'Black Lightning' Episode 8 Answers All The Gambi Questions

Black Lightning episode 8, "Revelations," finally dishes out answers about Gambi, the Pierce family, The 100, Lady Eve and the mysterious organization called 'ASA.' HUGE spoilers for the latest episode of Black Lightning ahead.

black lightning comic book tony isabella gambi
Black Lightning was created by Tony Isabella with Trevor Von Eeden. DC Comics

Anissa Pierce starts to investigate the death of her grandfather, renowned journalist Alvin Pierce. She approaches Alvin's old editor (now murdered by The 100), who gives her a box full of files looking into the emergence of metahumans in Freeland. Anissa aks her mother for help deciphering the files, but Lynn's office is torn up by The 100. Luckily, Lynn had already sent a powder she found in the files to the the lab to be analyzed.

Lynn discovers the 30-year-old residue contains traces of Green Light, the drug responsible for the addiction epidemic in Freeland. Jefferson tells her to ask Gambi about it because he's old enough to remember what was happening in Freeland during that time period. Gambi refuses to tell Lynn any information, saying he owes the truth to Jefferson first.

anissa and black lightning outsiders
Anissa and Jefferson investigating The 100 in 'Black Lightning.' CW

What Is The 'ASA'?

Gambi tells Jefferson he arrived in Freeland under the name Peter Esposito 30 years ago to work for a government entity called ASA. The organization developed a vaccine to keep the people of Freland passive so politicians could unjustly rule over the city. The vaccine inadvertently created metahumans. When Gambi found out the job would require him to hunt and kill the affected children, he leaked the information to Alvin Pierce. Shortly after Gambi gave the tip, Alvin was murdered by Tobias Whale. (More on how this went down in the comic books).

black lightning outsiders force of july asa
Force of July appeared in 'Batman And The Outsiders.' DC Comics

The acronym 'A.S.A.' stands for American Security Agency in the comics. The organization is led by a group called the Force of July, antagonists who first appeared in The Outsiders Annual #1 (Mike Barr and Jim Aparo). The leader of A.S.A. in the comic books was a man named B. Eric Blairman, who had a distaste for vigilante superheroes. This seems to be yet another Easter egg about The Outsiders, a group founded by Black Lightning and Batman.

Who Is Martin Proctor?

In the series, Martin Proctor is the leader of Freeland's department of the ASA and Gambi's contact within the organization. The ASA's "Freeland Experiment" has evolved over the years. The ASA now appears to dissect metahumans, relying on affiliate Lady Eve to distribute Green Light throughout the city. Tobias Whale is Lady Eve's top dealer. With Black Lightning, and now Thunder, interrupting the operation, Gambi says that Proctor will be after the whole family.

tobias whale gambi black lightning outsiders
Tobias Whale speaks to Gambi in 'Black Lightning.' CW

This episode also seems to imply that Jefferson Pierce got his powers through these vaccines even though Gambi says he had no hand in any experiments. However, his lack of involvement is a lie. Just last episode, Gambi was in a room while Lady Eve was draining blood from a teenager who overdosed on Green Light. Whether Jefferson received his powers through the vaccine directly or not, it passed down generations. Anissa and Jennifer both have powers.

lady eve black lightning
Why is Lady Eve draining blood from people? CW

It will be interesting to learn the extent of Tobias Whale's relationship with the A.S.A. So far it seems The 100 gang take orders from Lady Eve and the ASA, but there has to be more to the story. Also, if Gambi leaked the information to Alvin, what is the extent of his partnership with ASA? With Gambi's secrets out in the open, Black Lightning is more vulnerable than ever before.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Autumn Noel Kelly started as a staff writer for Newsweek in 2015. She covers anything in the comic book world—TV ... Read more

To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.

Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek magazine delivered to your door
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go
Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go