But with crime and corruption spreading like wildfire, and those he cares about in the crosshairs of the menacing local gang The One Hundred, Black Lightning returns - to save not only his family but also the soul of his community. Almost a decade later, Pierce’s crime-fighting days are long behind him…or so he thought.

Choosing to help his city without using his superpowers, he watched his daughters Anissa ( Nafessa Williams) and Jennifer ( China Anne McClain) grow into strong young women, even though his marriage to their mother, Lynn ( Christine Adams), suffered. However, after too many nights with his life on the line, and seeing the effects of the damage and loss that his alter ego was inflicting on his family, he left his Super Hero days behind and settled into being a principal and a dad. Gifted with the superhuman power to harness and control electricity, he used those powers to keep his hometown streets safe as the masked vigilante Black Lightning. Nine years ago, Pierce was a hero of a different sort. As the father of two daughters and principal of a charter high school that also serves as a safe haven for young people in a neighborhood overrun by gang violence, he is a hero to his community.

Jefferson Pierce ( Cress Williams) is a man wrestling with a secret. Jefferson Pierce, who retired from his superhero persona Black Lightning nine years ago after seeing the effects it had on his family, is forced to become a hero again when the rise of the local gang The One Hundred leads to increased crime and corruption in his community.

Black lightning cast