Summary
Black Lightninghas been a fan favorite on streaming for a while now, but that era might be over sooner than fans expected, and this is just the beginning of the end for one of the DC universe’s most well-loved franchises.
WhileDCtried to compete with the MCU on the big screen, the brand arguably saw a lot more success competing with Marvel on TV. While Netflix has its Marvel slate featuring the likes of Daredevil and hisDefendersteammates, The CW built up a larger and more expansive interconnected universe of DC heroes, aptly named the Arrowverse in honor of its first project. WhileArrowwas quickly followed byThe Flashand other projects, one that really stood out was Black Lightning, which didn’t quite play into the interconnectivity of it all but still managed to tell some really compelling stories. All good things come to an end, andBlack Lightningwould get the chop after just four seasonson the CW.
While streaming licenses expire all the time, this really does feel like witnessing the end of an era twice in the span of a year.Superman & Lois’sfinale recently officially closed out the Arrowverse, and many fans have found it difficult to say goodbye to the franchise for good, even with the shows still available to stream easily. The gradual removal of the franchise’s shows from Netflix, one of the streaming platforms with a real international presence, will only make this even harder for fans who lose access to these gems. While American audiences aren’t quite in that spot yet, the removals will still arrive, withBlack Lightningspecifically already scheduled to leave the platform for US users late next year, withArrownot far behind. As of now, its unknown what the plan is for the shows going forward. The CW has made a conscious decision to pivot towards different kinds of content since the Arrowverse days, and might not be keen on hosting so much of its past content strategy on its platform. Even if it did, that wouldn’t do much for international fans.
Only time will tell what the fate of the Arrowverse shows will be, but fans should take the lesson to enjoy things while they’re there. While it’s certainly too late for renewal or revival as the franchise is gone,Black Lightningcould and should live onfor fans to enjoy on streaming, especially in international markets that might not have gotten to experience the series when it actually aired. The quality of the show’s writing and characterization made it a standout experience for many, even with the excess of superhero material that was in circulation at the time. If any other streamers are willing to pick it up or Netflix is willing to renew the license, that would truly be electrifying news.
