'Black Lightning' Star Teases Costume Upgrades

Black Lightning made its long awaited debut on The CW, showcasing a series of events that forced a reluctant Jefferson Pierce out of retirement in order to save his family.

But the returned superhero wasn't wearing his old duds, sporting a brand new suit developed by his old friend (and tailor) Peter Gambi, who aided Black Lightning in his original campaign against crime in Freeland.

Actor Cress Williams spoke about his character's costume recently at the winter press tour for the Television Critics' Association, teasing that he might be getting upgrades at a more frequent rate than Oliver Queen.

"It's like a piece of technology, so, there is, like, the 2.0 version and the 3.0 version…," said Williams. "It's always been cool, but it gets even better and better. Our latest version is pretty awesome."

The report from TVLine seems to intimate that Black Lightning will be getting some alterations as the season progresses.

Whereas other superheroes on The CW shows tend to get a costume that gets upgraded from season to season, the people behind the scenes on Black Lightning seem to look at Jefferson Pierce's costume as a piece of tech that can constantly be fine tuned.

It remains to be seen if that will affect his power base. Based on the series premiere, it seems that Black Lightning can shoot bursts, cause blackouts, and create electrical constructs to help him in combat. Not to mention, all of the energy-aided punches and kicks he would deal out.

Co-showrunner Salim Akil teased that fans should be looking out for new powers around episode 5, though he didn't reveal if it would be a capability of the suit or of Black Lightning's own will.

The series is shaping up to be yet another hit for The CW, and another stable entry in their growing catalogue of superhero series. While fans wait to learn more about Pierce's feud with Tobias Whale, the network might be trying to figure out how to make it a more prominent fixture in its lineup.

With even the rerun pulling in massive ratings, Black Lightning is primed for success.

Black Lightning's next episode, "Lawanda: The Book of Hope," airs Tuesday, January 23 on The CW.