One of Black Lightning’s key supporting cast members might be getting his own show. According to Deadline, the series’ upcoming fourth season’s seventh episode will pay special attention to Jordan Calloway’s Khalil Payne, a.k.a. Painkiller. If it does well, the episode could result in Calloway headlining a new Painkiller spinoff.
Calloway made his first appearance as Khalil during Black Lightning‘s first season and became a series regular in season 2. He struck up a relationship with Jefferson Pierce’s daughter, Jennifer, before a gunshot wound left him paralyzed and ended his athletic career. Khalil was eventually found by Tobias Whale and given surgery that healed his injury and gave him superhuman abilities. Unfortunately, Whale also brainwashed Khalil into becoming one of his henchmen. Jefferson (as Black Lightning) later helped free him from his programming. The Painkiller spinoff will show Khalil trying to reconcile with his past after moving from Freeland to Akashic Valley.
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This wouldn’t be the first time that the Arrowverse has played around with the backdoor pilot model. The CW originally planned on giving The Flash a backdoor pilot on Arrow before abandoning this in favor of a traditional pilot episode in 2014. In 2018, the second chapter of the network’s Elseworlds crossover served as a backdoor pilot for Ruby Rose’s Batwoman series. Earlier this year, the penultimate episode of Arrow debuted to introduce the idea of a Green Arrow and the Canaries spinoff. However, The CW still hasn’t announced whether this series has been picked up.
Black Lightning will return to The CW in February 2021.
Are you excited about the network’s plans for a potential Painkiller spinoff? Tell us what you think in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Black Lightning: Year One (New Edition)
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