Nafessa Williams of Black Lightning spoke about the show at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con.

Black Lightning wasn’t the only hero featured on his self-titled CW drama last season. Jefferson Pierce’s daughter Anissa followed in her comic counterpart’s footsteps by donning the identity of Thunder. Played by Nafessa Williams, the character of Anissa became a favorite for LGBT viewers, who were glad to see representation on a superhero show.

At 2018 San Diego Comic-Con, Nafessa Williams attended a media session for Black Lightning. I had the pleasure of speaking with her about what Anissa will be up to in season 2.

When she arrived at our press table, a journalist told her that James Remar, who plays Gambi, had great things to say about her. “We have so much fun”, she said, clearly flattered. “You know he’s the OG, he’s a legend. So when legends speak and you’re in the room with them, I get really quiet and I listen and I pay attention and I learn. Not to sound cliche, but we really are like a family outside of the show. So I believe that’s what helps it to translate on film. So he’s like an uncle to me, like in real life. So it’s cool just to get in front of that camera and play. And you know now that we’re in Season 2 we all know each other really well at this point. We know our characters and we just have fun and go for it”, Nafessa said.

One reporter asked her to elaborate on representation. “It’s overwhelming sometimes. We’re at these comic cons, and a young woman came up to me. She was a teenager, a lesbian and she said after seeing Thunder she felt normal. So to me, that was the greatest reward and it was really overwhelming. I’m crying, she’s crying and to know that we’re being used to show people what they look like. Representation is very important and we all want to see ourselves on TV. So I think that was most rewarding for me knowing that when people tune in they see themselves“, Nafessa said.

Anissa’s relationship with her sister Jennifer was the next topic. “She’s definitely still trying to help Jennifer understand to embrace her powers”, Nafessa said. “This is a God-given gift. You’ve got to use it to save people who can’t save themselves so they’re still kind of butting heads on that and still trying to convince her that this is what you have to do”, she continued.

Nafessa then began to tell us about the challenges her character would be facing in season 2. “I think maybe juggling a love life and trying to be really really focused with understanding that there’s a balance between her love life and her career and her work as a superhero in the community. So that balance. She’s so focused on work and so focused that, you know her family has to sometimes remind her, like you still need to live. So hopefully a little bit of her love life we’ll see”, Nafessa said.

I had been planning on asking her about Grace, a love interest for Anissa in season one, and told her she seemed to already answer my question. “Oh look at…you’re ready huh”, she teased. “No you’re ready, you answered before I could say it”, I replied. Nafessa then continued to speculate on her love life. “Yeah, I think her love life is something that I would like to see a bit more of and to see her explore that. It’s not easy dating people when you’re a superhero. You can’t tell everybody you’re a superhero. You’ve got trust them and trust the process. That can get weird”, she said.

Another reporter at the table brought that that Anissa’s relationships seemed very short. “They haven’t lasted because people don’t understand her and understand how focused she is when it comes to that. Season one it was just really all about her powers and understanding how to develop them and grow as a superhero that love was the last thing on the list”, Nafessa said.

Nafessa was then playfully teased about how rushed her first costume was. “The second one is better. The second is more practical. Yes, she just jumped right in”, Nafessa said as she laughed.

“I think that’s where the struggle and the conflict comes in with her and Jennifer. It was just like ‘wait a minute like how you not gonna jump right in’ ,like this is what we’re supposed to be doing and for her to have different thoughts and feelings about being a superhero it’s just like, ‘how can you not want to come hit the streets with me’. She doesn’t understand. So hopefully we’ll see that. That’s what I think I’m most excited for, is to see all three of us team up. Hopefully we’ll see that this season”, Nafessa said.

Her last question was about the kind of tech and gadgets she’ll be using in season 2. “I wanna talk to y’all”, said struggling to avoid spoilers. “There is something really cool and new”, she excitedly told us. “I can’t give it up. You all gotta stay tuned”, she continued. Before leaving our table, she gave us one final clue. “A cool room”, Nafessa said.