Black Lightning showrunner Salim Akil remains hopeful that the TV show will eventually give rise to multiple spinoffs, allowing superheroes like Static to join the 'Lightningverse' down the line. Black Lightning isn't part of the Arrowverse, but it's become another hit superhero show for The CW. Taking on more socio-political content than its peers, the series also differs in its focus on a more wizened protagonist who has a family himself. In fact, the trailer for this week's Black Lightning episode teases that more members of the Pierce family will soon discover that they have super-powers of their own.

When Arrow first launched on The CW, the idea that it would eventually become the cornerstone of a shared television universe might have seemed like a reach. However, the network is now at a place where it can add a show like Black Lightning and entertain the idea of it kicking off a TV universe of its own one day. So, while there's still a chance that Black Lightning will become part of the Arrowverse in the future, spinoffs aren't outside the realm of possibility either.

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Yahoo Movies UK spoke with Akil about the initial success of Black Lightning and what the future could hold for the series. In particular, Akil seemed to like the outlet's idea for a Black Lightning TV universe (e.g. a 'Lightningverse') that exists separately from the Arrowverse on The CW:

"Yeah let’s hope so, we want to entertain. I know this show is topical and it has some political merit to it, but we also want to entertain and make people laugh and get them excited about the fight sequences, and the characters that are coming in, as well as the villains that are coming in. We hope it will be a well-rounded experience so yes, we’d love to see other superheroes come through."

DC has a vast catalogue of heroes and villains that haven't yet appeared in any of their TV shows, let alone the Arrowverse. As such, it's not hard to imagine Black Lightning being able to subsist on unique characters. Likewise, a spinoff would have no shortage of source material to pull from. And when it comes to someone in particular that Akil would like to see on Black Lightning or in the 'Lightningverse': "Static could be interesting."

Last summer, the Black Lightning showrunner teased Static Shock for the show. And while there's no indication this will happen, there have been rumors for years of a series featuring a live-action Static. Both Static's animated show and comics have been a hit, and the character has plenty of name recognition. If Jefferson Pierce settles back into retirement and his daughters step up as heroes, perhaps Static could join the crop of metas trained by Black Lightning to fight for individual communities. We could even see something like the group The Outsiders led by Black Lightning. We'll have to wait a bit longer to se what actually happens, but for now the future is wide open for The CW to expand on Black Lightning.

MORE: Black Lightning Reveals Why People Don’t Recognize Jefferson

Black Lightning continues tomorrow, January 30 with ‘LaWanda: The Book of Burial’ on The CW.

Source: Yahoo Movies UK