Now that it has found a new home on The CW, ‘Black Lightning’ from Arrowverse architect Greg Berlanti has started adding members to the cast. While the latest series coming to the network from the pages of DC Comics found their titular hero in Cress Williams last week, it seems that they have just expanded his TV family by two.
According to Deadline, ‘One Life To Live’ and ‘Code Black’ star Nafessa Williams and China Anne McClain from ‘Tyler Perry’s House of Payne’ and various Disney Channel shows will join Williams on the upcoming show written by Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil. The actresses will play the daughters of Jefferson Pierce, who hung up his superhero mantle years ago. McCain will appear as Jefferson’s independent, outspoken scholar-athlete younger daughter Jennifer Pierce, who also has a bit of a wild streak. Meanwhile, Williams is Anissa Pierce, the passionate, quick-witted twenty-something daughter that balances the demands of medical school with her job teaching part-time at her father’s school.
The most interesting thing to note about this news is that both Jennifer and Anissa end up following in their father’s footsteps to become superheroes known as Thunder and Lightning, respectively. There is currently no word on whether their television counterparts will follow the same path as their characters from the source material to create a perfect storm of masked vigilantes along with their dad. However, it seems like every character that has some superhero roots in the comics that has ended up on TV under the direction of Berlanti eventually takes on that identity in some way, shape, or form. Just look at Cisco Ramon, Caitlin Snow, Wally West, and the countless other examples from ‘Arrow’ or ‘The Flash’.
What do you think about Nafessa Williams and China Anne McClain joining the cast of ‘Black Lightning’? Do you hope that they don their superhero mantles down the line on the show? Let us know in the comments below.
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