Pride in the Arrowverse: Whether as Thunder or as Blackbird, Anissa Pierce has been unapologetically gay
The daughter of Black Lightning, Anissa Pierce (Nafeesa Williams) was out and proud from the very first moment we met her. No surprises or coming out reveals; Anissa knew who she was right from the start, and never once apologized for it. As we celebrate Pride Month, we take a look at one of Arrowverse's most prominent LGBTQ+ characters of color and celebrate her story.
Introduced right at the start, Anissa fought against injustice before she every donned a mask. She studied medicine, to help people and had she never gotten powers, she would likely have always fought with every inch to save people on a daily basis. Her stubborn streak grew to be a double-edged sword as she is simultaneously one of the series' most frustrating and inspiring characters.
Her love life was every bit as contentious as the relationship she shared with the rest of her family; it took a while before Anissa was able to learn to commit, let herself be vulnerable, and allow someone inside but once she was in, she was in all the way. Her relationship with Grace Choi (Chantal Thuy) became a fan favorite and like nearly everything in Anissa's life, had to be fought for even if that struggle was against Anissa's own reluctance to truly open up.
Anissa's powers came to her late in life, but as soon as she got them, she knew that she wanted to use them to help people. Her powers are an extension of herself - they make her stronger and bulletproof and it's not long before she's fighting at her father's side as Thunder. However, Anissa has her dark side, too, as Blackbird - stealing from the criminally rich to not only give to the poor but herself as well. It's her Blackbird identity that really comes to the fore in Season 3, however, a rebel against the system fighting to keep people safe.
Often at odds with her father, Anissa takes no nonsense from anyone. Pride has never been a more appropriate description for a person - she is proud of who she is, every step of the way. She might be different in ways that were never her choice, but she always takes those parts of her and holds them up as a shining beacon of who she's meant to be. A superhero who gets up every time she's knocked down until she succeeds at her task, Anissa is definitely one of the most strong-willed members of the Arrowverse's queer community.
Anissa Pierce can be found on 'Black Lightning,' which returns in 2021 on the CW.