Bird dude and bolt-thrower

The Falcon - Black Lightning

Landmark characters, these two…

Created by Stan Lee and artist Gene Colan, the Falcon is the first African-American super hero character (Black Panther is of course purely African). In Marvel’s favor, it was not determined that his name needed the prefix “black.” In Marvel’s disfavor, Sam Wilson was initially characterized as an angry street thug, “Snap” who was turned into a good guy by the Red Skull, planning to trigger Wilson’s true inclinations once he gained the trust of his new partner, Captain America.

In any case, Wilson’s better nature prevailed (although his thuggish side has emerged from time to time). He has often been characterized as the defender of Harlem, often serving as a mouthpiece for various writers’ musings on urban decay etc etc.

Clearly, DC felt their first marquee African-American super hero (notwithstanding Teen Titan Mal Duncan) needed a qualifier indicating his ethnicity, whereas there is no White Lantern. Black Lighting co-creator Tony Isabella has revealed that the first draft of the character, courtesy of an unnamed creator, was to be the “Black Bomber,” a —wait for it— disguised white racist! WHOA!

But Isabella and African-American artist Trevor von Eeden instead produced Jefferson Pierce, a street-level crusader who used jive-talk when in uniform, so as to not sound like the school teacher he is. Like the Falcon, initially BL was often used to make equally heavy-handed points regarding the hardships of ghetto life.

Commonalities:
Both are benevolent, thoughtful family men with a social conscience: Wilson is a social worker, Pierce a high school teacher. Both are superb athletes and combatants.

Differences:
Obviously, the Falcon uses mechanical wings and communicates with birds (a la Aquaman), while Black Lighting throws bolts of bio-electrical energy. Not a problem, in my view.

Alternate histories:

FA: Social worker Sam Wilson returns to Harlem and resolves to fight the criminal organizations preying on the neighborhood using a flying harness. The Avengers attempt to recruit him, but he demurs, only to join the Defenders shortly afterwards. After accepting a cabinet position in a corrupt presidential administration, he finally joins the Avengers.

BL: Petty criminal Jefferson Pierce encounters a super villain, who compels a benevolent personality to emerge. Equipped with devices that channel electromagnetic energy, he takes on a heroic guise and partners with a hero to be named later. Pierce’s better nature prevails, and he becomes a veteran hero and schoolteacher, defending his community while also working closely with the individual referred to above, often alongside the Justice League of America.