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'Black Lightning' Season 3 Episode 6 brings back Instant and we can't help but wonder why he wasn't brought in earlier

Instant's powers make him the perfect soldier and he's more than capable of winning a war on his own if properly motivated.

The Markovian invasion was supposed to be the main plotline for 'Black Lightning' Season 3, but so far the invaders have been just a background force. Apart from a few border skirmishes and one biochemical attack, the Markovians haven't really done much beyond providing an excuse for the A.S.A to exercise dictatorial powers over the people of Freeland.

In Episode 6, we finally see the Markovians gain an advantage over the A.S.A with the return of their teleporting assassin Instant (Tosin Morohunfola). With his impressive abilities and military skill, Instant makes short work of the A.S.A agents he runs into and instantly makes it clear that he is a force to be reckoned with.

Episode 6 also showed Instant killing Agent Odell (Bill Duke), cutting off the A.S.A's leadership and seriously crippling the organization. Considering the A.S.A has already resurrected one character, Jordan Calloway's Khalil Payne / Painkiller, it's possible that Odell might return as well. However, right now, it looks like his death may be permanent. 

These new developments suggest that the Markovians are finally about to become a real threat to Freeland instead of just being boogeymen the A.S.A could use to scare the people into submission. However, the real question is why the Markovians didn't send Instant in earlier.

Instant's powers make him the perfect soldier and he's more than capable of winning a war on his own if properly motivated.  So why would the Markovians wait this long to send in their best asset when clearly they've been fighting a losing war so far? The easiest answer is that the writers needed more time to explore the A.S.A before letting the Markovians take center stage, but if there is an explanation in-story, we're yet to find out. 

'Black Lightning' Season 3 Episode 7 will air on The CW on November 25.