“Black Lightning” may not be set in the same universe as “Arrow” or “The Flash,” but that’s not stopping Nafessa Williams from hoping for an epic, all-female team-up down the line.
The actress stars as Anissa Pierce on The CW’s latest superhero series, the eldest daughter of Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams), a high school principal who moonlights as the super-powered vigilante Black Lightning. Like her father, Anissa has metahuman powers of her own and eventually joins the family business by become the crime-fighting hero Thunder.
While “Black Lightning,” which debuts Jan. 16, takes place in a more realistic universe than the other DC Comics’ shows, Williams recently revealed to Metro that she would love for her character to team-up with the likes of Supergirl, White Canary and the rest of The CW’s butt-kicking women at some point.
“That would be really, really cool,” Williams says. “We’d have to find a way to make it make sense, but I would love to team-up with them, for sure.”
It may take some comic book-style magic, but stranger things have happened in The CW’s superhero multiverse, so a team-up can certainly take place if the producers ever want to go down that road.
In addition to her excitement over joining the highly-anticipated series, Williams is happy that DC Comics’ roster of female heroes are finally getting their time to shine thanks to the success of “Wonder Woman” at the box office and “Supergirl” on the small screen. She hopes to add to their legacy with her upcoming portrayal of Thunder.
As Hollywood continues to grapple with the topic of gender equality stemming from the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, Williams believes that now is a “really important” time for female superheroes to be in the spotlight.
“It’s time. It’s long overdue,” Williams says. “I’m just happy to be apart of that lineup and this tribe of women who are standing up and just boldly walking in their truth and not backing down and saying, ‘Hey, we’re women, but we’re just as strong.'”
“Black Lightning” debuts on The CW Tuesday, Jan. 16, at 9 p.m.
