Marvin “Krondon” Jones III has been cast as Tobias Whale for the first season of Black Lightning.
As Tobias Whale, Jones will serve as the big bad facing off against Jefferson Pierce, a.k.a. Black Lightning (Cress Williams). Whale — an African-American man with albinism — is the leader of a gang called The 100, but before that he was a corrupt politician who was brought down by Alvin Pierce, Black Lightning’s father. Enraged, Whale murders Alvin Pierce and goes to ground, but when Black Lightning comes out of retirement Whale also returns to face his biggest adversary.
“I was excited about Krondon when I saw his audition. He’s going to make a great Tobias,” executive producer Salim Akil said. “His authentic street sensibility along with an insightful intelligence is perfect for the Tobias character arc. Not to mention his regal physical bearing will be additive to making our show exciting and different.”
During a panel at San Diego Comic-Con, Akil detailed what the show would be all about.
“It’s time [for Black Lightning.] Jefferson Pierce is the epitome of what black men are: He loves his wife, his children, and the community,” he said. “This family is the Obamas of the superhero world. This show will have an authentic black voice. This character will add something to the conversation. We’ve always been character-based and we’ll continue to be character-based. It’s about when and how he uses his powers and why. We want people to get to know this family. Their powers, like their race, is only part of who they are. There’s definitely a problem with police brutality and we will get into that. There’s also a problem with us killing each other and we’ll talk about that too.”
Black Lightning will premiere in 2018 on the CW.
