'Black Lightning' Mentions Metahumans for the First Time in "Three Sevens: The Book of Thunder"

Even from the series pilot fans of Black Lightning have known that other superpowered people exist [...]

By Nicole Drum

Even from the series pilot fans of Black Lightning have known that other superpowered people exist in the show's non-Arrowverse universe. However, tonight's episode finally gave those superpowered people a name officially using the term metahuman for the first time

Spoilers for tonight's episode of Black Lightning, "Three Sevens: The Book of Thunder", below.

While the bulk of tonight's episode was focused on Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightning's desire to avenge his father's murder by killing the murderer, Tobias Whale (Marvin "Krondon" Jones III), as well as Lynn Pierce (Christine Adams) trying to find balance as she's dragged back into her ex-husband's superhero world, we also got a little bit deeper into the idea of super powers in the world of Black Lightning. Anissa (Nafessa Williams) continued looking into her grandfather's research, going so far as to bringing a box of his notes and things to Lynn for her to look over.

However, that box of notes results in armed men breaking into Lynn's lab and threatening her. While Anissa, as Thunder, shows up to save her mother and the goons get away with nothing, Gambi (James Remar) pays Lady Eve (Jill Scott) a visit as the Pierce family was supposed to be off limits to whatever nefarious deeds are going on in Freeland. It's then that Lady Eve not only reveals that Lynn is causing problems by looking into the late Alvin Pierce's research, but she also refers to those with superpowers as metahumans.

For fans of The CW's Arrowverse shows, the term metahumans is very familiar. It's been used on The Flash since Season One to describe those with special abilities as given to them via dark matter from the STAR Labs particle accelerator explosion. However, until now there had been no name given to those with enhanced abilities on Black Lightning, and more than that, the enhanced abilities appear to have a very different source than a laboratory accident. Alvin Pierce's research is looking to a correlation between a vaccine, superpowers, and missing kids while it's hinted in tonight's episode that there could also be a connection between Jefferson's superpowers and the effects of the drug, Green Light, that's been plaguing the streets of Freeland.

That drug connection is particularly interesting, especially as it was also revealed tonight that Lady Eve has a history with Gambi at the same, mysterious ASA agency Gambi spoke of being retired from in the previous episode. With Lady Eve having a tie to that agency as well as having her hands in the criminal activities of Freeland, it calls into question what her endgame might be and if, maybe, she gets to name the super powered people of Freeland metahumans because she's had some role in creating them. While that particular mystery continues to unfold, one thing is clear. It's nice to hear some familiar terminology on Black Lightning and it will be interesting to see how many more metahumans show up in Freeland.

Black Lightning airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW.

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