Why Jake Crawford In Fire Country Looks So Familiar

Comic books and villainy must suit Jordan Calloway because, in 2018, the CW cast him as a primary antagonist in the network's "Black Lightning," adapted from DC Comics' superhero series. Calloway played the super-strong cyborg Painkiller, though, as was the case with Chuck Clayton, certain liberties were taken with his character and backstory. Whereas in the comics, Painkiller is a reasonably one-dimensional baddie, a mob enforcer who relishes in the violence his cybernetic enhancements make him capable of, the Painkiller of the CW is Khalil Payne, a high school track star left paralyzed by the bullets of the 100's crime syndicate. 

When he agrees to become a cyborg foot soldier for Black Lightning's archenemy Tobias Whale (Marvin "Krondon" Jones III), it's primarily out of a desire to walk again rather than any thirst for carnage. There is apparent moral conflict in most of his actions, and it doesn't take long for Painkiller to turn against his new boss and sadistic alter-ego. Painkiller was well-received by network executives, and plans were put in place for a spin-off. The fourth and final season of "Black Lightning" even included an episode intended to be a backdoor pilot, but plans were scrapped in May of 2021.