The season continues to follow Jefferson, a high school principal-turned-teacher and re-emerged superhero Black Lightning, in his fight against the corrupt government agency known as the A.S.A.
by taking away all metahuman powers in Freeland, resulting in Odell imprisoning her in the Pit and later executing Jefferson, the Secretary of Education.
He also observed that the season picks up with the Pierce family "a little disjointed" and that Jefferson's immediate focus, shared with his ex-wife Lynn, would be to "keep both of [their] daughters out of the war that's coming.
"[37] After the fictional Eastern European country of Markovia was revealed as the entity responsible for the season two villains known as the Masters of Disaster and that the nation had been building up its own metahuman army, Williams teased that the third season would see the world of the series "getting bigger" with Markovia becoming the source of a number of new metahumans, both heroes and villains.
He also stated that, while everyday life in Freeland would still be a focus of the season, "we want our stories to talk about concerns not just for black folk but for people in general.
"[37] Akil additionally disclosed that Jennifer being stronger than both her father and her sister on account of her unique ability to generate her own electricity would also raise the issue of who is ultimately in control amongst the three.
"[42] As for Tobias, the main villain of the series' first two seasons who was last seen incarcerated, Akil stated that since "his powers are taken [off the table...] he's going to have to use his superior intelligence to work his way out — and not his brawn.
Akil characterized Agent Odell as "a true American patriot, [which] makes him a deadly soldier" and shared that the Pierces would be reluctantly working alongside him in order to protect their community, as it was revealed in the second-season finale that Agent Odell knows of the Pierces' secret identities and abilities.
[45] On October 10, 2019, it was announced that Wayne Brady would play a major recurring role this season as Tyson Sykes / Gravedigger, a World War II-era "super soldier" and American-turned-Markovian asset.
[47] As Anissa Pierce officially takes on the name "Blackbird" this season as a second secret identity, she also receives a new costume for the alter-ego that consists of a black hood and a mask that covers the lower half of her face.
[49][50] A week of production was carved out for Williams to film his scenes for the Arrowverse crossover event "Crisis on Infinite Earths" in Vancouver, British Columbia.
[52][53][54] The mid-season finale and ninth episode of the season titled "The Book of Resistance: Chapter Four: Earth Crisis" ties into the Arrowverse crossover event "Crisis on Infinite Earths" and leads into Cress Williams' appearances as Black Lightning in Part Three and Part Five of the crossover.
The season was originally scheduled to debut two weeks later on October 21 prior to the reveal that Black Lightning would be involved in the Arrowverse crossover event "Crisis on Infinite Earths" on The CW.
[82] Reviewing the premiere for Entertainment Weekly, Christian Holub gave the episode a "B+" grade, writing, "Black Lightning has been able to do a really good job of showcasing real-life racial dynamics and structural inequities through its comic-flavored storytelling.
She opined that, "Black Lightning does a good job of playing with these different concepts of power and showing how they interact, overlap, and cancel each other out.
Black Lightning has nodded towards real life events before, but this premiere, centered around kids being rounded up, separated from their families, and locked in detention camps with no idea of when they'll get out or what they did wrong, feels particularly pointed.