Okay so I got a few ideas for Duke Thomas.
so first and foremost I would have adapt his Future State design, which means ditching the helmet, adopting that swanky jacket, and acquiring the Soultaker II. Since the Soultaker II was sent back in time by Future Duke in Fear State (along with Future State Black Lightning) using magic, you could easily explain it being left behind as a time remnant after The Outsiders changed the timeline. i'd also have Future State Black Lightning, who spent 30+ years training and bonding with his Duke, rebrand himself as Raijin of The Black Lightning and fully embrace his existence as an elemental being by committing himself to being Duke's guardian spirit in this timeline. Hill's Outsiders run constanty had Katana refer to Jeff as Raijin, which carried over in Future State, so I would use that as a way to differentiate him from our Black Lightning in this timeline. I feel having Duke officially take possession of a Black Lightning-infused Soultaker is a great visual consequence of his time working and training under Black Lightning and Katana on the Outsiders, and his Future State look was an organic aestethic progression for Duke because of how the design invokes Duke's We are Robin design. this design also means Duke will take on a more public superhero identity and role which i feel works perfect for the man of the people aspect of his characterization.
I also have some ideas for how I'd expand his powers but I cover that in another thread so I'll just quote to redirect you to that here:
Originally Posted by
lemonpeace
I'd tweak Duke Thomas' powers [...] incorporating two concepts to his powerset: negative mass via darkness and imaginary mass via light.
as for how we get from here to there narratively? Well we'd start by doing a story where, after finally curing his mother from jokerization, Duke sets out on a quest to uncover the truth to the many mysteries surrounding his life and his familial lineage; have it be like a 6-12 issue limited series. here's how I'd have it play out.
following the events of Signal and the Outsiders, Duke's come into his own as a young adult. He's in college, living on his own, gotten the hang of his crime-fighting career thanks to the guidance of Raijin and he's enjoying having his mother back in his life. however, when Duke discovers Doug Thomas is dead, it prompts Duke to reignite his search for Gnomon. Duke turns to his mother to explain where she comes from and she reveals that she and Gnomon both are the last metahuman bloodline of the Anyanwu* clan, a sect from the ancient Weapon Maker tribe [see Black Manta by Chuck Brown] that specialized in 8th metal. it'd also be revealed that the Soultaker II was actually forged by the Weapon Makers (unlike Katana’s blade). Duke then turns to Raijin for guidance, using what he's learned from his 30+ years with his own Duke to help provide clues about Duke's secret origins. armed with this new information, Duke decides it's time to go on his version of Bruce Wayne's training quest, and travels with Raijin across the continent of Africa uncovering the secrets of the Weapons Makers, learning about his ancestors throughout history, and track down Gnomon. I'd have Duke crosses paths with Lady Shiva, Bronze Tiger, the League of Assassins, Hawkman, the Immortal Men, Vixen, Devil Ray, and Dr. Mist throughout his journey. however Duke poking around also has the unfortunate consequences of outing Duke to the immortal community and leads to a arms race among the Immortal Houses to acquire Duke for their own ends or eliminating him from the board all together. Duke's main antagonist is The Constant of the house of knowledge, the founder of the Weapon Maker tribe and the direct ancestor of Gnomon.
i'd call it "
Duke Thomas: Eyes of the Sun"
(* - Anyanwu loosely meaning "eyes of the sun" in igbo)