Jefferson Pierce is a normal man who grows up in South Side, Suicide Slums, with a dream of success one day. After becoming an Olympic gold medalist in the decathlon and a college graduate, he moves to Metropolis with his wife, Lynn Stewart. The main reason they move is the death of his father, Alvin Pierce. He is killed after trying to open the eyes of the public to the scams of local con man Tobias Whale. They have a daughter they name Anissa (Thunder), and later Lynn becomes pregnant with Jennifer (Lightning). Jefferson is a principal at several schools and is respected for all the good he has done in the neighborhoods and schools he had been in previously. The Wayne Education Trust gives him a grant to come back to South Side to try to do the same there. They look at him as "our last best hope for successful leadership in urban education reform." Jeff sees how bad it is, mostly due to the 100 and Tobias Whale, so he decides to do something with his hidden electricity powers discovered by his wife. He becomes Black Lightning after seeing the quote "Justice--Like Lightning-- Should Ever Appear To Some Men Hope, To Other Men, Fear." He fights local crime at night as a super hero. He is the principal of Garfield High School and he gets to know a student by the name of Earl Clifford. Earl is killed and this starts the end of the 100 and Tobias Whale. Black Lightning eventually defeats them both with the help of Superman.
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