Khalil Payne

Khalil Payne, also known as Painkiller, is a former student at Garfield High School and the ex-boyfriend of Jennifer Pierce.

Biography
Khalil video called Jennifer Pierce, expressing how he missed her. That night, he came over, before confessing his feelings and asking her to be his girlfriend, which she accepted. The following day, Khalil went to the gym at school to work out. He was joined by Jennifer, who he realized was drinking alcohol at school, throwing it in the bin. He admitted to having had bad experiences just like Jennifer, but explained how he'd persevered through without sinking low.

Khalil planned to lose his virginity to Jennifer over the weekend, with Jefferson threatening Khalil at school to use protection, using Khalil's method of showering as an allegory. Khalil attended Reverend Holt's march into The 100 territory, while Black Lightning prevented three assassins from committing a mass shooting. Tobias Whale, however, had his henchwoman shoot Jeremiah with a sniper rifle, with the bullet striking Khalil's spine as the bullet passed into him via Jeremiah. Khalil was rushed to the hospital, where his chances of walking again were low.

Following the accident, Khalil began rehabilitation, trying to work his legs again. Some nurses discussed privately how it was of no use, but he overheard, much to the anger of Jennifer. She later returned before school, much to his surprise, and told him of how she'd quit the track team, a fact that seemed to disappoint him. The following day, along with Jennifer, his mother and Jefferson Pierce joined him. Jefferson revealed the doctor's diagnosis, that he would never walk again. That night, Khalil was visited by Tobias Whale, who had been sending him presents, assuring him that his paraplegia was due to Black Lightning.

Jefferson discovered that Khalil had posted a GIF on social media, insulting Jennifer as a sell-out under the insultive name "Becky". She visited Khalil to clear the air, who was bitter, blaming Jennifer for his paralysis and having everything taken from him despite living a good, clean life. Later that night, Khalil rode in a car with Tobias and Syonide as they assured Khalil that he would walk again and find his true strength.

Martin Proctor finished the experiment which implanted Khalil with a makeshift metal spinal cord, giving him the ability to walk again while Tobias recovered from his injuries during the Black Lightning fight. Jefferson talked to Khalil, stunned to see him walking again and tried to question him about the procedure. Khalil responded angrily and accused Jefferson of not caring about him anymore after his paralysis since he was no longer a star athlete and him being the reason Jennifer stopped coming around. Khalil tried to get back together with Jennifer but reacted in anger with her when she also questioned him about the procedure. Under the orders of Tobias in an attempt to lure Black Lightning out, Khalil attacked Garfield High School and hit several students with needles filled with an anesthetic. Khalil shot Black Lightning in the neck with this and delivered a crushing blow to Black Lightning, which stopped his heart. Tobias and Khalil attempt to unmask him but they are stopped by Thunder before being able to do so.

Powers

 * Superhuman strength: Due to Khalil getting a spinal implant, his physical strength has been increased as he threw another student through the hallway into a glass montra easily. His strength may be greater than that of Tobias Whale's, as he managed to kill Black Lightning with one punch to the chest (at least until the latter's heart was restarted by Jennifer Pierce's electrical powers). His strength also extends to his legs, increasing his leaping capabilities as he leapt from one floor to the next one in Garfield High School.
 * Superhuman dexterity: Another side effect of the spinal implant he received was that it enhanced his entire nervous system. Khalil's dexterity has been enhanced to superhuman levels as he was able to accurately and precisely throw several needles directly in the necks of several students, and even Black Lightning.
 * Paralysis venom: The spinal implant that cured Khalil's paralysis also created a byproduct similar to paralyzing snake venom. He can use this venom extracted from his body to paralyze his foes. But he requires a tool to deliver that poison into his victim's body.

Equipment

 * Poison dart gauntlets: Khalil wears special gauntlets around both of his arms. These gauntlets have special darts he can fire at other people, paralyzing them with venom extracted from the byproduct of his spinal implant. Though it didn't manage to paralyze Black Lightning, it did neutralize his powers to project and absorb electricity.

Appearances
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Season 1

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Trivia

 * Khalil appears to be an atheist, as in "Three Sevens: The Book of Thunder", Khalil states that he did everything right, even having gone to church every Sunday, but after becoming paralyzed, he appears to have lost his faith in God, as he believes that God wouldn't have let something so bad happen to him.

Behind the scenes

 * Khalil is an adaptation of the Black Lightning comics villain Painkiller, although unlike his character basis Khalil has a known full name, where Painkiller's real name was never revealed.