Black Lightning Is in Crisis on Infinite Earths in a “Very Significant Way”

The upcoming “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover is set to include characters from The CW’s Arrowverse and beyond, as they fight in a last-ditch battle to save the multiverse from The Anti-Monitor (LaMonica Garrett). One of the most highly-anticipated characters within the event has been Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightning (Cress Williams), whose solo show has not been regarded as connecting to the Arrowverse for the two-and-a-half seasons that it’s been on the air. Teasers for “Crisis” have showcased a bit of how Jefferson gets drawn into the event, but according to the event’s cast and crew, that will extend even further. In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, “Crisis” executive producer Marc Guggenheim detailed the decision to officially bring Black Lightning into the fold.

“The crossover was not originally designed around him,” Guggenheim revealed, citing the fact that Black Lightning films in Atlanta, while the Arrowverse shows primarily film in Vancouver. “Once we did that, it felt like we had elevated the crossover to another level. Black Lightning’s in it much more than we ever anticipated, and he’s in it in a very significant way. That’s something we worked very closely with the team at Black Lightning because the attitude among all of us, but I don’t want to speak for Black Lightning folks, was if we’re going to bring Black Lightning into the crossover, it can’t just be for a cameo. It has to be in a way that feels significant while still, of course, dealing with our time and space limitations.”

According to Williams, that significant role brought about some fun challenges, especially when playing off of the event’s menagerie of costumed heroes.

“Black Lightning gets pulled into the conflict in a very surprising way,” Williams explained. “He’s not prepared for it. So, he doesn’t know these people. He’s getting introduced into the world for the very first time, and so there’s some conflict early on when he’s trying to figure out, ‘Who are you people and why am I here?’ He’s kind of left off-center, which was really fun to play.”

“What’s most fun about having Black Lightning be part of the crossover is that Black Lightning has never interacted with our characters before, any of them,” Guggenheim added. “There’s a fun interaction between Black Lightning and [Mick] Rory from Legends. Rory calls him Sparkles, which tickles me to no end.”

Are you excited to see Black Lightning factor into “Crisis on Infinite Earths”? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

“Crisis on Infinite Earths” will begin with Supergirl on Sunday, December 8th at 8/7c.