Today is part two of DC Fandome, the massive online fan event celebrating the worlds of DC comics, film, and television. Black cinema legend Robert Townsend (who directed two episodes of Black Lightning) spoke with actors James Remar, Jordan Calloway, Marvin Krondon Jones III, Chrstine Adams, China Anne McClain, Nafessa Williams, and Cress Williams about the show and what they hope to see in the forthcoming season.
Cress Williams, Black Lighting himself, wants to see a return to Jefferson Pierce in the school setting, and mentoring kids, citing the education aspect as one of the things he’s most proud of in the show. He would also love to meet up with the other heroes, now that they share one Earth, which that is something I’m sure many fans agree with.
Nafessa Williams, who plays Anissa a.k.a. Thunder a.k.a. Blackbird just wants Black Lightning to remain on-trend. “I definitely wanna see some of what’s happening in our world and some of what’s happening today.” She also wants to see Anissa and Grace get married, “and see where that love can go.”
Christine Adams, who plays Lynn, says, “I would love not to be drunk, or on drugs, or with my hand down a toilet, or slapping my husband, or fighting with my husband, or crawling along the floor…” Last season, Lynn became dependent on Green Light and that addiction became the anchor point for her character. And while it provided ample opportunities for Adams to show her range, it didn’t really allow for lighthearted or playful performances.
Jordan Calloway, who plays Khalil and his savage alter-ego Painkiller, wants to explore Khalil’s mental journey. “The change and the growth that I would love to see for Khalil is more the psychological recovering.” Khalil is shot and paralyzed, then has his mobility restored by Tobias in exchange for becoming his enforcer. When he rejects and attempts to defeat Tobias, he’s violently killed instead. Then The A.S.A. revives him, locks away all of his memories, and turns him into Painkiller, a living weapon they fully control. As Painkiller, Khalil is responsible for countless deaths, including his own mom’s, so he has to live with all of the things Painkiller did. Needless to say, Khalil needs to heal. Exploration of that trauma and the journey of healing would be a great place to take the character in the upcoming season.
Somewhat surprising, James Remar wants to see some domestic normality for Gambi. “I would like to see maybe Gambi have a girlfriend” Gambi’s relationship to the Jeffersons does show us that he’s capable of genuine affection, and is perhaps ready to find love and build a family. “Maybe Gambi has a kid he reunited with, that he hasn’t seen for 25 years or something.” Less surprising, Remar would like to see a reveal that Gambi has meta abilities. Something like that could really shake up the show.
Marvin Krondon Jones III, who plays the villainous Tobias Whale, would like to flip the script. “I’d like to get him back into politics. From outside of the underworld, back into the mainstream of society.” He wants to see Tobias doing good: “I would like for a time to be doing some good in Freeland,” even if it’s self-serving and ultimately for bad. And he, like Remar, wants to see Tobias potentially find love, or at least explore the potential.
“I want Tobias to have it all, so that when Khalil comes to take it away…” Jordan jokes. We can all guess where that thought leads and I, for one, am here for it.
We don’t yet know what’s in store for season four of Black Lightning, but if the cast has any say, we can look forward to romance and a return to Freeland’s version of normal.