Following Supergirl‘s move from CBS to The CW, the network now has four superhero TV shows on the air. The others are, of course, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and Arrow, but a fifth will soon be added in the form of Black Lightning. While that’s certainly exciting, those of you hoping that the hero would be seen standing side by side with characters from the shows mentioned above are going to be seriously disappointed.
It’s been confirmed today that the series won’t premiere until the midseason (meaning early 2018) and, here’s the kicker, it won’t be part of the Arrowverse nor will it be included in this winter’s four-way crossover event. That also means we can rule out seeing Black Lightning make a cameo appearance in one of the other CW DC shows.
“We do not aim to do a five-way crossover. Black Lightning, at this time, is not part of the Arrowverse. It is a separate situation. But there will be a big fourth quarter crossover with all four of the shows that are on in the fall,” said network chief Mark Pedowitz.
That’s a shame, but if you recall, there was a time when Supergirl wasn’t part of the Arrowverse, either, and that soon changed despite her living on another Earth. The Flash’s ability to travel from Earth to Earth definitely opens the door for some sort of meeting down the road, but for the time being, we probably shouldn’t expect to see Black Lightning interact with any of these other characters.