Last season on Black Lightning, Wayne Brady made his Arrowverse debut as one of the series’s primary antagonists. Brady’s Gravedigger was a powerful metahuman fighting on the Markovian side of the war and despite his impressive powers, he was ultimately defeated though the door was left open for the character to return. Now, with Black Lightning in its final season, showrunner Salim Akil says that the series may bring the fan-favorite character back.
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“Oh yeah, we’re trying to think of a way to bring him back,” Akil told Entertainment Weekly.
Brady himself has expressed interest in returning as the character. Brady previously said that he’d be interested in coming back be it as part of Black Lightning‘s fourth season or even the potential Painkiller spinoff announced to be in the works back in November.
“The thing about Gravedigger is, I came in and Gravedigger just kicked everybody’s behind,” Brady said. “With the cancellation notice, they’re trying to do what they can with the season. I don’t know if I’ll be a part of this yet. But I do think that there’s always — as long as no one’s ever said, ‘Yes, Gravedigger’s dead’ — there’s always a possibility that he may come back in the new spinoff.”
News of Black Lightning’s cancellation came as a shock to fans in late November when it was announced. At the time, series creator Salim Akil expressed his excitement at the possibility of the Painkiller series as a way of continuing the story in a new chapter.
“When we first started the Black Lighting journey, I knew that Jefferson Pierce and his family of powerful Black Women would be a unique addition to the superhero genre,” Akil told Variety in a statement. “The love that Blerds and all comic book fans around the globe have shown this series over the past three seasons proved what we imagined, Black People Want To See Themselves in all their complexities.”
“Thank you to the phenomenal cast, writers, and crew without whom none of this would’ve been possible,” Akil added. “I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve been able to do and the moments we’ve been able to create in bringing DC’s first African-American family of superheroes to life for the culture. I’m very grateful to Peter Roth, Warner Bros. TV, Mark Pedowitz, The CW Network, and Greg Berlanti for their partnership and support of my vision at every step of this journey. While Season Four may be the end of one journey, I’m extremely excited to usher in a new chapter and continued collaboration with The CW as we tell the story of Painkiller.”
Black Lightning airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on The CW.
