Black Lightning is set to premiere on The CW in early 2018, with supporting casting well underway. This week we learned who will play an important character from the comics: Grace Choi. Chantal Thuy of Madam Secretary and Pretty Little Liars will portray Anissa Pierce’s romantic interest.
“Grace is a comic book fan who befriends Anissa while she is coming to terms with her abilities and becomes Anissa’s first confidant about the struggles and challenges of having abilities,” reports Variety.
This relationship is canon, and one of the most beloved LGBTQ representations in DC Comics. Grace Choi was created by Judd Winick and Tom Raney, first appearing DC in Outsiders #1 in 2003. That’s where she met Anissa, aka Thunder. The two hit it off.
As an Asian-American hero who is later revealed to be half Amazon, Grace carries the gifts of the gods -- superhuman strength, durability, speed, stamina and healing. She’s tall, muscular, feminine and unapologetically bisexual. She had much different (and more traumatic) upbringing than Thunder, surviving a human trafficking ring. When Black Lightning refused to accept Thunder’s desire to follow in his footsteps, it was Grace who was there for her through it all.
It looks like the Black Lightning TV series will stay true to the source material. Series star Cress Williams told us during San Diego Comic-Con he doesn't want his daughters to follow in his footsteps, but also won’t be ignorant to the fact that they probably will. In this case, he wants them to be educated and well-trained.
Given this dynamic, it seems unlikely we’ll see Anissa and her father fight side by side. But with Grace in the picture, it looks like Anissa may find a group of powered friends, and a girlfriend, to run with.
For more on Black Lighting, read our interview with Nafessa Williams, who plays Anissa Pierce. Also check out our interviews with the rest of the cast.
