Jefferson Pierce (Arrowverse)

Last updated
Jefferson Pierce
Arrowverse character
Black Lightning (Cress Williams).jpg
Cress Williams as Jefferson Pierce / Black Lightning
First appearance
Last appearance
Based on
Adapted by Salim Akil
Portrayed by
In-universe information
Alias
  • Black Lightning
  • Black Jesus
NicknameJeff
Species Metahuman
Occupation
  • Member of the Crisis Team
  • Vigilante (in secret)
  • Principal of Garfield High School
  • Leader of Team Black Lightning
Affiliation
Family
  • Alvin Pierce † (father)
  • Ben Pierce † (grandfather)
Spouse Lynn Stewart
Children

Jefferson "Jeff" Pierce, also known by his alter ego Black Lightning, is a fictional character in The CW's Arrowverse franchise, first introduced in the 2018 episode "The Resurrection" [1] of the television series Black Lightning. The character is based on the DC Comics character of the same name, [2] created by Tony Isabella and Trevor Von Eeden, [3] and was adapted for television in 2018 by Salim Akil. [4] Jefferson Pierce has been continually portrayed by Cress Williams, [5] with Kaden Washington Lewis portraying a young Jefferson. [6]

Contents

In the series, Jefferson, is the principal of the Garfield High School, and a retired vigilante, who lives in Freeland. His powers are many, with electrokinesis, energy absorption and superhuman strength being a few. During the first 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, like A.S.A. and Markovia. He is a friend of fellow superhero, Central City-based superhero The Flash, who is also the leader of the Justice League.

Williams has appeared as Jefferson Pierce and his vigilante persona in two crossovers of the Arrowverse, the Crisis on Infinite Earths [8] and Armageddon. [9]

Fictional character biography

Early life

Jefferson 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 by Peter Gambi, who discovered Jefferson's powers and then began raising Jefferson.

Stopping Martin Proctor's plans

Jefferson is living in Freeland and works as Principal of the Garfield High School. He has retired from superhero life years ago, and is divorced with Lynn Stewart, and also has two daughters, Anissa and Jennifer. 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 friend Peter Gambi, he decides to talk up the mental of Black Lightning again, acting as a superhero during the night and principal and parent during the day. Jefferson learns about the existence of a new drug, 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 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.

Training his daughters

War with Markovia

Helping to stop the Crisis

After The Flash, Nash Wells, Frost, Earth-90 Flash and Vibe fail to stop the Anti-Monitor's weapon, Nash brings Jefferson to Earth-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 the Waverider, where Jefferson meets Clark Kent / Superman and the other superheroes. Unfortunately, the Anti-Monitor appears and destroys the rest of the universe, killing Jefferson too.

After Oliver Queen / Spectre sacrifices himself to restart the Multiverse and merge other Earths including Jefferson's, he saves Frost and Mick Rory from a shadow demon. Afterwards, he joins Kara Danvers / Supergirl, Sara Lance / White Canary, Clark Kent / Superman, J'onn J'onzz / Martian Manhunter, Barry Allen / The Flash and Kate Kane / Batwoman to form the Justice League. Following their meeting, he returns to Freeland.

Defeating Tobias Whale once and for all

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 Tobias, now Mayor of Freeland, ambitions. He eventually fights him and kills him. He finally decides to go back to retirement from the superhero life.

Helping Barry Allen

In compliance with the Injustice Protocols, Barry Allen asks Jefferson to permanently remove his powers. He begins to, but stops when Barry mentions Despero. 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.

Alternate versions

Appearances

Williams at San Diego Comic-Con in 2017 Cress Williams SDCC 2017.jpg
Williams at San Diego Comic-Con in 2017

Cress Williams has portrayed Black Lightning in three out of seven Arrowverse TV series, with these being:

Characterization

Akil described Jefferson and his family as "the Obamas of the superhero world" and compared the duality of Jefferson Pierce and his alter ego Black Lightning to the duality of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. [12] Williams said that "it was a dream come true" when he was cast as Black 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 and Batman [...] Before Batman becomes part of the Justice League, he's essentially the savior of Gotham. 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]

Reception

On February 24, 2017, Cress Williams was announced in the lead role of Jefferson Pierce / Black Lightning. [16] One user of Metacritic 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 for Entertainment 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]

Related Research Articles

In the DC Universe, a metahuman is a character with superpowers. The term is roughly synonymous with the terms mutant, inhuman and mutate in the Marvel Universe and posthuman in the Wildstorm and Ultimate Marvel Universes. In DC Comics, the term is used loosely in most instances to refer to any human or human-like being with extraordinary powers, abilities or other attributes, either cosmic, mutant, scientific, mystical, skill or technological in nature. A significant portion of these are normal human beings born with a genetic variant called the "metagene", which causes them to gain powers and abilities during freak accidents or times of intense psychological distress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grace Choi</span> Comics character

Grace Choi is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Judd Winick and artist Tom Raney, first appearing in Outsiders #1 in the Modern Age of Comic Books. Choi is introduced as a young Asian American woman using her powers of superhuman strength, healing, and enhanced durability to make a living as a nightclub bouncer, who is reluctantly recruited by her superhero acquaintance Roy Harper to join his new crew of heroes, the Outsiders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Lightning</span> Fictional character from DC Comics

Black Lightning is a superhero who appears in American comic book published by DC Comics. The character, created by writer Tony Isabella with artist Trevor Von Eeden, first appeared in Black Lightning #1, during the Bronze Age of Comic Books. Although his precise origin story has varied over the years, he is generally depicted as a metahuman superhero who uses the ability to generate and control electricity to defend his community – and the world – as Black Lightning. Although not the first black superhero to be featured in DC Comics stories, Black Lightning was DC's first African-American superhero to headline his own series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thunder (DC Comics)</span> Fictional character published by DC Comics

Thunder is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Judd Winick and artist Tom Raney in the Modern Age of Comic Books. She is first mentioned in Green Arrow #26 and first appears a month later in Outsiders #1. Born Anissa Pierce, she is a metahuman and daughter of superhero Black Lightning, able to increase her physical density and durability and create massive shockwaves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cress Williams</span> American actor

Cress Williams is an American actor, known for his roles in Prison Break and Close to Home. His most recent roles include Mayor Lavon Hayes on The CW series Hart of Dixie and the title character on The CW's Black Lightning. Williams is also known for his recurring role as Terrence "Scooter" Williams on Fox's Living Single and as Inspector Antwon Babcock on Nash Bridges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lightning (DC Comics)</span> Comics character

Lightning is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Not pinpointed with direct reference, Lightning first appears in the miniseries Kingdom Come in 1996, written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Alex Ross. The character is given official introduction in Justice Society of America vol. 3 #12, written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Dale Eaglesham in the Modern Age of Comic Books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arrowverse</span> American superhero media franchise and shared universe

The Arrowverse is an American superhero media franchise and shared universe that is centered on various interconnected television series based on DC Comics superhero characters, primarily airing on The CW as well as web series on CW Seed. The series were developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, Geoff Johns, Ali Adler, Phil Klemmer, Salim Akil, and Caroline Dries. Set in a shared fictional multiverse much like the DC Universe and DC Multiverse in comic books, it was established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast and characters that span six live-action television series and two animated series.

<i>Freedom Fighters: The Ray</i> 2017 animated Arrowverse series

Freedom Fighters: The Ray is an American animated web series developed by Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim. It premiered on December 8, 2017, on The CW's online streaming platform, CW Seed and is based on DC Comics character Ray Terrill / The Ray, a housing rights advocate who gains light-based powers after being exposed to a genetic light bomb. The series is part of the Arrowverse franchise and is primarily set on the dystopian Earth-X, while also partly taking place on Earth-1, a parallel universe of Arrow, The Flash, Vixen and Legends of Tomorrow.

<i>Black Lightning</i> (TV series) 2018 American superhero drama television series

Black Lightning is an American superhero drama television series, developed by Salim Akil, that premiered on The CW on January 16, 2018, and concluded on May 24, 2021. It is based on the character of the same name, created by Tony Isabella with Trevor Von Eeden, featured in publications of DC Comics. Cress Williams stars as the titular character alongside China Anne McClain, Nafessa Williams, Christine Adams, Marvin "Krondon" Jones III, Damon Gupton, James Remar, Jordan Calloway, and Chantal Thuy. The series sees the retired Black Lightning return to his life as a superhero and follows the effects of his vigilante activity on his professional and family life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crisis on Earth-X</span> Arrowverse crossover event

"Crisis on Earth-X" is the fourth Arrowverse crossover event, featuring episodes of the live-action television series Supergirl, Arrow, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow on The CW. The crossover began on November 27, 2017, with Supergirl and Arrow, and concluded on November 28, with The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow. In "Crisis on Earth-X", Barry Allen and Iris West's friends come to Central City for their wedding, only for the proceedings to be interrupted by interlopers from the analogous universe of Earth-X, where the Axis powers claimed victory in World War II.

Peter Gambi is a character appearing in comics published by DC Comics and is a supporting character of Black Lightning. He is the brother of Paul Gambi. Peter Gambi first appeared in Black Lightning #1 and was created by Tony Isabella and Trevor von Eeden.

<i>Black Lightning</i> season 1 Season of television series

The first season of the American television series Black Lightning, which is based on the DC Comics character Jefferson Pierce / Black Lightning, premiered on The CW on January 16, 2018, and ran for 13 episodes until April 17, 2018. The season was produced by Berlanti Productions, Akil Productions, Warner Bros. Television, and DC Entertainment. It was ordered in May 2017 and production began that September, with Salim Akil serving as showrunner.

<i>Black Lightning</i> season 2 Season of television series

The second season of the American television series Black Lightning, which is based on the DC Comics character Jefferson Pierce / Black Lightning, premiered on The CW on October 9, 2018, and ran for 16 episodes until March 18, 2019. The season was produced by Berlanti Productions, Akil Productions, Warner Bros. Television, and DC Entertainment. It was ordered in April 2018 and production began that June, with Salim Akil once again serving as showrunner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Painkiller (comics)</span> Fictional character in DC Comics

Painkiller is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character, created by writer Tony Isabella and artist Eddie Newell, debuted in Black Lightning, Vol. 2 #2. The character is depicted as an enemy of Black Lightning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crisis on Infinite Earths (Arrowverse)</span> Arrowverse crossover event

"Crisis on Infinite Earths" is the sixth Arrowverse crossover event, featuring episodes of the television series Supergirl, Batwoman, The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow on The CW. The Supergirl, Batwoman, and The Flash episodes aired in December 2019 while the Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow episodes aired in January 2020. The events of the Black Lightning episode "The Book of Resistance: Chapter Four: Earth Crisis" and a two-issue comic book with characters and concepts unused in the live-action episodes also tied into the event.

Clark Kent (<i>Superman & Lois</i>) Fictional character in Superman & Lois

Clark Kent, also known by his birth name Kal-El or superhero alias Superman, is a fictional character and a superhero in the 2021 The CW television series Superman & Lois; originally developed as a part of the Arrowverse franchise of television series, first mentioned in the 2015 pilot of Supergirl, based on the character of the same name created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, and adapted for television by Glen Winter, Greg Berlanti and Todd Helbing from the previous Arrowverse adaptation of the character by Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, and Jessica Queller. Clark Kent had been portrayed by Tyler Hoechlin in the Arrowverse since 2016 prior to the development of Superman & Lois as a spin-off of Supergirl, in which Hoechlin reprised his role as co-headliner, initially said to be playing the same incarnation of Superman he had played in Supergirl, before the series was retroactively established to be set in its own continuity, on an Earth other from Earth-Prime, in its second season finale.

<i>Black Lightning</i> season 3 Season of television series

The third season of the American television series Black Lightning, which is based on the DC Comics character Jefferson Pierce / Black Lightning, premiered on The CW on October 7, 2019. The season is produced by Berlanti Productions, Akil Productions, Warner Bros. Television, and DC Entertainment. It was ordered in January 2019 and production began that July, with Salim Akil once again serving as showrunner.

<i>Black Lightning</i> season 4 Season of television series

The fourth and final season of the American television series Black Lightning, which is based on the DC Comics character Jefferson Pierce / Black Lightning, premiered on The CW on February 8, 2021. The season is produced by Berlanti Productions, Akil Productions, Warner Bros. Television, and DC Entertainment. It is set in the Arrowverse, sharing continuity with the other television series of the franchise. The season was ordered in January 2020 and production began that October, with Salim Akil once again serving as showrunner.

<i>The Flash</i> season 8 Season of television series

The eighth season of the American superhero television series The Flash, which is based on the DC Comics character Barry Allen / Flash, premiered on The CW on November 16, 2021. The season follows Barry facing against his nemesis, the Reverse-Flash, the futuristic alien Despero, the fire Meta Deathstorm and the Negative Speed Force. It is set in the Arrowverse, sharing continuity with the other television series of the universe, and is a spin-off of Arrow. The season is produced by Berlanti Productions, Warner Bros. Television, and DC Entertainment, with Eric Wallace serving as showrunner.

References

  1. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (November 16, 2017). "'Black Lightning' Gets Premiere Date, Post-'Flash' Time Slot By the CW". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on November 16, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Black Lightning". DC. July 27, 2015. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Everything You Need to Know About BLACK LIGHTNING". Nerdist . Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  4. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley; Cullins, Ashley (November 29, 2018). "'Black Lightning' Producer Salim Akil Sued for Alleged Domestic Violence". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Actor Cress Williams Cast As The CW's Black Lightning". Fortress of Solitude. February 28, 2017. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Black Lightning – Shadow Of Death: The Book Of War". Starry Constellation Magazine. April 24, 2018. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Black Lightning Season 1 Episode Guide". Den of Geek . April 18, 2018. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  8. 1 2 Mitovich, Matt Webb (December 10, 2019). "Cress Williams on Black Lightning Joining 'Fictional' Arrowverse Heroes, Being the Object of Costume Envy". TVLine . Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  9. 1 2 Agard, Chancellor (November 11, 2021). "'The Flash' star Grant Gustin teases Barry and Black Lightning's 'heavy' reunion in 'Armageddon'". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Black Lightning Saves The Flash In Part 3 Of The Armageddon Crossover". comicyears.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  11. ↑ Dailly, Paul (September 21, 2021). "Supergirl Season 6 Episode 12 Review: Blind Spots". TV Fanatic. Archived from the original on September 22, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  12. ↑ Abrams, Natalie. "'Black Lightning' Boss: 'This Is an American Story, This Is Not a Black Story'". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on April 16, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  13. ↑ Darcy, Ann (September 30, 2019). "Who Is Cress Williams From 'Black Lightning' and How Did He Get the Role?". Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  14. ↑ Abrams, Bryan (November 27, 2018). "Black Lightning Star Cress Williams on TV's Most Human Superhero". Motion Picture Association. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  15. ↑ Bucksbaum, Sydney (July 18, 2017). "'Black Lightning' Star Cress Williams Is Ready to Embrace His (Super) Power". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  16. ↑ Swift, Andy (February 24, 2017). "Black Lightning: Cress Williams to Star in The CW's Latest DC Comics Pilot". TVLine . Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  17. ↑ Terrones, Terry (13 January 2018). "TV Review – Superhero seeks social justice on new CW series". Colorado Springs Gazette . Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  18. ↑ Schwartz, Dana. "'Black Lightning' crackles with electricity and relevance: EW review". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on 2019-06-04. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
  19. ↑ Viruet, Pilot (February 13, 2018). "In 'Black Lightning,' There's No Right Way to Fix a City". The Atlantic . Archived from the original on June 4, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  20. ↑ "Ranked: The 100 Greatest Superheroes In The History of Comic Books". May 29, 2019. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Black Lightning". Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on November 21, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  22. ↑ "Ratings: 'Black Lightning' Strikes – It's The CW's Top Series Premiere in 2 Years". 17 January 2018. Archived from the original on May 15, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.