By Nellie Shih ’19, News Editor
Netflix and Marvel have teamed up again for their third series leading up to the Defenders, which comes out in 2017. Reprising his role in Jessica Jones, Mike Colter stars as Luke Cage. Luke has moved from Hell’s Kitchen to Harlem, after the events that occurred in Jessica Jones, where he works multiple jobs and tries not to draw too much attention to himself. Living a quiet life in Harlem is hard though, especially with club owner Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes (played by Mahershala Ali) and his councilwoman cousin Mariah Dillard (Alfre Woodard) constantly in his business. Living a quiet life is even harder when you’re a part-time superhero with bulletproof skin and superhuman strength.
Luke Cage has plenty of action, drama, emotion, humor, and “the added appeal of timeliness, as a black man stands up for what’s right, even when he’s being shot at and his neighbors sometimes would rather he not stir up trouble.” (Brian Truitt, USA Today) The series asks its audience what it takes to be a hero, and addresses important and current issues such as police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement. “It’s a nod to Trayvon, no question,” says Colter in an interview with the Huffington Post about his character wearing a hoodie. “Trayvon Martin and people like him. People like Jordan Davis, a kid who was shot because of the perception that he was a danger. When you’re a black man in a hoodie all of a sudden you’re a criminal.”
The series succeeds in keeping viewers interested by intertwining the paths of Luke, Stokes, and Dillard, as well as delving into their past as shown in occasional flashbacks. While the flashbacks are seemingly sudden, they are relevant to the plot and add depth to the characters. I highly recommend the show to someone looking for something to watch, as well as the preceding series: Daredevil and Jessica Jones. Though set in the same universe as the popular Marvel movies with the Avengers, Luke Cage and the other Marvel shows are different. They don’t feel a need to crack a joke every five seconds. Instead, they address relevant issues but are still are a part of the superhero genre.
Also starring Simone Missick as Detective Misty Knight, Theo Rossi as Hernan “Shades” Alvarez, Erik LaRay Harvey as Willis Stryker/Diamondback, and Rosario Dawson reprising her role as Claire Temple (previously in Daredevil and Jessica Jones), the first season of Luke Cage is currently available on Netflix. After Iron Fist is released in 2017, Finn Jones, Matt Murdock/Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Danny Rand/Iron Fist will team up for the Defenders, also out in 2017.
