Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Black Lightning's season 3 finale.
The War for Freeland came to a end in the finale of Black Lightning season 3. Yet the end of the fighting between the government of Markovia and the American Security Agency (ASA) over their respective programs to create an army of metahumans brought with it a new beginning that promises big changes for the show and the Arrowverse at large.
Black Lightning season 3 saw the Pierce family trying to work with the ASA to protect Freeland from Markovian terrorists, after the sinister Agent Odell made it clear that he knew all about Jefferson Pierce's secret life as Black Lightning and that his daughters Anissa and Jennifer had developed superpowers too. It soon became apparent that Odell was no better than the evils he claimed to be working against, instituting martial law in Freeland and holding those people who had developed metahuman powers because of the ASA's secret experiments against their will. This started a year-long shadow war, with the ASA working against a growing Resistance movement, the organized underworld of Freeland and the Markovians.
With the ASA weakened by the multi-front war, the Markovians sought a swift end to the conflict and sent in their elite Rangers led by Gravedigger, a former US Army soldier and history's first recorded metahuman, who had grown disillusioned with the racism of his home nation and accepted a charge from the Markovian government to form a new nation, where metahumans would be free citizens rather soldiers enslaved to the whims of a government. As laudable as this goal was, Gravedigger was determined to build this nation by force, abducting every metahuman in Freeland whether they wanted to join his new nation or not. Worse yet, Gravedigger had transformed himself into a one-man army, acquiring the superpowers of multiple metahumans thanks to the meta-booster serum developed by Dr. Lynn Stewart.
Gravedigger Vs. Black Lightning: Round One
The finale picked up where the penultimate episode ended, with Black Lightning charging into battle against Gravedigger. Gravedigger noted that Black Lightning was hitting harder than he had during their first battle in Markovia and swiftly deduced that Lightning (whom he had nearly killed) must be Black Lightning's daughter. After commenting that it was amazing how a man could do things he ordinarily couldn't or wouldn't do for his blood, Black Lightning revealed that he and Gravedigger were blood. He then related the family history he had recently figured out: that Gravedigger was the half-brother of his grandfather, Ben Pierce, and therefore his great uncle.
This revelation did nothing to change Gravedigger's attitude, save that he offered Black Lightning another chance to stand down. Blood or no blood, he had a mission to rescue all the metahumans in Freeland and nothing was going to stop that mission from getting fulfilled. When Black Lightning refused to surrender, Gravedigger attacked him with one of his new powers he had acquired - the ability to radiate focused microwaves. Black Lightning was barely able to absorb the energy from a nearby neon sign to push Gravedigger back and give himself the space to take to the sky and retreat before he was cooked alive.
The ASA Clean House Before Fleeing Freeland
As Black Lightning fought Gravedigger and the Markovian army invaded Freeland, the ASA were moving into action - not to protect the city or its people, but to destroy all the evidence regarding their activities over the past year. As Agent Odell arranged the destruction of the one ASA safehouse still hidden within Freeland, he dispatched Major Grey to retrieve the ASA Briefcase while sending Commander Williams to eliminate the doctors who had worked for the ASA that were still in the city. This led to the death of Dr. Jace, before Commander Williams went off in search of Dr. Lynn Stewart.
Freeland's Underworld Joins The Resistance
Major Grey went to Lady Eve, whom Agent Odell had brokered a deal regarding the ASA Briefcase and her reclaiming her seat on The Shadow Board, a mysterious criminal syndicate with connections to the ASA and the 100 gang. After being assured that Odell had agreed to her terms, Lady Eve volunteered that the ASA Briefcase was now in the possession of former ASA agent Peter "The Tailor" Gambi. Major Grey thanked Lady Eve for her cooperation and informed her that she should prepare to relocate to Gotham City and that she would be taking over the Shadow Board operations there.
This news didn't please Lady Eve, who quickly concluded that the rumors of the ASA planning to nuke Freeland if the Markovians took it were true, if they were wanting her to relocate to Gotham City. A fire-fight broke out between Lady Eve's men and the ASA troops. Lady Eve was wounded but still walking after the battle, and she gave the order for her people and the 100 Gang to move out into the streets and aid the Freeland Resistance in fighting the Markovian invaders. After remaining neutral for most of the war, Freeland's criminal class, including the Tattooed Man Lala, came through in the 11th hour to save the city.
Khalil Conquers Painkiller... For Now
One of the most engaging subplots of Black Lightning season 3 centered around Khalil "Painkiller" Payne. Killed in season 2 by Tobias Whale after he turned against the crime-lord, Khalil was resurrected by the ASA using an advanced microchip that restored his lower brain functions and gave him a new personality that was conditioned to kill without question. The technopathic TC was able to reprogram the chip to free Khalil's dormant personality and stick the Painkiller programming behind a firewall, but Khalil still had to deal with the PTSD brought on by the memories of the people he killed for the ASA, including his own mother, activist Nichelle Payne.
When it became clear that Khalil couldn't fully repress the Painkiller program after Painkiller briefly took control of his body and nearly killed Jennifer Pierce, Khalil sought to leave Freeland and put as much distance between himself and his ex-girlfriend as possible. Painkiller reasserted control in the penultimate episode of season 3 and seemed ready to kill Jennifer Pierce once and for all after taking on a squadron of Markovian soldiers and stealing a suitable energy weapon in the finale. However, Khalil's real personality rallied when the woman he loved was in danger, and engaged Painkiller in a mental battle that left Khalil in control of his own actions again.
Chief Henderson Dies Saving Black Lightning
Growing up on the streets of Freeland together, Bill Henderson and Jefferson Pierce were fast friends. That friendship lasted into adulthood, with both men serving their community in different ways; Henderson as a cop and Pierce as an educator. Jefferson was never entirely at ease with hiding his activities as Black Lightning from his best friend and Henderson was never completely at ease with Jefferson after he figured out his secret identity during season 2.
The two friends put their differences aside in the name of protecting their city throughout season 3, as Henderson (now Chief of Police for Freeland) found himself playing a game of shadows, working with the ASA while secretly aiding the Freeland Resistance. The season finale saw Henderson take a fatal wound to the chest, while sniping the elite team of Markovian Rangers that had been sent to ambush Black Lightning and Lightning with specialized energy weapons against which their powers would be useless. Bill Henderson died as he had lived; doing what seemed like the best idea at the time for Freeland.
Gravedigger Vs. Black Lightning: Round Two
Ironically the ASA abandoning Freeland gave the Resistance the perfect place to hide the metahuman children they had taken in and make a stand against the Markovian invaders: the secret ASA laboratory unofficially known as The Pit. This also gave Dr. Lynn Stewart the facility she needed to develop a formula that could neutralize the serum she had developed that temporarily granted people metahuman abilities. The children were sealed in an underground vault while Freeland's superheroes and the Resistance tried to buy Lynn the time she needed to complete her so-called "anti-booster."
Gravedigger had little trouble with the Resistance fighters, using his mind-control powers to make them go to sleep. Even the metahumans had little chance against him with the extra powers he had acquired from the meta-booster, including flight, a sonic scream, heat-vision and force-fields in addition to his natural super-strength and invulnerability. He was ready to finish what he started and cook Black Lightning alive with microwaves when Lynn dosed him with the anti-booster. Black Lightning knocked Gravedigger down but not out, and was forced to flee when he was alerted that the ASA had just triggered the self-destruct on The Pit. Jefferson was barely able to fly out of the bunker in time, carrying Lynn while leaving Gravedigger behind.
Agent Odell Gets His Comeuppance
After Agent Odell triggered the self-destruct on The Pit, he tried to make his escape from Freeland in a waiting government van. Unfortunately for him, Khalil Payne was waiting for him as well and the codewords he had programmed into Painkiller to make him stand down had no effect on Khalil. Black Lightning showed up and tried to talk Khalil out of killing Odell, saying that a bullet in the brain was too good for him. Khalil agreed, but he still put a bullet through Odell's spleen, saying that he didn't need that to live. Apparently satisfied with that and that Black Lightning would see Odell arrested, Khalil walked away and didn't look back.
Grace Choi Is In A Coma After Her Fight With Thunder
The heroes of Freeland managed to emerge from the war with only one major casualty. Grace Choi, who was forced to fight Thunder by Gravedigger's mind-control powers, was knocked into a coma when Thunder acted to defend herself. As the finale ended, it was unclear when (or if) Grace might ever awaken, as her shape-shifting powers made it impossible to determine a baseline for her normal brainwave activity. This put a dark cloud over her marriage to Thunder, with the two having arranged a quick wedding before the War for Freeland started in the penultimate episode of Black Lightning season 3.
The ASA Is Shut Down & A New School For Metas Created
With the Markovian forces repelled, Congress launched a full investigation into the actions of the ASA. The end result of this was the dissolution of the agency, after a public hearing in which Black Lightning, Thunder and Lightning testified as to the crimes of the ASA during the occupation of Freeland and their handing over the ASA Briefcase, with all the information it contained over what the agency had done to the people of Freeland over the past four decades. The special Congressional committee also authorized funding for a boarding school, proposed by Dr. Lynn Stewart, which would tend to the special needs of the now-stable Pod Kids and Green Light Babies created by the ASA metahuman experiments; some of whom had been cryogenically frozen since the 1980s.
The Pierce Family Secrets Are Safe
With the ASA disbanded, the Pierce family no longer have to worry about being forced to work for the government. While Agent Odell still knows the family's secrets, he is in no position to exploit them or reveal anyone's secret identities in a way that would profit him. More, thanks to Lynn's killing Commander Williams in self-defense and Peter Gambi arranging an ambush of Major Grey and the few ASA agents who knew the Pierce family's connection to Freeland's superheroes, there is no one left who might expose Black Lightning's secret identity to the world that would be inclined to do so.
Gravedigger Is Still Alive And At Large
The fate of Gravedigger was confirmed in the final scene, as Gravedigger was seen walking out of the Congressional hearings. He had used a holographic mask to hide his true face. Apparently enough of his natural invulnerability remained to allow him to survive the destruction of The Pit. Presumably he's still out to execute his plan to establish a free nation for metahumans and will return in Season 4, serving as an anti-hero similar to Magneto from X-Men.
Tobias Whale Preparing For A New War in Season 4
One figure who was seemingly overlooked in the aftermath of the War For Freeland was Black Lightning's archenemy Tobias Whale, who escaped from Markovian custody during the same raid that freed Lynn Stewart. The finale revealed that Tobias was still in Markovia and he had tracked down Michael Allen; a nurse employed by the ASA who was also a Markovian double agent. While Tobias' plans are still unclear, they required his learning where the Markovian government was keeping all the metahumans they had in cryogenic suspension. They also involve his returning to Freeland, as Tobias said that it was time to pack his bags, while he watched the news coverage of the Congressional hearings shutting down the ASA.