>>717178407
It's partially because for a certain period of comic book history, the rights to Black Lightning were in legal limbo (the writer had being paid for adaptations in his contract or something I've heard). So a bunch of knockoffs tried to be the "new" Black Lighting.
Black Thunder, Black Vulcan, etc.
Then Static tried to be an actually different take on the character but was still a black dude with electricity powers.
Then other comic setting do it to parody Black Lightning and 40 years later we get the meme.