Nafessa Williams

“Family is the basis of our show,” is how Nafessa Williams describes CW’s Black Lightning and it is undeniably so as we will soon see a family of super powered heroes take on the criminal underworld. Playing the oldest daughter Anissa Pierce we know that eventually we will see a new hero join in on the action of crime fighting as the character Thunder. Williams also touches on how the show has an impactful social message for those who have yet to see a family of African American heroes take on the bad guys. Being a dream come true it’s not hard to see the excitement in her eyes as Anissa Williams goes into depth on her role in the family of lightning.

Williams hints that while she is aware that her character is the hero known as Thunder, that things are still developing so it may be a little while before we see her truly shine. Wanting to follow in her father’s footsteps, Anissa will be a beacon to fans who have the chance to see a strong woman fight side by side with her father while still maintaining autonomy as a force of her own. Williams also discusses how after receiving the role she dove into the comic to familiarize herself with the character after already being accustomed to heroes such as Wonder Woman and Super girl. Black Lightning surely will live up to every expectation we have about seeing a family hold together in trying times while also kicking ass so be sure to tune in.

Jefferson Pierce (Cress Williams) is a man wrestling with a secret. 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 New Orleans neighborhood overrun by gang violence, he is a hero to his community. Nine years ago, Pierce was a hero of a different sort. 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. 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 superhero days behind and settled into being a principal and a dad. 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. Almost a decade later, Pierce’s crime-fighting days are long behind him-or so he thought. 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. Based on the characters from DC, Black Lightning is from Berlanti Productions and Akil Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television with executive producers Greg Berlanti (Arrow, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Supergirl), Salim Akil and Mara Brock Akil (Being Mary Jane, The Game, Jumping the Broom, Girlfriends), and Sarah Schechter (Arrow, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Supergirl). Black Lightning premieres midseason on The CW. | Black Lightning Special Video Presentation and Q&A