Black Lightning is one of the newer superhero shows on the CW network, but the character has a long history in DC Comics. Cress Williams stars as Jefferson Pierce, a powerful meta-human who accidentally received superhuman abilities from a tainted vaccine.
Black Lightning is best known for his electricity-related abilities, but he also gained several other powers from a vaccine. The show also introduces many other meta-humans, each with a unique ability or skill. Here is a brief list of all of the meta-human abilities on Black Lightning, ranked.
Shape-Shifting
Grace Choi is a mysterious meta-human who works as a bartender in the Black Lightning series. She is a shape-shifter who uses pills to control and suppress her meta-human condition. She can manipulate her cells to change her appearance and assume the form of any humans or animals.
Grace falls in love with Anissa Pierce later in the series, but she can often be a secretive and private character. Grace is not always able to control the timing and appearance of her shape-shifting, and sometimes she has to go on the run or into hiding because of her condition, making it the least appealing meta power on the show.
Venom
Khalil Payne, also known as Painkiller, is a villain who became a series regular in season 2. Payne was originally Jennifer Pierce’s friend, and he was also a star of the high school track team. However, after Tobias Whale had a sniper shoot and paralyze him, Payne became distraught and turned to him for help. Payne later received a spinal transplant, and with it, the ability to shoot a paralyzing venom at foes. The spinal implant also increased Payne’s speed, stamina, and dexterity in fights. Payne was a conflicted character, but his artificial meta-human abilities were always dangerous.
Telekinesis
Giselle Cutter is a mercenary who often works with Tobias Whale. Cutter’s origin is unknown, but her meta-human ability is telekinesis. She is also an expert markswoman who can manipulate knives with her mind. Cutter also uses a telekinetic force field to avoid projectiles like bullets, and she is able to fight off multiple meta-humans at once.
Giselle also adds an anti-meta-human toxin to her weapons, and she is an expert tracker and spy. Cutter’s force fields and ability to enhance her throwing knives with telekinesis make her a powerful villain. She combines physical and mental weapons with devastating results - which makes it even more impressive that she’s this far down the list.
Elemental Manipulation
In Black Lightning, the Masters of Disaster is a group of villains made up of four meta-humans. Each member can control a different element. Marcus Bishop is code-named Shakedown, and he is able to control sound vibrations. Darryl Robinson, or Coldsnap, can control ice, and Rebecca Jones, or New Wave, can control water.
The fourth meta-human in the group is a fire user named Heatstroke. He is later killed during a battle. However, the Masters of Disaster are still skilled hand-to-hand combatants with dangerous and unpredictable elemental attacks. They work well as a team and are one of the most difficult challenges that Black Lightning has to face.
Absorption
Looker is a meta-human villain with enhanced speed and strength. However, her most unique meta-human ability is her ability to absorb life force with long, metallic tendrils. Looker shoots them from her fingernails and uses them to slowly drain the life force from her opponents. She can also absorb information in flashes and visions once she makes contact with them. Looker is also a formidable hand-to-hand fighter and possesses immense speed. Looker is one of the most imposing villains in the series because of her physical and meta-human abilities.
Longevity
Who wants to live forever? Many supervillains and heroes consider immorality to be a curse, but meta-human Tobias Whale embraces his longevity. Even though he had to use a serum to obtain (near) immortality, he is still a dangerous threat to meta-human superheroes like Black Lightning. The serum also gave Tobias super strength, and it allows him to age at an incredibly slow rate. He is similar to Marvel villains like Kingpin because of his underworld connections and ties to organized crime. However, the combination of Whale’s meta-human abilities, intelligence, and influence might make him an even bigger threat.
Shock Waves
Anissa Pierce, also known by her code name Thunder, is Black Lightning’s older daughter. She possesses super strength and enhanced healing. However, her most well-known powers are related to sound, including her ability to create shock waves and thunderclaps by stomping or clapping. Anissa can also hold her breath to increase her strength.
She only has to inhale for an instant before she attacks an opponent. This breath control allows Anissa to access her superhuman strength and send enemies - and cars- flying. Like her father, Anissa also discovered her powers by accident, and she is also continuing to develop and improve her abilities.
Photokinesis and Firestorms
Jennifer Pierce, also known as Lightning, is another powerful member of the Pierce family in Black Lightning. Like her father, she is able to manipulate electricity to shoot blasts, control objects, and create electric lassos. She can also generate an electric field that resembles a firestorm. Another unique meta-human ability that Lightning can use is photokinesis, or light manipulation. This dazzling attack allows Jennifer to throw balls of light at enemies to hurt or temporarily blind them. Jennifer is one of the youngest meta-humans on the show, but her unique abilities make her one of the strongest.
Electrokinesis
In the Black Lightning TV series, Jefferson Pierce discovered his powers by accident. He was powerful enough to knock out two adults at age twelve, but he was unable to understand his powers until many years later. Pierce continued to become stronger under the tutelage of Peter Gambi, a kind tailor and ex-government agent. Pierce can generate electric blasts, create shields, absorb electricity, and throw objects and people with whip-like tendrils of electricity. His abilities increase in later episodes, and also uses his electricity to fly. The sheer versatility of Black Lightning’s electrokinesis make it the most powerful ability in the series.
