The Flash: Why did Black Lightning end?

Black Lightning made his triumphant return on The Flash: Armageddon, but why did the Cress Williams-led CW series end?

Black Lightning’s back! The hero, that is.

Yes, Jefferson Pierce resurfaced on The Flash during its eighth season as part of the show’s “five-episode-event”, titled “Armageddon”. A five-part adventure, it sees Barry Allen team up with different heroes across the Arrowverse in the hopes of stopping this evil threat that the alien warrior Despero claims is coming.

Having bonded with Jefferson Pierce during Crisis On Infinite Earths, it was fitting that Barry turned to Black Lightning once again for help in the Hall of Justice and it was nice to see the two of them share the screen together after it seemed like they would get the chance to do more of that after Crisis.

Black Lightning‘s conclusion earlier this year, when it bowed out after its fourth season, brought the character’s arc to a close. But just why did the show end so soon when it could have gone on a little longer?

Why was Black Lightning cancelled by The CW?

While the official reason for Black Lightning‘s abrupt ending was never given, there has been speculation in regards to a multitude of reasons.

First of all, the show was the least-watched of all the Arrowverse shows, bringing in less viewers than Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, DC’s Stargirl and Superman and Lois. Honestly, though, that’s not that great of an argument considering it was still performing well enough for the network and had made it to season 4.

On the other hand, there were rumors that it all had to do with the network’s old deal with Netflix, meaning that any CW show produced before 2019 would automatically stream on that service eight days after its finale aired. However, with streaming services now owned by its own parent companies (CBS’ Paramount Plus and Warner Bros.’ HBO Max), the network might feel the best way forward is to make some new shows which can automatically stream on those services instead.

Then again, maybe the network just thought that it was time for Black Lightning to bow out.

Were you happy to see Black Lightning back on The Flash? Let us know in the comments below!