‘Black Lightning’ gets lost in the shuffle, as it’s the one series on The CW based on a DC Comics character, but that isn’t part of the network’s “Arrowverse.” But, as it turns out, the cast would love to cross over with the other shows, and it would seem that this winter’s ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ crossover event would be an excellent opportunity to import the residents of Freeland into the same reality as Star City, Central City, and the rest. Unfortunately, there are some real-world limitations that will prevent that. (I’ll get to that.)
If ‘Black Lightning’ were to cross over, however, which show would star Cress Williams most like to interact with?
“I want Supergirl to come to Freeland. So, there’s been lots of talk… nothing official, but at this point, I wouldn’t be surprised.”
That sentiment is shared by Williams’ co-star Nafessa Williams, who plays elder daughter Anissa, a.k.a. the hero Thunder.
As Williams said:
“I already fight with Black Lightning, so I already know what it’s like to fight with a male superhero. So, I think it would be really great to have a crossover with Supergirl with a female empowerment storyline. I definitely want to team up with another female superhero for sure.”
Well, for the time being, it looks as though Williams will have to settle for fighting bad guys with her onscreen kid sis, China Anne McClain, whose powers seem to be increasing beyond the levels of Black Lightning himself.
Unfortunately, it isn’t a lack of desire that’s keeping ‘Black Lightning’ separated from the Arrowverse. Despite sharing a couple of executive producers– Sarah Schechter and Greg Berlanti– ‘Black Lightning’ was developed by Salim Akil, with the intention of it airing on FOX. But after FOX passed, The CW rescued the show.
As a result, ‘Black Lightning’ films in Atlanta, while the Arrowverse shows are set up in Vancouver. And for a crossover to happen, it would take more than simply sticking one cast on an airplane. They’d have to bring along a crew to handle the complicated costumes, at the very least. And there’s the matter of taking time away from one show to film the other.
It could happen. Some might even say it should. After all, following a strong start, ‘Black Lightning’s ratings have slipped. But as logistically crazy as ‘Crisis on Infinite Earth’ is by itself, throwing ‘Black Lightning’ into that mix is just more of a headache that no one seems to want to tackle at the moment.
Maybe next year!
‘Black Lightning’ returns for its third season on Monday, October 21.
