'Black Lightning' Season Finale Shows the First Time Jeff Used His Powers

All season on Black Lightning viewers have seen Jefferson Pierce come out of retirement as the titular hero, suiting up and using his powers to protect Freeland from corruption, drugs, and gang violence. Now, in tonight's season finale we finally see the very first time his powers manifested.

Spoilers for tonight's episode of Black Lightning, "Shadow of Death: The Book of War", below.

Tonight's finale opens not in the present day, but in the past. We see young Jefferson and his father walking in the rain when Alvin Pierce is confronted by Peter Gambi (James Remar) over Alvin's investigative reporting about Tobias Whale. Gambi is concerned that Alvin's work will get him killed, but Alvin brushes him off. Of course, Gambi was right. Alvin is killed, but that's not the only trouble for young Jefferson. Freeland is dealing with riots and unrest after the killing of an unarmed young man by the police and, unfortunately, young Jefferson is right in the middle of it.

We then see Jefferson running from two police officers who catch him and are about to beat him when his powers suddenly manifest. Instinctively, Jefferson zaps the police with electricity before fleeing. He runs into an electrified fence in an alley but instead of being electrocuted, he absorbs the power. Gambi shows up and discovers an unconscious, but superpowered, Jefferson Pierce.

Seeing young Jefferson come into his powers as a teenager is fitting considering that his daughter, Jennifer (China Anne McClain) is also a teenager who just came into her powers. Like Jennifer, Jefferson first used his powers accidentally and while we don't get to see him further grow into understanding and using them, it's likely it was a bumpy road to becoming Black Lightning. It also means that Jefferson has quite a bit in common with his younger daughter that goes beyond their similar powers, something that might potentially make it easier for him to understand some of the struggles McClain said Jennifer will experience.

"Jennifer is young, she's a teenager, and for her getting her powers is very different than Anissa getting her powers for the first time," McClain said during a set visit. "I've said that she's older, she's confident, she knows who she is at this point in her life and she's comfortable with that, but Jennifer is still trying to figure that out. To have this happen to her is a huge deal and she feels like an alien on earth. It's difficult for her to deal with, it's going to be very interesting to see."

Black Lightning will return for a second season on The CW, though it is currently unclear when.

What did you think of Jefferson's first use of his powers? Let us know your thoughts on this, and the Black Lightning season finale, in the comments!