Black Lightning

Academic by day, urban avenger by night, Jefferson Pierce has fought all levels of crime and corruption as a solo hero, a Justice Leaguer, and an Outsider.

Jefferson Pierce grew up poor and with few expectations put on him. But rather than coast through life, he decided to challenge himself at every turn. As an adult, he entered the Olympics and won three gold medals. He furthered his education, then turned to teaching so he could help young people realize their own potential as he had. But gang violence and criminals kept threatening his community and his students, which is when Jefferson Pierce decided to no longer hide from the metahuman abilities he had been born with and started fighting evil as Black Lightning.

While some vigilantes just want to stop crime or punish criminals, Black Lightning tries to help communities become stronger. As a superhero, he wants to be an example that people can fight back against predators and opportunists. As an educator, he tells kids that who they are in life is their own choice, regardless of circumstances. Whether on his own or with teams such as the Justice League and the Outsiders, Black Lightning will always strike when justice is needed.

Character Facts

Powers:

creates and controls lightning, creates and controls electromagnetic fields, Olympic-level athlete, skilled fighter

First Appearance:

BLACK LIGHTNING #1 (1977)

Alias/Alter Ego:

Jefferson Pierce

Base of Operations:

Freeland

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