Wayne Brady is pumped for Black Lightning season 4, spin-off: 'I've been putting in calls'
Nathan Bolster/The CW
Black Lightning's third season ended on a harrowing note, with viewers finding out Wayne Brady's Gravedigger actually made it out of the Pit explosion alive.
And now that the final moments proved his character wasn't dead, Brady tells EW he has his "fingers crossed" for Gravedigger to return for the fourth and final season, as well as the Painkiller-centered spinoff.
"The thing about Gravedigger is, I came in and Gravedigger just kicked everybody's behind," the actor says. "With the cancellation notice, they're trying to do what they can with with the season. I don't know if I'll be a part of this yet. But I do think that there's always — as long as no one's ever said, 'Yes, Gravedigger's dead' — there's always a possibility that he may come back in the new spinoff."
Brady, who was in "absolute shock" when the CW canceled the series in November, says he's been reaching out about the fate of his deadly super soldier character, who was first introduced in season 3.
"I've been putting in calls. Because trust me, a brother wants to be back in the Back Lightning universe," he says.
Previously, star Cress Williams told EW that fans should be "extremely worried" about what Gravedigger's reveal means for his character Jefferson Pierce and his clan.
"To add this other person who we don't know is still alive at that point and has this kind of maniacal grudge against the United States and against the Pierce family," Williams said, "And he's super-powered. And even without the extra superpowers, that power to be able to just tell people what to do and they have to do it, that's crazy, that's bananas. So, I think we're in trouble, mainly because of the secrecy, because of the fact that we don't know."
Brady spoke to EW ahead of his gig hosting Royal Canin's Puppy Pre-Show on Jan. 12. Although the performer is proud of all the television projects he's taken on, like Whose Line Is it Anyway? and The Masked Singer, Brady says Black Lightning is especially near and dear to his heart, as it brought to life the story of DC’s first African-American family.
"It's such a special show, and I have to say this, especially in this day and age, where representation is the big talk, to be on a show where I look at another black man as a superhero," Brady says. "When I was a kid, growing up in the late '70s, early '80s, the representation of any minority in the vein of superheroes was very limited. And so if you were black, Asian or Latin, I can count on one hand those superheroes that I knew of any of those nationalities in a comic book or on TV that wasn't the stereotypical villain, that wasn't someone being poked fun at, but someone that was heroic."
He continued, adding, "I can be honest and say that when I was on set, I was a little emotional sometimes, because it's like, ‘We are making a superhero show and it's called Black Lightning, come on.’ It was really cool."
Black Lightning returns Monday, Feb. 8 at 9 p.m. on the CW.
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