How Black Lightning's Series Finale May Have Set Up Another Spinoff To Replace Painkiller

Jefferson Pierce at the bar Black Lightning

Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Black Lightning series finale "The Book Of Resurrection: Chapter Two: Closure." Read at your own risk!

After settling his score with Tobias Whale permanently, Jefferson Pierce announced he was ready to officially retire as Black Lightning. Even the characters had to joke that they were wary of him actually retiring, but with the series officially at an end, it seemed the hero would finally put away his suit for good. Then the ending scene happened, and after The CW passed on the first spinoff Painkiller, it seems Black Lightning may have teased another potential path for some of the characters' stories to continue.

Jefferson Pierce announced he'd be relinquishing hero responsibilities to Thunder, Grace, and Lightning, which is a good thing because another villain returned in the 11th hour. Latavius "La La" Johnson, who had been encased in concrete by Destiny in a previous encounter, was knocked over during Jefferson's final fight with Tobias. Because the concrete was cracked, Lala's powers of reanimation successfully brought him back to life. The character marched to the window, stared at Tobias' charred body impaled on a stake, and enjoyed that his fellow villain got what he deserved.

With the villain Lala alive again, and Jefferson passing the torch to the younger heroes of Black Lightning, the series planted seeds that could work for a pilot starring the younger cast members. What's even more interesting is that creator Salim Akil indicated to Deadline that outside of the avenue the series set up with Painkiller, there was another opportunity to move forward with the other heroes.

I think that if there was a possibility, the possibility would land in Thunder and Grace and Lightning. I think that that could be a wonderful show. People would be familiar with the characters, be familiar with their backstory. They would be familiar with their wants, their needs and their goals. I think that that trio of women are just very dynamic and talented, so I could see something like that, for sure.

Salim Akil also indicated that while it was clear Season 4 would be the final season for Black Lightning long ago, he had ideas in place for Season 5 and 6. These plans, which included the idea of introducing a black version of The Joker to the Arrowverse, could certainly be rolled into a proposed spinoff with Thunder, Grace, and Lightning, and with Tobias Whale dead, Freeland could see many other villains attempt to fill the void.

Of course, whether it'll actually happen is another story. Salim Akil is set to work on some other projects in the near future, and as Painkiller and other proposed superhero spinoffs have shown, The CW doesn't say yes to every Arrowverse idea. The idea is only part of the process in getting a spinoff going, but the fact that there's an avenue to one in the series finale of Black Lightning is a good start.

Now that Black Lightning is done at The CW, would you like to see a spinoff? Let us know in our poll below, and keep all your fingers and toes crossed if you're hoping for a spinoff that the characters of this series have some future in the Arrowverse going forward.

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Mick Joest
Content Producer

Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.