BLACK LIGHTNING Casts Jill Scott as Lady Eve

Are we going to see the rise of Kobra on Black Lightning?

Deadline has word that the upcoming CW series Black Lightning has cast Jill Scott as DC Comics supervillain Lady Eve.

According to the article, Lady Eve is described as "the bridge between Tobias Whale (Marvin “Krondon” Jones III) and a secret group of corrupt leaders.  Always a consummate professional, Lady Eve presents herself in Freeland as the owner of a funeral parlor, but quickly becomes an adversary to Black Lightning."

"Jill is an amazing artist who can embody any character and give them an authentic voice that is both nuanced and richly complex," said showrunner and executive producer Salim Akil in a statement.  "I am excited to see her in the role of Lady Eve."

Scott, 45, is a singer, poet and actress, whose films include Why Did I Get Married?, Why Did I Get Married Too?, and Get on Up.  She voiced the role of Storm on the animated series Black Panther, and her television appearances include episodes of Fringe, Girlfriends, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Being Mary Jane.

Created in 1985 by Mike W. Barr and Alan Davis, Lady Eve first appeared in Batman and the Outsiders (vol.1) #24 as a member of the Kobra Cult, who joined Kobra on his secret plan to mind control high officials of the US Army and steal a satellite defense program to blackmail the United States Government.  She first met Kobra in Egypt, where she nursed him back to health.  With the promise of a better life, Eve was convinced to join him and together, they traveled to America, where they set their plan in motion.  They were eventually stopped by the Outsiders.

In the current DC Comics continuity, Lady Eve recently assisted Kobra in a major assault on the small country of Markovia.  She came into conflict with the superhero Katana, who had crash-landed in Markovia and was looking for an astrophysicist named Dr. Helga Jace.  The two dueled almost to a standstill, until a child distracted Katana, allowing Lady Eve to gain the upper hand and escape with Dr Jace.

Black Lightning is expected to debut on The CW sometime in early 2018.