Hot off the news that Black Lightning’s reformed assassin Painkiller may star in his own spinoff series, the CW’s just announced that Black Lightning itself is coming to an abrupt end.
Per Variety, Black Lightning’s upcoming fourth season will be its last. It’s interesting considering the news comes at a time when the series’ titular character is just beginning to take on larger roles in DC’s other projects like The Other History of DC’s Universe and Young Justice. In a statement about Black Lightning coming to a close, series creator Salim Akil reflected on what the series has always meant to him and expressed his gratitude to the fandom for sticking by the Pierce family.
“When we first started the ‘Black Lighting’ journey, I knew that Jefferson Pierce and his family of powerful Black Women would be a unique addition to the super hero genre,” Akil said. “The love that Blerds and all comic book fans around the globe have shown this series over the past three seasons proved what we imagined, Black People Want To See Themselves in all their complexities… I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve been able to do and the moments we’ve been able to create in bringing DC’s first African-American family of super heroes to life for the culture.”
While Black Lightning may be coming to an end, that doesn’t necessarily mean that all of the show’s characters are simply going to stop existing in the Arrowverse, and it’s likely at least some of them will turn up in Painkiller sooner than later. Going forward, though, Black Lightning’s heroes could just as easily turn up elsewhere in the CW’s ever-changing universe of capes, and creating even more connective tissue throughout the Arrowverse.
Black Lightning stars Cress Williams, China Anne McClain, Nafessa Williams, Christine Adams, James Remar, Jordan Calloway, and Chantal Thuy. The fourth and final season is set to begin on February 8, 2021.