Every Existing And Upcoming Live-Action Character With Lightning Powers

If you thought that the superhero genre was at boom in the last decade, then wait till you see what this decade has to offer. Both Marvel and DC are going to bring in three or more movies almost every year. And when we’re done with those films, the streamers and TV Networks are going to offer us even more big budget superhero content. Besides Marvel and DC, other comic houses are also going to contribute to the Superhero genre every now and then. And among all superhero wings, there is certainly going to be one commonality, i.e. characters with lightning and electric based abilities.

Ever since Thor gave us those two thunderous moments in Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War, there has been a sudden influx of lightning-based characters. It was like, those two moments opened up a certain potential in the Superhero genre, which every studio now feels like tapping into. So, we’ve jotted down all the lightning powered characters (both heroes and villains) that have already arrived, and also the ones that are yet to make their debuts on the big and small screens.

Thor

The God of Thunder has already been mentioned, and he certainly is the king of all lightning based characters. 7 movies (not counting Doctor Strange) worth of character development will certainly give you that. I’d like to take a moment to correct Rhodey’s statement from Endgame. It is indeed lightning that courses through his veins, not cheese whiz. And, Stormbreaker has made him even more powerful. Since Thor is the most familiar character in this category, his mention on this list was just a formality. Now that we’re done with it, let’s move on to the others.

Raiden

From 2021 onwards, Thor won’t be the only God of Thunder of the big screen. Warner Bros. will be releasing their upcoming Mortal Kombat movie next year. For now, it is slated for a January release, but considering that the theatres haven’t reopened and there has been no marketing whatsoever, we’ll have to wait for a latter release date. So, it will be a while until Tadanobu Asano (Hogun from Thor franchise) makes his mark as Mortal Kombat’s God of Thunder, Raiden.

Shazam

Tadanobu Asano is a Thor franchise actor who is yet to showcase his thunder powers, but we’ve already seen them from another actor besides Chris Hemsworth. Zachary Levi used to play Fandral in Thor. But as soon as Hela killed him in Ragnarok, he was chosen by DC’s all-powerful Wizard to carry the power of Shazam. The first film did well to introduce the abilities of Shazam and his family. But now, we’re really waiting for Shazam! Fury of the Gods as that’s when the full extent of Shazam’s powers will be explored.

Black Adam

Before we get to Shazam! Fury of the Gods, we’re going to witness one of the strongest characters in the entire DC Universe. Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam will change the hierarchy of power in the DC Universe. Even though it is Black Adam’s debut, we should be prepared for him to showcase the level of strength that is at par with Thor. That’s because Adam will have been existent for a long time in the DC Universe. He had already attained his God-level abilities before being imprisoned all those centuries ago. So, when he steps in, he could get right into the thick of the action and show his thunder powers.

Black Lightning

Jefferson Pierce may not seem as strong as the ones mentioned above, but he can surely give them all a tough fight. His ability to harness and use electricity is probably better even than the current state of Shazam as he has full control over it. He has done well as a vigilante over the years, and we’re going to see him in yet another season of Black Lightning. Cress Williams gets to wear the coolest suits as Black Lightning.

Lightning

Another Arrowverse character that is almost as cool as Black Lightning is Jefferson Pierce’s second daughter, Jennifer Pierce (Lightning). While her sister, Anissa Pierce (Thunder) can only create shockwaves through the ground, she is one who could literally absorb and generate lightning attacks. One could even say that she is a like for like replacement of her father.

The Mighty Thor (and Beta Ray Bill)

The MCU is finally going to give Jane Foster the spotlight that she deserves. In Thor: Love and Thunder, she will take on the mantle of the Mighty Thor. While she will surely have the ability to harness Thor’s thunder, Natalie Portman has stated that her powers will be different than that of Thor. So, it will be exciting to see how unique her character will be, as compared to Thor.

Thor: Ragnarok proved that Beta Ray Bill exists within the MCU. Then, Avengers: Endgame further hinted at his arrival by bringing in a few Korbinites. So, besides Thor and Jane, we might see Beta Ray Bill make his debut in Thor 4 as well. Ultimately, there could be a total of three lightning powered characters in Thor: Love and Thunder.

Electro

 

Before the MCU brings back Thor, we’re going to see a villain with electric powers in the untitled Spider-Man 3. Kevin Feige and co completely surprised everyone when the announcement of Jamie Foxx’s return as Electro was made. Now, Spider-Man is going to need a shock-proof suit against the bad-ass Electro. And don’t be worried, this new version of Electro won’t be all blue, or even have the power of Dubstep! He’d get a more comic accurate suit, and will most probably possess yellow lightning.

Stormfront

 

The Boys season 2 brought in a literal Nazi villain. Aya Cash played the gender swapped version of Stormfront, and it’s needless to say that she was a great addition to the show. Even though she was supposed to be an evil counterpart version of Shazam himself, it was still great that The Boys was able to distinguish her from every character in this “Lightning” category.

Storm

 

Storm has been quite a prevalent member of the X-Men over the years. It isn’t confirmed yet, but rumors do suggest that we will see Ororo Munroe make her MCU debut in Black Panther 2. Storm has the ability to manipulate weather, and that allows her to use lightning attacks as well. After that, we’re going to see her when Marvel finally does a solo X-Men movie.

Static Shock

So far, we’ve only seen Virgil Ovid Hawkins in the animated projects of DC. But now, he will be making his live action debut in his own movie. According to THR, Michael B. Jordan is producing a Static Shock movie. But it may take a while until we get to see his film. In fact, with the rate at which DC is pushing out their movies, Static Shock might be the last character on this list to make his live-action debut.

Zeus

 

Since Zeus was present in the theatrical cut of Justice League, and will also have a slightly bigger role in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, it was worth mentioning him on this list. And who knows, we might actually get to see his lightning powers in Wonder Woman 1984 as well. Diana was seen swinging through thunder by using her Lasso in the Wonder Woman 1984 trailer. So those lightning bolts might be coming from Zeus.

Honorable Mentions:

The Flash

Among the many powers and abilities of Barry Allen, throwing lightning bolts is the coolest. We’ve witnessed it on The CW’s The Flash, but we’re yet to see it from Ezra Miller’s Flash. Maybe, he will develop the ability in his upcoming solo movie.

Aquaman

Arthur Curry doesn’t have lightning powers of his own. But he wields the Trident of Neptune, which allows him control the seas, command the aquatic beings, and shoot lightning bolts. So, he had to be mentioned here.

Captain America

 

Again, Captain America isn’t someone who could conjure lightning attacks. But he turned out to be worthy of Mjolnir in Avengers: Endgame, which further allowed him to summon Thor’s Thunder. As Red Skull had once predicted, Cap literally had the “power of the Gods!”

Thunder-powered characters are a hot commodity in Hollywood right now, and this list proves that.