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'Black Lightning' Season 3 could see ASA manipulate the Pierce family into capturing Markovia's metahuman army

The A.S.A. has quite a complicated history with metahumans on the show. The previous seasons of the show revealed that the A.S.A. is responsible for the high number of metahumans who have popped up in Freeland and that they have been keeping a number of them in stasis, some for as long as 30 years

'Black Lightning' Season 3's most important story arc is going to be the impending invasion of Freeland by the rogue nation of Markovia. A lot of the character development this season is going to be driven by the invasion, which has Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightning (Cress Williams) and his family forming an uneasy alliance with Agent Odell (Bill Duke) of the corrupt government organization known as the A.S.A. 

The A.S.A. has quite a complicated history with metahumans on the show. The previous seasons of the show revealed the A.S.A. is responsible for the high number of metahumans who have popped up in Freeland and that they have been keeping a number of powered individuals in stasis, some for as long as 30 years.

Both Odell and his organization have very little concern for the lives of metahumans, whom they see as little more than weapons. That's not to say the Markovians are any better.

The country has its own army of metahumans and a teleporting assassin called Instant, played by Tosin Morohunfola. At the end of season 2, they captured the scientist Dr. Helga Jace (Jennifer Riker), who specializes in metahumans, so they're probably capable of creating more living weapons outside of the army that they already have at their disposal. 

With national security under threat, season 3 will see the A.S.A. placing Freeland under martial law, restricting the civil rights of citizens in the name of the greater good. However, while they do seem to have the best interests of Freeland in mind at the moment, the A.S.A. is infamous for being a treacherous group that's willing to sacrifice lives to further their goals.

That means there's a very good chance the Pierce family is secretly being manipulated by Agent Odell for his own ends. While we have seen plenty of evidence of Markovia's invasion plans, it's a bit hard to believe that the A.S.A., an organization that has been so self-serving in the past, is suddenly interested in protecting Freeland.

It seems far more likely that they are manipulating Black Lightning into helping them capture the Markovians' metahuman army, whom the A.S.A. will probably attempt to brainwash or otherwise convert to their cause. They may seem like allies right now, but it's only a matter of time before the A.S.A. reveals its true colors and stabs Jefferson in the back.

'Black Lightning' Season 3 will premiere on The CW October 7.