Outsiders Week: Amazing Avenging Athletes

Jefferson Pierce was an accomplished decathlete, winning a gold metal in the Earth-One's 1972 Olympics, returned to his home of Metropolis' Suicide Slum to help teach a younger generation to as an educator. When he saw the crime in the city, Pierce turned to his mentor Peter Gambi an inventor who developed a belt that projected electrical bolts, enhance his strength and created a force field around him. Jeff as Black Lightning began his career taking down the criminal 100 gang. Black Lightning operated for a few years as a solo hero, and eventually joined the Batman's Outsiders after declining Justice League membership some time prior to this.

Will Everett was also an accomplished athlete in track and field, winning a gold metal in the Earth-Two's 1936 Olympics, after which he returned to Metropolis to become a role model for young African-American youths. Everett had found himself employment with atomic scientist Dr. Terry Curtis, who was himself employed by the criminal Ultra-Humanite. Shackled to an electro-generator, an accidental explosion imbued Will with the ability as Amazing-Man to transform his body into whatever material he touched, and later magnetic abilities. He decided to join the heroic All-Star Squadron and battled evil threats like Ultra.

How did two counterparts with similar backstories end up with different powersets and different outlooks on life? This will be considered at a later date...