WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for "The Book of Occupation: Chapter One: The Birth of Blackbird," the Season 3 premiere of Black Lightning.
The Season 3 premiere of Black Lightning shows Jefferson Pierce keeping a low profile -- mainly due to being a prisoner of the secret government agency called the A.S.A. -- but the street-level hero is able to discover an upgrade to his meta-human powers.
The premiere episode "The Book of Occupation: Chapter One: The Birth of Blackbird" kicks off with Black Lightning and other A.S.A. prisoners undergoing numerous tests and experiments. When the scenes begin to focus on Jefferson, the days start counting by, before revealing he's being held well over a month.
Once it's time for his release, a Markovian attack on a Freeland detention center forces Agent Odell to keep Jefferson and Lynn longer than anticipated. However, as a sign of good faith, Agent Odell does remove Jefferson's meta-human inhibitor collar. It's here that Jefferson starts to realize he can see other prisoners through the walls and floors. First, he spots his archnemesis Tobias Whale, followed by a young Greenlight boy named Issa.
Black Lightning shares this news with Lynn, whispering, "You know the tests, the experiments they did on me? They must have opened a door in me some kind of way."
When Lynn remarks that he's always been able to see through things, Jefferson reminds her that it never happened without his Black Lightning suit and his powers interfacing with Gambi's tech inside it. Now, the visions come through naturally and much more clearly. It may not seem like a lot, but it's a major change to Black Lightning's status quo that he doesn't have to fully rely on his superhero costume to utilize his powers.
Whenever Black Lighting is set free, having the ability to naturally look through walls and obstacles will come in handy while out in the field, working to keep Freeland safe. Also, there is no telling what other enhancements and upgrades he'll find in his meta-human powers as Season 3 progresses.
Written by Salim Akil and Mara Brock Akil and developed by Berlanti Productions, Akil Productions and Warner Bros. Television, Black Lightning stars Cress Williams as Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightning, China Anne McClain as Jennifer Pierce, Nafessa Williams as Anissa Pierce/Thunder, Christine Adams as Lynn Stewart, Marvin "Krondon" Jones III as Tobias Whale, Damon Gupton as Billy Henderson and James Remar as Peter Gambi.