.[16] One user ofMetacritic wrote "Jefferson Pierce isn't just a superhero. He's a social justice warrior. He quotes Martin Luther King Jr. and beats up bad guys. This instantly makes him one of the most interesting heroes on television."[17] Reviewing forEntertainment Weekly, Dana Schwartz gave the series premiere an "A−" grade, writing, "The Pierce family dynamic is so compelling that even if Jefferson Pierce had no powers beyond great motivational speeches, this show would be a worthwhile watch.[18]The Atlantic's Pilot Viruet wrote, "There's an authenticity to the series—it's neither too pulpy nor too preachy—that's heightened by the strong performances from its predominantly Black cast, particularly from [Cress] Williams, who anchors the show's many conflicts."[19] The success of Williams version resulted in placing the character at the 73rd place of the list of the 100 greatest superheroes In the history of comic books.[20] Williams has received positive reviews by both fans and critics.[21][22]
| Arrow | |
|---|---|
| The Flash | |
| Supergirl | |
| Legends of Tomorrow | |
| Black Lightning | |
| Batwoman | |
| Animated series | |
| Characters | |
| Crossovers | |
| Related | |
