Marvel has had a lot of success with their screen presence in theaters, and now on television with Netflix. Their too-graphic-for-prime-time series of Daredevil and Jessica Jones are not only in the same universe with the Avengers, but they are somewhat connected together. The next up is Luke Cage, and this is what you need to know about the superhero formerly known as Power Man, as well how it will affect other Marvel Netflix shows like Iron Fist and The Defenders.
Luke Cage, the Comic Book Character
Luke Cage first appeared in Marvel Comics back in 1972. His outfit was definitely in the spirit of the time for Blaxploitation with a bared chest, an afro, a tiara, and a big chain for a belt. He eventually was teamed with Daniel Rand, aka Iron Fist in the appropriately titled Power Man and Iron Fist, and he eventually dropped the alias and just went with his full name. He has been affiliated with a lot of super-teams in the comics, like the Avengers and Fantastic Four.
Luke Cage TV Personna So Far
Mike Colter will be playing the title role on Luke Cage, and he has been introduced already last year on the Marvel Netflix show Jessica Jones. On that show, he ran a bar, and even though he had great strength and invulnerability, he didn't actively go out of his way to fight crime.
He did get involved with Jessica (Krysten Ritter), and he was eventually taken over by Kilgrave (David Tennant) and forced to fight her. Jessica Jones ended its first season with the two of them parting ways, but he met Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson), who is also the "Night Nurse", a character who has also appeared on Daredevil.
The Luke Cage Series and Release Date
Some things were not really told when Luke Cage appeared on Jessica Jones. It isn't shown how he got his powers, but he did lose his wife.
It looks like Luke Cage will be paired with Misty Knight (Simone Missick), who is his love interest from the comic. The villains are also pulled from the comics with Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes (Mahershala Ali), as well as "Shades" Alvarez (Theo Rossi).
Action will take place in Harlem. Blasting News reports that Daredevil is dark and gritty, Jessica Jones is more of a spy/thriller/film noir, and Luke Cage will be "urban, soulful, and action-packed".
Future Marvel Netflix Series Release Dates
Look for Luke Cage on Netflix this Friday on September 30th. After all the episodes are over, fans of the Marvel/Netflix series will need to wait for Iron Fist, which will premiere sometime in early 2017.
After that, there will the big team-up of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist on The Defenders. This is a group that Luke Cage was associated with in the comics, and it is a chance for fans to see all four well-developed characters in one room. This conjoined series won't probably appear until late 2017, and it is not known what the future will be for the solo heroes after that.
