When is Black Lightning season 4 out? Release date, cast, more

A spin-off for DC’s Black Lightning is in the works, with a new series regular on the way, and here’s everything we know about the final season. 

Black Lightning first took to people’s screens back in 2018 and is now an integral part of DC’s Arrowverse. He even made an appearance in the crossover – Crisis on Infinite Earths – as a part of The Flash episode.

So what’s next for the superhero? It won’t be long until fans can find out in the upcoming fourth and final season of the show.

When will Black Lightning season 4 air?

Like most shows and movies at the moment, Black Lightning has seen delays in production due to the ongoing health crisis. It was originally scheduled for a fall 2020 release, however, the show is expected to return to The CW on February 8, 2021.

The news was announced on the show’s official Twitter page.

It has since been revealed that this will be Black Lightning’s final season, with showrunner and executive producer Salim Akil sharing a statement following the announcement.

“When we first started the Black Lighting journey, I knew that Jefferson Pierce and his family of powerful Black women would be a unique addition to the superhero genre,” he said.

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“…I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve been able to do and the moments we’ve been able to create in bringing DC’s first African-American family of super heroes to life for the culture.”

He went on to thank the cast, crew, writers, and studios who had helped make the show a reality for fans.

Who will be starring in season four?

Cress Williams will be returning as Black Lightning, joined by China Ann McClain as Lightning, Nafessa Williams as Thunder, and Jordan Calloway as Painkiller, among others. It was recently announced that, as Painkiller has become a firm fan favorite in the Arrowverse, he will be getting a backdoor pilot in the upcoming season for a spin-off on The CW.

With season four being Black Lightning’s last, news of the potential spin-off is helping a lot of people remain positive about what’s to come, including Salim Akil. In his statement, he also said: “…I’m extremely excited to usher in a new chapter and continued collaboration with The CW as we tell the story of Painkiller.”

He is expected to write, direct, and executive produce the spin-off too.

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In other good news, Black Lightning’s Grace Choi, played by Chantal Thuy, has now been made a series regular, after having starred in the previous three seasons.

Showrunner Akil recently spoke about the change: “I am sure our Black Lightning fans knew, especially those who follow the Grace and Anissa relationship storyline, that having Chantal join as a series regular was only a matter of time.”

Unfortunately, one character that won’t be returning is Damon Gupton’s Chief Bill Henderson who was killed at the end of season three.

What will happen next?

The previous season ended with a surprise for fans, which saw Gravedigger reappear far from dead. Williams spoke about the revelation in an interview with EW: “We don’t know [he] is still alive at that point and has this kind of maniacal grudge against the United States and against the Pierce family.”

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If that weren’t enough, Tobias Whale is expected to cause more problems too, wanting to return to the top of the Freeland underworld. There is also likely to be more on the boarding school being opened for metahumans, which will be run by Lynn and could be very important for Black Lightning’s storyline going forward.

After last season’s cliffhanger, anticipation for what’s in store for the final season is definitely at a high. Black Lightning will air on February 8 on The CW.