Black Lightning: Superpowers Definitely Run in the Family

Ever since Anissa (Nafessa Williams) got her superpowers on Black Lightning, it's felt a little like the second shoe was waiting to drop on Jennifer's (China Anne McClain) potential powers. Eight episodes later... that's one combustable shoe.

While helping her friend put up posters for student council, Jennifer watched nervously as her bestie climbed a very rickety piece of scaffolding. Predictably, the girl lost her footing and went tumbling to the ground, causing a sudden surge of fear in Jennifer, which manifested as glowing red eyes and some sparks of lightning in her hands. It seems Jennifer takes after her dad in the powers area, except rather than white lightning, she emits a kind of red lightning.

The discovery of these powers will obviously be huge and very confusing for Jennifer, but don't expect her to hop right on the superhero train like her sister did.

"It will be different, I can say that," star Cress Williams says of Jennifer and Anissa's respective journeys with their powers. "It'll be different because [Jennifer] comes at it from a different perspective. You've already seen - even if you separate powers - you see that there's a difference in personality types and kind of what's important to them, between Anissa and Jennifer. So once powers are introduced into that, they also subsequently take different roads and take different reactions to it."

Black Lightning Delivers a Superpowered Daddy-Daughter Smackdown!

Whereas Anissa has always been out for the little guy, and therefore was immediately desperate to use her powers to help the community, it seems that Jennifer is more concerned with being an average teenage girl. Being able to light stuff on fire with your bare hands? Definitely not average.

It will be interesting to watch Jennifer react to her abilities in what we can only expect to be a negative way since so far no one else in her family view their powers as a burden. Unfortunately, Jennifer's judgement has not always led her down the right path, so she could be correct in her initial reaction. These powers in the hands of the wrong person are downright dangerous, and unless she makes some big attitude adjustments, she may, in fact, be that kind of wrong person.

Black Lightning airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW.

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