The Season 2 finale of ‘Black Lightning’ caused some excitement amongst the CW fans recently, as a reference made to a DC comics staple gave hope for future cross-over and/or cameo possibilities with the series. During the episode, when asked by Lightning if he was alright, Thunder answered with a reference that got caped crusader fans buzzing:
“Pssh… I wouldn’t be surprised if he told us he was Batman.”
So far, ‘Black Lightning’ has steered clear of the CW cross-over craze that the other superhero shows (i.e. ‘Arrow,’ ‘The Flash,’ ‘Supergirl,’ and ‘Legends of Tomorrow’) regularly participate in, with the show-runner Salim Akil not really on-board with the idea, unless the other CW characters find a way to come to the world of ‘Black Lightning,’ i.e. he’s not keen on letting his characters run around Star City or Central City just to get the fanboys excited. In some way you have to respect that.
But the mentioning of Batman is pretty intriguing as it begs the question of whether or not, in-universe, Batman/ Bruce Wayne is a real person or whether he is a fictional character. The show has referenced DC Comics material before, namely in the comic featuring the group known as ‘The Outsiders,’ which some have pointed out is a group that Batman himself founded, so that may be evidence enough that Batman is a fictional character in ‘Black Lightning,’ and that is what Thunder was referencing; in which case the show definitely exists in a different universe/reality than all the other CW superhero shows.
But there’s also the chance that Batman DOES exist in the ‘Black Lightning’ continuity, which leaves the door open for all the other CW shows to exist in the same universe as well. Who knows what the future may bring, especially as the show progresses into later seasons, and writers start looking for newer and fresher ideas, and may get desperate enough to start pushing for some of those crossovers.
What do you think? Is Batman real in ‘Black Lightning?’ Or is he a fictional character on the show? Let us know your thoughts and theories below!
Source: Cinemablend
