SDCC 2019: Inside the Black Lightning Press Room

The cast of the CW series Black Lightning brought the thunder and lit up San Diego Comic-Con. Series regulars Cress Williams, Christine Adams, Nafessa Williams, China Anne McClain, Marvin ‘Krondon’ Jones III, and Jordan Calloway were on hand to meet fans, speak to the press, and tease what’s ahead for the Pierce family, the city of Freeland, and the impending Markovian War. Pop Culturalist was inside the press room, and here’s everything we learned!

Jordan Calloway on Khalil’s Journey:
“What’s fun about the character of Khalil/Painkiller is you’re dealing with two different types of personalities. You’re dealing with the Tale of Two Cities. You have this young kid who’s now reached the part of his life where he’s seeing the consequences of his actions. He has the choice of deciding whether or not he’s going to learn from it or not.”

Christine Adams on What’s Ahead for the Pierce Family
“You won’t see any Pierce family dinner scenes for a while. You’re going to see each member of that family going off on their own journeys in different dimensions—not necessarily another planet but certainly in very different circles.”

Christine Adams on the Toil Lynn Faces with Her Family on the Front Line
“This has been Lynn’s struggle since day 1, Season 1, Episode 1. She’s sick and tired of it, from her husband going out and now her two kids. It’s going to be really challenging for her this season.”

China Anne McClain on Her Character’s Suit
“My character was like, ‘I love it! I love it!’ That was what I was doing too. I really did like it. It didn’t look like that at first. I think I was supposed to be in it earlier, but it took a while to get it perfect. It took a long way from what it looked like at first. I loved putting it on.”

China Anne McClain on How Jennifer Will React After Learning Khalil is Alive
“Even I don’t know! Khalil comes back different. He’s very different. I don’t know how she’s going to react. Hopefully, she’ll be happy. But I don’t know if that’ll last.”

Marvin ‘Krondon’ Jones III on the Impact of Season 2 on His Character
“I think it will make Tobias a lot more calculated. He’s always been a deep thinker and very strategic. What has happened in Season 2 has made him a lot more angry. When he’s angry, he’s a lot more introverted.”

Nafessa Williams on Anissa’s Journey Heading into Season 3
“She’s definitely coming into her own. She feels confident. She trusts herself. She’s still on that journey of finding justice by any means necessary. Her father doesn’t always agree with that. But she’s an adult now. She’s matured. That’s what we’ll see more this season.”

Cress Williams on What to Expect in Season 3
“The whole show is going to expand. In Season 1, it was about the family. Season 2 was expanding to the community. Now, with the Markovian threat, it’s become global. I think there will be an expansion on both sides—good and bad. There will be an expansion of villains and good guys.”

Season 3 of Black Lightning returns October 7 at 9/8c on The CW.