Luke Cage (TV series)

Luke Cage
File:Luke Cage Netflix.png
Genre	Action Drama Neo-blaxploitation Superhero
Created by	Cheo Hodari Coker
Based on	Luke Cage by Archie Goodwin George Tuska Roy Thomas John Romita Sr.
Starring	Mike Colter Mahershala Ali Simone Missick Theo Rossi Erik LaRay Harvey Rosario Dawson Alfre Woodard
Composers	Adrian Younge Ali Shaheed Muhammad
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	13 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Charles Murray Paul McGuigan (1x01 only) Cindy Holland Allie Goss Alison Engel Kris Henigman Alan Fine Stan Lee Joe Queseda Dan Buckley Jim Chory Jeph Loeb Cheo Hodari Coker
Producers	Aïda Mashaka Croal Akela Cooper Gail Barringer
Production location	New York City
Cinematography	Manuel Billeter
Editors	Jonathan Chibnall Miklos Wright Tirsa Hackshaw
Running time	44–65 minutes
Production companies	Marvel Television ABC Studios
Original release
Network	Netflix
Release	September 30, 2016 (2016-09-30)
Related
Marvel Cinematic Universe television series

Marvel's Luke Cage, or simply Luke Cage, is an American web television series created for Netflix by Cheo Hodari Coker, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise and is the third in a series of shows that will lead up to a Defenders crossover miniseries. The series is produced by Marvel Television in association with ABC Studios, with Coker serving as showrunner.

Mike Colter stars as Carl Lucas / Luke Cage, a former convict with superhuman strength and unbreakable skin who now fights crime. Mahershala Ali, Simone Missick, Theo Rossi, Erik LaRay Harvey, Rosario Dawson, and Alfre Woodard also star. Development of the series began in late 2013. In December 2014, Colter was cast as Cage, to appear first in Marvel's Jessica Jones, with Coker hired as the showrunner in March 2015. Filming began in New York City in September 2015 and concluded in March 2016.

The series premiered on September 28, 2016 in Harlem, with the full series of 13 episode releasing on Netflix on September 30. The series received generally positive reviews, with praise going to Colter, Missick, Ali and Woodard for their performances, the 1970s style, and music, with its structure and some of the writing viewed as some of the series' shortcomings.

Premise

When a sabotaged experiment gives him super strength and unbreakable skin, Luke Cage becomes a fugitive attempting to rebuild his life in Harlem and must soon confront his past and fight a battle for the heart of his city.

Cast and characters

Main

• Mike Colter as Carl Lucas / Luke Cage:

Former convict Carl Lucas was given superhuman strength and unbreakable skin, and now fights crime under the name Luke Cage. Colter read the comics and was familiar with the "very detailed, gritty" stories about Luke Cage, but was reluctant to sign on due to some of the comics' depiction of the character, saying "when I saw the tiara, all the 1970s blacksploitation stuff, I was like, 'oh my God...' But they assured me, 'that's not what we're doing, we're doing a modern day version.'" Colter ultimately signed on for Marvel's Jessica Jones, with the contingent of appearing in a solo series, without reading any scripts. Colter discussed the differences in his portrayal in the two series, saying, "You’re not always the same person around everyone you know. You go home, you hang out with your classmates from high school, at your high school reunion, and you might be a different person to them. And you might not necessarily behave the same way around your mom that you would with your wife or your boss or your fraternity brothers." In Jessica Jones, Cage was vulnerable and "in a bit of a freefall", but in Luke Cage "he’s trying to regroup and trying to figure out what’s his next move. And then the events that happen in the first few episodes get him going, they catapult him into action." On factoring in race when playing the character, Colter said, "The approach with the character for me is more about the human qualities and the things that make Luke Cage tick ... the writers have to then decide to bring in the race of the character, if there’s an angle there. But I don’t look at it as something I have to prep differently for ... it's more of an aside". Additionally, he put on 30 pounds (14 kg) of muscle for the role.

Describing Cage, Colter said, "He's a neighborhood hero, very much linked to New York and Jessica Jones. It's all part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe but Luke Cage is a darker, grittier, more tangible character than Iron Man or Thor. He likes to keep things close to his chest, operate on the hush-hush. He has these abilities but he’s not sure how and when to use them. Later elaborating, Colter said, "He's a renaissance man, he's trying to better himself and there's something to be said about someone who's always trying to make themselves better, trying to change." Colter noted that the character's catch phrase 'Sweet Christmas' would be used in the series, saying "I was afraid of that phrase, but it actually fits so well, I don't know why, I don't know why it fits so well into Luke's mouth." However, the phrase is used sparingly, with the character often "opting instead for pensive silence"; composer Adrian Younge said, "He’s a black superhero, but he’s a different type of black alpha male. He’s not bombastic. You rarely see a modern black male character who is soulful and intelligent." David Austin and Clifton Cutrary portray a young and teenage Lucas, respectively.

• Mahershala Ali as Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes:

The owner of the Harlem's Paradise nightclub who deals in illegal operations. Ali described Stokes as "a Godfather-type villain", while Head of Marvel Television Jeph Loeb referred to him as "the other hero of the story", continuing the tradition of previous Marvel/Netflix villains Wilson Fisk and Kilgrave. Showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker, a former music journalist, said that the attitude of rapper Biggie Smalls, whom Coker had been friends with, permeates Luke Cage but particularly influenced his version of Cottonmouth. Ali stated that Stokes is a crime boss who hides behind legitimate business, and has a hardened, rigid personality including embracing "capital punishment", and is "complicated in his own way. He's somebody who goes about things in a different way than the normal person, including myself." Ali took the role, despite knowing going into the series that Stokes would die early on, saying the experience "was like shooting a film, as opposed to stepping into another marriage that you never know how long is going to work out" adding, "When [Netflix] approached me about Luke Cage, they gave me the arc, and for the first time, I found myself excited by a character’s departure, because I felt like this was something I could give my all to for a period of time before saying 'peace' to him... It gave me a certain freedom to try to do my best work and make peace with it once he experiences his demise." Ali, who creates mixtapes for each of the characters he portrays so "sonically, the character has a soundtrack", stated that his mixtape for Cottonmouth took into account the fact that he was from Harlem, and included songs from Big L, Diamond D, Brand Nubian, D'Angelo, Mobb Deep, Kanye West, and Erykah Badu. Elijah Boothe portays a young Stokes.

• Simone Missick as Mercedes "Misty" Knight:

A Harlem NYPD Detective with a strong sense of justice, who is determined to learn about Cage and is the partner of Rafael Scarfe. Missick said, "She's her own person. She's not the wife. She's not a girlfriend. She's not a sidepiece or a sidekick." Missick described Misty Knight as "a person who has a very strong moral compass who is absolutely dedicated to protecting her community", adding her proudest moment in playing the character, was the fact that she "believes in the system, even though... [with] our current times, it's difficult to believe in the system." In approaching the character, Missick chose to not read the comics to avoid the expectations of fans, and instead focus on creating her version of the character. In the series, Knight has what Missick called a "superpower" referred to as 'Misty Vision' that allows her to look at a crime scene and deduce what happened.

• Theo Rossi as Hernan "Shades" Alvarez:

A relentless, menacing, smooth and manipulative, street smart criminal, with ties to Cage's past. Loeb called Shades "kind of the Littlefinger of Luke Cage", "the ultimate opportunist". He wears sunglasses for most of the series, and used Marvel's Daredevil and Charlie Cox's acting as research, since he could not use his eyes to act, similar to Cox as Matt Murdock.

• Erik LaRay Harvey as Willis Stryker / Diamondback:

A powerful arms dealer who is Cage's half-brother, and framed him for the crime that sent him to Seagate Prison. Harvey's involvement was not announced prior to the series' release, and he agreed not to do any publicity for the series so as to not "ruin the twist" of Stryker being the actual main villain of the series. Harvey chose not to read the comics to learn more about the character in order to not "interfere with what we were trying to do and cloud my judgment," instead relying on Coker to develop the 2016 version of Stryker, including adjusting his backstory to be the half-brother of Carl Lucas. However, Coker did try to bring as much of the comics' version of the character to the series as he could, including adapting the character's comic costume into armor that allows Stryker to match Cage's super strength. Harvey talked about the character's illegitimacy, saying, "My character had been called a bastard his whole life. How does that make a person operate? How would you feel if your childhood was illegitimized and ignored and swept under a rug? That’s what drives Willis ... He gets sent away because of his father’s actions and then once he’s in the jail system, he just gets tortured. After all that, his mind’s been twisted and warped, and he’s developed this sensitivity that’s almost psychopathic." Regarding the character's fighting style, Harvey worked with the series' fight coordinator to give Stryker "quick, really fast dabs and slithers" in his movement "because he’s very elusive", given "Diamondback" is named after a species of snakes. The character is always seen smiling when killing or defaming Cage's name, which is "just his way of dealing with his pain. He smiles through his pain." Jared Kemp portrays a teenage Stryker.

• Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple:

A nurse in Hell's Kitchen, whose friendship with Cage will affect both of their lives. Dawson reprises her role from the previous Marvel Netflix series. "Because she plays a nurse that basically seems to be in the right place at the right time, and she's very good at helping out superheroes who are in need, and I think you will see some of that in Luke Cage," said Colter. "Ultimately I think she's going to be a very good companion for Luke. I think she's someone that Luke needs in his life at this time."

• Alfre Woodard as Mariah Dillard:

A local politician and Stokes' cousin looking to bring change to Harlem, whose life is "thrown into turmoil" by the actions of Cage and Stokes. Though Dillard is not necessarily a criminal herself, she does feel a responsibility to her family, including Stokes. Woodard, who lives in Harlem, felt that the scripts for the episodes were some "of the smartest pieces of writing [I'd] ever come across", and was convinced to join the project after Coker proved his love of Harlem and its culture. The series' version of the character is significantly different from the comics' Black Mariah, but Coker wanted to pay homage to her origins by using "Black Mariah" as a nickname. It is ultimately used by Stokes as a personal insult from their past growing up together, in retaliation to Dillard verbally attacking him. Megan Miller portrays a young Dillard.

Recurring

• Frank Whaley as Rafael Scarfe:

A hard-nosed police detective and partner of Misty Knight who is on Stokes' payroll. Whaley called Scarfe's relationship with Misty Knight one with "a great deal of love and respect for each other" given that Scarfe "is Misty's mentor... [who] showed her the ropes. She had this raw talent that he, unlike other people on the force, nurtured". When Scarfe is revealed to be corrupt, he is also shown to have had a son who is now dead. Whaley said on this, "It gives the guy a certain amount of complexity ... he's a very conflicted guy and probably has a lot of issues coming into the show with some stuff in his past that led him down that road. I know that he's solid with his partner. I think he has a good heart." Whaley's portrayal of Scarfe's relationship with Misty Knight was not affected by the character's reveal of being on Stokes' payroll, as Whaley was not aware of it until an episode before it was revealed.

• Ron Cephas Jones as Bobby Fish: A local chess master and friend of Pop and Cage's.
• Jacob Vargas as Domingo Colon: A Mexican gang leader and business partner of Stokes.
• Darius Kaleb as Lonnie Wilson: A young boy who befriends Cage.
• Jade Wu as Connie Lin: One of the owners of the restaurant below Cage's apartment.
• Deborah Ayorinde as Candace Miller: A hostess at Harlem's Paradise who Dillard uses to frame Cage for Stokes' murder.
• Justin Swain as Bailey
• Jaiden Kaine as Zip: A gangster who leads Stokes' men.
• Sean Ringgold as Sugar: One of Stokes' men.
• Dawn-Lyen Gardner as Megan McLaren: A reporter for WJBP-TV.
• Jeremiah Richard Craft as Dave Griffith: A young kid selling videos of superheroes in action.
• Michael Kostroff as Noah Burstein: A doctor at Seagate that give Lucas his powers due to his experimentations.
• Tijuana Ricks as Thembi Wallace: A news reporter.
• John Clarence Stewart as Alex: Mariah Dillard's assistant.
• Karen Pittman as Priscilla Ridley: An inspector in the NYPD.

Guest

• Frankie Faison as Henry "Pop" Hunter: A reformed gangster who owns a barber shop that Cage works at, and is considered Harlem's father figure. Edwin Freeman portrays a young Pop.
• Cassandra Freeman as Patricia Wilson: Lonnie Wilson's mother who is interested in Cage.
• Brian "Sene" Marc as Wilfredo "Chico" Diaz: A local boy who gets caught up in crime. A key witness, he is killed by the corrupt detective Scarfe.
• Clem Cheung as Jin Lin: One of the owners of the restaurant below Cage's apartment.
• Warner Miller as Tone: One of Stokes' men, killed by Stokes after he murders Pop.
• Parisa Fitz-Henley as Reva Connors: Cage's deceased wife. Fitz-Henley reprises her role from Jessica Jones.
• Rob Morgan as Turk Barrett: A mob enforcer and arms dealer. Morgan reprises his role from Daredevil.
• Chance Kelly as Albert Rackham: A guard at Seagate Prison who recruits Lucas as his participant in the inmate fight ring.
• Craig Mums Grant as Reggie "Squabbles": An inmate at Seagate Prison that Lucas befriends.
• Thomas Q. Jones as Comanche: An inmate at Seagate Prison who hangs around Shades.
• Manny Pérez as Perez: A lieutenant in the NYPD who is on Stokes' payroll
• Sônia Braga as Soledad Temple: Claire Temple's mother.
• Sonja Sohn as Betty Audrey: A captain in the NYPD who takes the fall for the exposure of the corruption in her precinct from the revelation that officers were on Stokes' payroll.
• Rachael Taylor as Trish Walker: Jessica Jones' best friend who works as a radio host. Taylor reprises her role from Jessica Jones.
• LaTanya Richardson Jackson as Mama Mabel: The grandmother of Stokes and Dillard, who lead the Stokes crime family when they were young.
• Danny Johnson as Benjamin Donovan: The Stokes' lawyer. Johnson reprises his role from Daredevil.
• Curtiss Cook as Pistol Pete: Mama Mabel's brother-in-law and right-hand running the family who sexually abused Dillard when she was young. Mabel forced Cornell to kill Pete.
• Clark Jackson as Damon Boone: Dillard's rival for the Harlem council.
• Natalie Paul as Dana Stryker: Willis Stryker's mother.
• Joniece Abbott-Pratt as Esther "Etta" Lucas: Cage's mother.
• Stephen Rider as Blake Tower: A New York assistant district attorney. Rider reprises his role from Daredevil.
• PJ Marshall as Mario Green: A lieutenant of the Emergency Service Unit of the NYPD

Stan Lee makes a cameo appearance through an on-set photograph, the same seen in previous Marvel/Netflix series, while Raphael Saadiq, d-Nice, Faith Evans, Charles Bradley, Jidenna, Dapper Dan, The Delfonics, Cliff "Method Man" Smith, Sway Calloway, Heather B., Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, and Fab Five Freddy appear as themselves.

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	"Moment of Truth"	Paul McGuigan	Cheo Hodari Coker	September 30, 2016 (2016-09-30)
Luke Cage is keeping a low profile as a sweeper at a barbershop owned by ex-gangster Henry "Pop" Hunter and as a dishwasher at the "Harlem's Paradise", a nightclub owned by crime boss Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes. Two men, Shameek and Chico, bust up one of Stokes' arms deals with help from Dante, a bartender at the Harlem Paradise. After shooting and leaving Dante for dead, they make off with the money. NYPD detectives Misty Knight and Rafael Scarfe are tasked with the investigation. With help from "Shades" Alvarez, who works for Stokes' supplier Willis "Diamondback" Stryker, Stokes tracks and kills Shameek and retrieves his share of the money. Scarfe and Knight decide to question Cage, who had replaced Dante during his absence at the club. Meanwhile, Cage beats up and fends off street thugs, who attack his landlady's restaurant demanding contribution for the "New Harlem Renaissance" initiative spearheaded by Stokes' cousin Mariah Dillard, a councilwoman. The episode features musical performances by Raphael Saadiq ("Good Man") and d-Nice.
2	"Code of the Streets"	Paul McGuigan	Cheo Hodari Coker	September 30, 2016 (2016-09-30)
After Stokes' enquiry, Cage locates Chico and brings him to the barbershop for protection at Pop's behest, while Pop lies to Knight and Scarfe about Chico's whereabouts. Pop sends Cage to parley with Stokes on Chico's behalf, but one of Stokes' men, Tone, is tipped off to Chico's location by Turk Barrett and performs a drive-by shooting, killing Pop and critically wounding Chico while Cage shields a young boy. Knight becomes suspicious when Cage remains unharmed despite getting shot. Angered by Pop's death, Stokes kills Tone for his actions and gives Dillard the money. When Cage finds out about this, he decides to retaliate. The episode features a musical performance by Faith Evans ("Mesmerized").
3	"Who's Gonna Take the Weight?"	Guillermo Navarro	Matt Owens	September 30, 2016 (2016-09-30)
Stokes pays for Pop's funeral and warns Cage to let go of the matter. Cage finds out from a regular customer, Bobby Fish, that the barbershop is facing closure due to unpaid bills, and begins targeting Stokes' business to manipulate Stokes into transferring his assets to Dillard's secure office, "Crispus Attucks". Stokes has a falling out with his associate Domingo Colon, whom he blames for the attacks. Cage attacks Crispus Attucks, steals a share of the money, which he gives to Fish, and leaves the rest for the police to find. After agreeing to testify against Stokes and revealing Cage's involvement in the attacks, Chico is killed by Scarfe, who is on Stokes' payroll. Stokes tracks down Cage to his landlady Connie Lin's restaurant and fires a missile, causing an explosion. The episode features a musical performance by Charles Bradley ("Ain't It a Sin").
4	"Step in the Arena"	Vincenzo Natali	Charles Murray	September 30, 2016 (2016-09-30)
While trapped in the rubble, Cage reminisces about his past as Carl Lucas and his incarceration at Seagate Prison, a private detention facility run by C.O. Albert Rackham. He befriends fellow inmate Squabbles, develops an attraction to psychologist Dr. Reva Connors, and is forced to engage in illegal ring fights by Rackham, and crossed paths with inmates Alvarez and Comanche. Lucas and Connors plan to expose Rackham's activities, but Rackham learns of this by torturing Squabbles and has Lucas brutally beaten. Connors then convinces Dr. Noah Burstein, a scientist conducting experiments on the inmates, to perform the procedure on Lucas. Rackham sabotages the experiment, and the resulting accident gives Lucas his powers. He then escapes and adopts the identity of "Luke Cage". Cage manages to pull himself and Connie out of the rubble and reveals his abilities to the media.
5	"Just to Get a Rep"	Marc Jobst	Jason Horwitch	September 30, 2016 (2016-09-30)
Stokes begins extorting the citizens of Harlem to cover his debts and Cage confronts him to demand he stop. Shades recognizes Cage from Seagate and offers to lend Stokes a prototype weapon stolen from Hammer Industries that could kill Cage on Diamondback's behalf. Realizing this would cost him control of Harlem, Stokes decides to sell the weapons from the botched exchange to Colon and use the money to buy Diamondback's weapon. Scarfe is assigned to retrieve the weapons, but steals them for himself. Meanwhile, Knight begins investigating Scarfe at the behest of her superiors and Claire Temple arrives in Harlem to visit her mother, Soledad Temple, to whom she confides about her experiences with enhanced people. During Pop's memorial, Cage delivers an eulogy and humilliates Stokes in the process, leading Knight to warn him that war against Stokes could destroy Harlem. The episode features a musical performance by Jidenna ("Long Live the Chief").
6	"Suckas Need Bodyguards"	Sam Miller	Nathan Louis Jackson	September 30, 2016 (2016-09-30)
Scarfe attempts to blackmail Stokes, but is critically wounded instead and escapes to Pop's for help, where he gives Cage a ledger with incriminating evidence on Stokes. Cage contacts Claire, who treats Scarfe's injuries, while another of Stokes' men, Lieutenant Perez, is ordered to find and kill Scarfe. Knight finds out Perez is also on Stokes' payroll and tricks him into implicating himself, records his admission before arresting him. Cage, Claire and Scarfe are ambushed by mercenaries hired by Stokes on their way to 1 Police Plaza to turn over the evidence, and although Cage fends them off, Scarfe dies from his injuries. Meanwhile, Dillard has an interview with the media. The reporter exposes Dillard's possible involvement in Stokes' actions. Stokes is arrested with the evidence from Scarfe. Knight's supervisor expresses concerns about another disclosure of police corruption after Wilson Fisk's case.
7	"Manifest"	Andy Goddard	Akela Cooper	September 30, 2016 (2016-09-30)
Scarfe's ledger is found inadmissible and Stokes is exonerated. He threatens to expose Cage's real identity if challenged again. Cage decides to leave Harlem; but Claire convinces him to stay and fight. Stokes reminisces about being raised by Dillard at the behest of their grandmother, mobster Mama Mabel. As a child, Stokes' musical talents were encouraged by his uncle Pete, whom Mabel later forced Stokes to kill after learning Pete had made side dealings with her rivals, and molested Dillard. Meanwhile, Knight is investigated by the internal affairs bureau while Dillard is put under pressure by her party to resign from the council. Cage attacks Colon and takes the weapons, giving them to Knight. Dillard visits Stokes to convince him to let go of his obsession with Cage, which leads into an argument that ends with her killing him when he says she flirted with Pete. Alvarez praises her and reveals his plan to frame Cage for the murder. Knight finds out "Luke Cage" is an alias just as he meets Claire to reveal his true identity and is shot by Stryker with the Judas, the Chitauri bullet, leaving him badly wounded. The episode features a musical performance by d-Nice.
8	"Blowin' Up the Spot"	Magnus Martens	Aïda Mashaka Croal	September 30, 2016 (2016-09-30)
Claire gets Cage in an ambulance to a hospital; but they are attacked by Stryker en route. They take refuge in a women's clinic, where Claire examines Cage's tissue to find a way to take out the Judas shrapnel. Candace, a waitress and hostess at Stokes' club, tells the police that it was Cage who killed him, making Knight suspicious of Dillard. Knight calls Cage and informs him of the accusation, while another officer triangulates his location. She arrives at the clinic, attempting to arrest him; but they are attacked by Stryker again. Cage recognizes him from his childhood, with Stryker blaming him for leaving him to "rot". Cage follows Stryker to the United Palace and overpowers him, but he manages to escape. Dillard secretly pays Candace for testifying against Cage. In custody, Claire insists that Cage is innocent, making Knight so angry that she assaults her before the inspector intervenes and has Claire released. Stryker confronts Cage in an alley, reveals himself as his brother and shoots him with the Judas again, throwing him in a garbage truck.
9	"DWYCK"	Tom Shankland	Christian Taylor	September 30, 2016 (2016-09-30)
A police psychologist is tasked to examine Knight. Cage is detected by two policemen, whom he beats up before escaping. Stryker blames Alvarez for Stokes' death. Dillard meets Colon and convinces him to arrange a meeting with all the local crime bosses. Cage reunites with Claire, who convinces him to let her take him to Burstein for treatment. The inspector releases Knight and tasks her to find Cage, who arrives at Burstein's with Claire. They give him the drive containing the data he needs. Stryker interrupts Dillard's meeting with the crime bosses, killing all of them except Colon. She tells Stryker that the video of Cage attacking the policemen has made him an enemy of the city; and Stryker can now sell the Judas bullets to NYPD. Burstein dips Cage inside acid, hoping that it will soften his skin, giving the former the chance to remove the shrapnel. However, the pain of the procedure gives Cage a cardiac arrest. The episode features a musical performance by The Delfonics ("Stop and Look (And You Have Found Love)").
10	"Take It Personal"	Stephen Surjik	Jason Horwitch	September 30, 2016 (2016-09-30)
Claire and Burstein manage to revive Cage and take out the shrapnel. Cage finds out that he was chosen as an experiment subject long before he was injured in Seagate. He and Claire look at Connors' files and find videos of her, proving that she was the person who chose Cage, upsetting him. Stryker kills a policeman, framing Cage. The police get angry and get more aggressive to find Cage, with one detective beating a teenage boy. Dillard shows support for the boy and arranges a ceremony in Harlem's Paradise. Cage threatens Burstein not to replicate the experiment and leaves with Claire and the drive. However, Burstein is revealed to have a copy of the data. In the ceremony, Dillard insists on Cage's fault and the need to arm the police against him. Her fellow party member however secretly tells her about their knowledge of the truth. Cage and Claire arrive at Harlem's Paradise while Knight arrives too, attempting to arrest Stryker, who shoots her before Cage interrupts and tries to escape with her; but they are surrounded by the mercenaries.
11	"Now You're Mine"	George Tillman Jr.	Christian Taylor	September 30, 2016 (2016-09-30)
Cage escapes to the kitchen with Knight while Stryker takes Claire, Candace, the servant who testified against Cage, and the remaining civilians hostages. The police surround the club; but inspector Ridley does not authorize any assault. Cage and Knight escape to the basement using a secret entrance in the kitchen just before Stryker's men storm in. Claire tends to Candace's wound, with the latter revealing the truth to the former and telling about where Cage and Knight might be. Claire escapes and joins the pair, tending to Knight's wound. Stryker uses the loudspeakers to demand Cage to meet him by threatening to kill the hostages. Cage leaves to meet him. Alvarez finds the secret entrance and confronts Knight and Claire, who manage to overpower and lock him. Stryker kills Dillard's fellow party member Boone. Cage arrives and frees the hostages, excluding Candace, whom Stryker uses to cover his own escape just as the SWAT team storms in and forces Cage to surrender using the Judas bullets provided by Dillard. Cage, Alvarez and some other mercenaries are put in custody.
12	"Soliloquy of Chaos"	Phil Abraham	Akela Cooper & Charles Murray	September 30, 2016 (2016-09-30)
Cage manages to escape from police custody, while Knight works hard to locate Stryker and clear Luke's name. Stryker has Alvarez released, then orders Zip and his thugs to kill him, but Alvarez prevails and kills them. The tide of public opinion begins to turn back to Cage, although the NYPD is still determined to bring him down. Candace meets Knight and says that she will testify against Dillard if Knight protects her. Knight takes her to Soledad's. Alvarez approaches Dillard and suggests they get Cage on side by giving him evidence of Lucas's innocence, and that they all work together to defeat Stryker. Cage finds Barrett, who is working for Stryker, and forces him to reveal Stryker's location before locking him in a dumpster. Colon and his men attack Stryker and his mercenaries. Stryker manages to defeat them and escape. Cage arrives and saves a wounded Colon. As the parties converge on Pop's to parley, Stryker attacks, wearing a powered suit which allows him to match Cage's strength and invulnerability. Cage tasks Knight to go after Dillard and Alvarez while the former engages Stryker. The episode features a musical performance by Method Man ("Bulletproof Love").
13	"You Know My Steez"	Clark Johnson	Aida Mashaka Croal & Cheo Hodari Coker	September 30, 2016 (2016-09-30)
In flashbacks, Stryker helps Lucas become a boxer, eventually leading to the latter winning an important match. In the present, Cage and Stryker continue their fight inside and outside the barber shop. In the confusion, Knight drops her phone and Dillard loses the files which prove Lucas's innocence. Cage tries to reason with Stryker, but eventually knocks him out when the suit's power system fails. Alvarez uses Knight's phone to lure Candace out of hiding and kills her, without whose testimony Dillard walks free. Ridley blames Knight for keeping Candace at a private place instead of protective custody. Federal marshals arrive to arrest Cage for his escape from Seagate. Claire kisses him before he leaves, promising to call a skilled lawyer she knows. Fish finds the Lucas files in the barbershop. Dillard re-opens Harlem's Paradise with Alvarez by her side; and Knight goes undercover in the club again. As Stryker recovers in hospital, Burstein enters his room. The episode features a musical performance Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings ("100 Days, 100 Nights").

Production

Development

In May 2013, Marvel Studios reacquired the rights to Luke Cage from Sony Pictures Entertainment / Columbia Pictures, after a feature film had been in development at Columbia since 2003, to no avail. By October 2013, Marvel Television was preparing four drama series and a miniseries, totaling 60 episodes, to present to video on demand services and cable providers, with Netflix, Amazon, and WGN America expressing interest. A few weeks later, Marvel and Disney announced that Marvel Television and ABC Studios would provide Netflix with live action series centered around Luke Cage, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist, leading up to a miniseries based on the Defenders.

Marvel began their search for a showrunner in 2014, and in late March 2015, Netflix and Marvel announced Cheo Hodari Coker in that role and revealed the title of the series to be Marvel's Luke Cage. Coker was inspired to become the series showrunner "when he realized the ramifications of a series about a black man with impenetrable skin and how that might empower him to take on both criminals and crooked authority figures"; he pitched the series to Netflix as an examination of Harlem, "like what The Wire did for Baltimore." Charles Murray, Alison Engel, Allie Goss, Kris Henigman, Cindy Holland, Alan Fine, Stan Lee, Joe Queseda, Dan Buckley, and Jim Chory also serve as executive producers. The series was originally intended to be the fourth of the announced series from Netflix, debuting after Marvel's Iron Fist, but it was fast-tracked to be the third series, after Jessica Jones, when the character became a breakout star of that series and Marvel wanted to "follow the momentum".

In January 2015, Netflix COO Ted Sarandos stated the series was "eligible to go into multiple seasons for sure" and Netflix would look at "how well [they] are addressing both the Marvel fanbase but also the broader fanbase" in terms of determining if additional seasons would be appropriate. In July 2015, Sarandos said some of the Defenders series would "selectively have multiple seasons as they come out of the gate." Sarandos stated further a year later that a potential second season would not debut until 2018 at the earliest, after Marvel's The Defenders released in 2017. Regarding a second season, Coker stated he had "a few ideas", including possibly exploring the "Hero for Hire" aspect of Cage, though noted he was not taking "any of this for granted" in terms of feeling a second season renewal from Netflix was guaranteed. Colter also felt "Heroes for Hire" could be explored in future seasons, as well as further exploring Cage's lifestyle change regarding his relationship with Jessica Jones and introducing the couple's daughter.

Writing

Charles Murray, Kayla Cooper, and Nathan Jackson served as writers on the series. Coker noted that the majority of the series' writers are African-American, "a rarity on television". Each episode is named after a Gang Starr song, with Coker explaining, "I wanted the 13 episodes to feel like an album. Like when Prince put out an album, you would shut things out and listen to the whole thing. But now, with TV, you binge watch. This show is made to binge. The music helps, but it is all about the pace." Coker was inspired to do this by television producer Shonda Rhimes, who names each episode of Grey's Anatomy after a pop song. Coker chose the Gang Starr songs ahead of his first pitch meeting with Marvel Television head Jeph Loeb, to help organize his planned story arcs.

Loeb described the series as "a fugitive story", and "a story of redemption ... the hero's journey", while Mike Colter described it as having "soul" and "intensity", compared to the "dark action" of Marvel's Daredevil and the "noir feel" of Jessica Jones. Jason Tanz of Wired also likened the series to neo-blaxploitation. Coker described Luke Cage as "a powerful fusion of dark drama, hip-hop, and classic superhero action" while being "The Wire of Marvel television, because we really deal with a lot of different issues." The series picks up "a few months" after Jessica Jones and is set in Harlem rather than the Hell's Kitchen of the previous two series, which Colter described as "a completely different world". Marvel Comics' editor-in-chief Joe Quesada stated that unlike the fictionalized version of Hell's Kitchen depicted in Daredevil and Jessica Jones, which was more inline with how it was when the comics were first written, the Harlem of Luke Cage represents the Harlem of "today", and is truer to the real-life modern New York. Coker described Cottonmouth's club, Harlem's Paradise, as the series' Iron Throne, given "the way that it’s established, it just really sets up our version of this universe in a really compelling, really fun way," also adding that he "wanted to invoke the history of Harlem in terms of creating a club... So it’s crime, politics, music, really the whole cornucopia of the black creative existence in one place." Alfre Woodard described Harlem as its own character within the series, with Colter noting that "Harlem, the character that we’re trying to create, does resemble Harlem of maybe ten years ago."

Talking about the series in relation to Jessica Jones, Colter stated, "We pride ourselves in all being unique shows, and Luke Cage is definitely not a sequel to Jessica Jones or a spinoff, because it was already originally was supposed to be a show ... Marvel's Luke Cage, as opposed to Marvel's Jessica Jones, is completely different. He goes off to uptown and he does his own thing...[but] the time lapse is not that long, and so it's not like Jessica Jones never happened." Colter added that in Jessica Jones he enjoyed not being "front and center" while Luke Cage "wasn’t trying to be a superhero", but in Luke Cage, the character would be "growing into that" role. He explained that in Luke Cage, the character is "trying to make ends meet....he’s tending bar[s], he’s bouncing around. And for good reason, he’s a fugitive, he has some skeletons in his closet. He’s trying to basically stay off the radar." An event in the series' second episode, described as "hard to watch", is what Colter described as "necessary to get this series into forward action mode ... There were events that needed to happen to make [Cage] see that he couldn’t just sit back and do nothing."

On how the series develops the character, Colter said, "when I look at the scripts, I’m really pleased with it because it’s a slow-burn; there’s nothing happening really fast that gets ahead of itself. I’m really with where [the writers are] taking it and how they’re developing the characters, because it’s really cool and it’s geared towards an adult audience, which is something that will be different from the Marvel Cinematic Universe you’ve seen before on the big screen. We have a more gritty, focused story on our heroes and characters that live in New York City... and I think that’s the thing about the [Netflix] series that will be different." Loeb said the series was about Luke Cage's "story and where he came from and, most importantly, where he’s going" after "catching him not quite in the middle, but in the early part of the middle" of his story on Jessica Jones. On this, Colter noted that like the previous Marvel/Netflix series, Luke Cage uses flashbacks, though "in a different way [than the other series] to tell a different part of the story."

When asked whether the series would feel as "adult" as Jessica Jones, Colter replied, "if you think Jessica is adult then we’re still keeping up with that pace ... we’ll continue along those lines of PG-16+". On whether Luke Cage would address current race issues, including Black Lives Matter, given the character's past (a wrongfully imprisoned black man), Colter said, "this is not necessarily the platform to hit it head on" but "the things that he's going through will ring true for a lot of people in law enforcement" and on the street. Loeb said on the issue, "Luke Cage, when he came on the scene in the early 70s was for all intents and purposes the first black superhero. Given what’s going on present day, it just resonates." Coker stated that Cage is "someone that the community can touch and go to", adding, "There’s never been a time in history where having a bulletproof black man, in terms of just looking at how that affects a neighborhood, in terms of looking at, for example, how it not only changes law enforcement but also changes the criminal world, and really in a sense, it’s like Luke’s entrance into this world changes the ecology of the entire neighborhood." Throughout the series, Cage is seen wearing a black hoodie, which, beyond being practical for a character on the run trying to lie low, was a nod to Trayvon Martin and Black Lives Matter. Colter said it was meant to invoke "the idea that a black man in a hoodie isn’t necessarily a threat. He might just be a hero." The series also features a political campaign with the slogan "Keep Harlem Black", "in the face of gentrification that threatens to homogenize Harlem’s cultural history."

Luke Cage was also the first property to use the words "nigger" and "nigga", for which Coker had complete trust from Marvel regarding the use of the word in the show. The word is used casually in the series, while some characters, including Cage, prefer not to use it. Coker said the intent was never to use it "in a way where it's flippant. I used it from the standpoint of, if we were going to eavesdrop on a conversation with African American people, with nobody else around, when would this word be used and how would it get used." Coker also likened the use in the series to "the way music used to treat it," not having it be "every other word of every other chorus, because at that point, it just gets silly."

Casting

By November 2014, Lance Gross, Colter, and Cleo Anthony were in contention for the role of Luke Cage, which was envisioned as a recurring role on Jessica Jones before headlining Luke Cage. Colter was confirmed in the role the next month, as a series regular. In August 2015, Alfre Woodard, who portrays Miriam Sharpe in the MCU film Captain America: Civil War, was in talks to join the cast, and the following month she was confirmed as a series regular as Mariah Dillard. Also announced as cast in September was Theo Rossi as Shades, Simone Missick as Misty Knight, and Mahershala Ali as Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes. In November, Rosario Dawson was confirmed to be reprising her role of Claire Temple from previous MCU Netflix series. In March 2016, set photos revealed Erik LaRay Harvey had been cast as Willis Stryker / Diamondback.

Also in September, Frank Whaley was cast in the recurring role of Rafael Scarfe, followed shortly with the addition of Sônia Braga to the cast as Soledad Temple, the mother of Claire.

Design

Coker instructed the series' prop master to carefully choose a selection of books to appear in Cage's bedroom, including Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man. The sets were designed and dressed to consist of strong colors that could be emphasized by the series' cinematography, to help differentiate the show from the noir look and tone of Jessica Jones. The nightclub Harlem's Paradise was intended to invoke the real-life Harlem nightclubs the Cotton Club and the Lenox Lounge. The series' title sequence, which uses yellow overtones, blends a silhouette of Luke Cage with images of Harlem.

Stephanie Maslansky, the costume designer for Daredevil and Jessica Jones, serves as costume designer for Luke Cage as well. Luke Cage has his own wardrobe evolution throughout the series, as Matt Murdock and Jessica Jones did, after his initial look of T-shirts, jeans, leather jackets or an army jacket was introduced in Jessica Jones. The series opted to depict Cage in a Trayvon Martin-inspired hoodie, trying to blend in, for the most part, but introduces the character's classic costume for a brief flashback. Colter said that the costume, designed in the blacksploitation era, "is not made for serious moments", but the series was able to poke fun at it in the brief scene, with Cage saying "You look like a damn fool" to himself when wearing it.

Maslansky took inspiration from the comics illustrations, as she did on the other Marvel Netflix series, but also looked to the "rich and colorful history" of Harlem, and Coker's own vision. In contrast to Cage's hoodie, with jeans and T-shirts, many of the series' villains wear well-tailored suits. Stokes does this because he wants to present himself as "a wealthy, successful businessman", and wears a lot of suits from Dolce & Gabbana and Zegna, with one of his suits from the show custom made. Brands such as Hugo Boss, Helmut Lang, Prada, and Ferragamo were used for Shades, "because he wasn't trying to hide who he was".

Filming

Marvel announced in February 2014 that the series would be filmed in New York City, with Quesada stating in April that the show would be filming on location in addition to sound stage work. In July 2015, Loeb stated that the series was prepping to begin filming, and by September 2015, production had begun with the working title Tiara. The series had a production schedule of nine days filming per episode, at locations including Lenox Avenue and areas of Harlem where American Gangster was shot. Filming also took place at the United Palace, and in areas of Queens for when Cage escapes Seagate and puts on the classic Power Man costume. Filming concluded in March 2016. It was important to Coker for the series to film in Harlem, "the only place in the city where you see those wide boulevards. We really wanted to capture the color, the rhythm of the streets". For example, the production had the opportunity to film at a barbershop in Greenwich Village "that would’ve been a little easier for us to shoot in", but Coker said "the opportunity to film it in Harlem was irresistible. I didn’t want us to talk about Harlem and then not film in Harlem."

Manuel Billeter served as director of photography for the series, after doing the same for Jessica Jones. He worked with director Paul McGuigan to establish the look of the series in the first two episodes, with Coker hiring McGuigan based on his direction of the Sherlock episode "A Scandal in Belgravia". Coker was delighted to learn how little CGI McGuigan used to craft the visuals of that episode, and wanted the same approach for Luke Cage, "just old school camera stuff. He brought a very analogue perspective, analogue feel to the show." McGuigan, Coker explained, directed "every scene [as] long takes, from multiple takes over and over again. We would run an entire eight page scene almost like a play, so when it comes together it’s seamless." McGuigan was inspired by the works of photographers Gordon Parks, Tony Ray-Jones, and Jack Garofalo. Billeter looked to differentiate the look of Luke Cage from Jessica Jones with cinematography, using modified gels on lights, and saturating and warming colors in color correction to give Harlem "a more glowing look". The series was shot on Netflix's standard 4K cameras, with Billeter pairing them with Panavision Primo lenses that were "custom treated with a reflective coating in between the glass elements in the interior of the lens, causing more flares and bringing down the contrast in addition to very slightly de-focusing them" in order to "add something magic, less controlled and more cinematic". Billeter filmed Colter with a lot of low angles to make him look "even more heroic", and kept the camera close to him, even when he was "surrounded by space", with Harlem in the background so that Cage "is always the dominant force in his shots, but he also remains a part of the terrain. The shots aren’t of him alone; they’re of him in his home."

Cage's fight style in the series was called "smack-fu" by Coker, referring to the way he tried not to punch anybody since that would probably kill them with his super strength. To film the effect of bullets bouncing off of Cage, remote controlled devices were attached to Colter, operated by "the push of a button by someone overlooking the stunt behind the cameras." The devices had the ability to "burn the skin if not attached properly to clothing, and [Colter] once almost lost hearing in one ear when he forgot to insert the required ear pieces." The third episode begins with a couch coming out of the window of the fictional Crispus Attucks complex in Harlem. This was a tease of a large fight scene shown in full later in the episode, on which Coker said, "You're already anticipating what's going to happen, so when you finally do get to that moment and then the music kicks in, it takes on this new energy." The fight itself is the series' version of the 'superhero hallway fight' made famous in Daredevil, with Coker explaining, "We wanted to do something that, while in the same realm, was its own thing ... That's what this whole show is about, ultimately, being able to do the superhero thing with flavor." Filming for the fight was influenced by "Arnold Schwarzenegger’s invading the police station in Terminator", and was one of the toughest sequences for the crew to shoot; it took a 14-hour day, and Colter attributed the successful completion of the sequence, including the couch shot, to director Guillermo Navarro.

The series' production sound mixer Joshua Anderson, who worked on Daredevil and Jessica Jones as well, worked to capture as much sound on set with boom mics over lavaliers to ground the unbelievable elements of the series in "naturalistic sound". He noted that Ali's Cottonmouth laugh and many of Colter's lines in particular sounded "incredible on the boom". Anderson also talked about Luke Cage adding a new layer of sound that the other series did not—music, both how important it is to the show, and so the captured sound needed to be clear to be properly mixed in with the music later, and how it was used on set, with several artists giving live performances in the fictional nightclub Harlem's Paradise. For the latter, Anderson and his team had experience after working on the musical series Smash.

Music

Further information: Luke Cage (soundtrack) and Music of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

In April 2016, Coker revealed that Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad were composing the series' score, describing it as "a '90s hip-hop vibe" with "a lot of different musical appearances". Colter stated that the "musicality" of the series would differentiate it from past Marvel Netflix series, and added that "Harlem has a long, rich culture of music and we want to pay homage to that." Younge stated, "We all came together and said we wanted to make something great. Not just for black people or minorities, just something great that just happens to be based on our culture." Coker added that the light and fun tone of the music balanced some of the darker dramatic elements and more serious thematic issues depicted in the show. Coker and Colter referenced obscure songs from 1990s hip-hop groups to describe the tone of certain scenes, while the showrunner hoped to avoid cliches by choosing "fewer loud anthems familiar to shoot-'em-up scenes and more hip-hop with the stirring sounds of jazz and blues at its core."

The series features onscreen performances by various artists as the live performances in the Harlem's Paradise nightclub, for which Coker wanted to use to help capture the vibe of the neighborhood. Songs from Mahalia Jackson, Nina Simone, John Lee Hooker ("It Serves You Right to Suffer" and "I'm Bad Like Jesse James"), Dusty Springfield ("Son of a Preacher Man"), and Wu-Tang Clan ("Bring da Ruckus") are also featured in the series. Coker wanted Prince to perform at the nightclub for the season finale, before his death in April 2016. The "swear jar" that appears in the season was designed by Coker to hopefully convince Prince to make the cameo appearance, as he was known to have a "swear jar" himself since he was a devout Jehovah's Witness. The role was ultimately filled by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, which Coker said was "the better choice" because "that sequence is about Mariah being crowned."

A soundtrack album for the series was released digitally on October 7. A vinyl version of the soundtrack is set for release from Mondo on an unspecified date.

Visual effects

Visual effects for the series were completed by FuseFX.

Marvel Cinematic Universe tie-ins

Luke Cage is the third of the ordered Netflix series after Daredevil and Jessica Jones, and will be followed by Iron Fist, before leading into the miniseries, The Defenders. In November 2013, Disney CEO Bob Iger stated that if the characters prove popular on Netflix, “It’s quite possible that they could become feature films," which was echoed by Sarandos in July 2015. In August 2014, Vincent D'Onofrio, Wilson Fisk in Daredevil, stated that after the "series stuff with Netflix", Marvel has "a bigger plan to branch out". In March 2015, Loeb spoke on the ability for the series to crossover with the MCU films and the ABC television series, saying, "It all exists in the same universe. As it is now, in the same way that our films started out as self-contained and then by the time we got to The Avengers, it became more practical for Captain America to do a little crossover into Thor 2 and for Bruce Banner to appear at the end of Iron Man 3. We have to earn that. The audience needs to understand who all of these characters are and what the world is before you then start co-mingling in terms of where it's going."

Part of the series takes place simultaneously with the events of the second season of Daredevil, as Cox noted after Claire Temple first appears in that season, she has "a cut in her eyebrow", which she receives due to events in Luke Cage, adding, "the timeline had been thought through and worked out so that whatever’s going on in Luke Cage ... somehow at some point during that show, the next day she’s in the hospital talking to me [in Daredevil]." Throughout the season, the villains use Hammer Technology weapons to counter Cage's abilities. The company and its founder, Justin Hammer, were introduced in Iron Man 2, and Hammer was last seen incarcerated in Seagate Prison in the Marvel One-Shot All Hail the King; Seagate is also depicted in the series as the prison where Carl Lucas was sent, and there is a reference to "millionaires hidden in the basement" while he is there. The series references the events of The Avengers and members of that team, as well as the future Defenders and their own series. Specific mentions include Madame Gao's operations in Daredevil, the widely known villains Wilson Fisk and Frank Castle, and a flier for Colleen Wing's martial arts class, set to be introduced in Iron Fist.

Release

Luke Cage was released on September 30, 2016, on the streaming service Netflix worldwide, in Ultra HD 4K. The 13 hour-long episodes were released simultaneously, as opposed to a serialized format, to encourage binge-watching, a format which has been successful for other Netflix series.

Marketing

Disney Consumer Products created a small line of products to cater to a more adult audience, given the show’s edgier tone. Paul Gitter, senior VP of Marvel Licensing for Disney Consumer Products explained that the focus would be more on teens and adults than very young people, with products at outlets like Hot Topic. Additionally, a Marvel Knights merchandise program was created to support the series, which creates new opportunities for individual product lines and collector focused products. Licensing partners wanted to pair up with Marvel, despite this not being a film project, given its previous successes.

On March 18, 2016, the first footage of the series debuted exclusively on Netflix. The trailer appeared at the end of the second season of Daredevil, autoplaying after viewers finished the final episode. In July 2016, Colter, Woodard, Ali, Rossi, Missick, Whaley, and Coker appeared at the San Diego Comic-Con to promote the series and debut footage. At the end of August 2016, Netflix released the first part of the "Street Level Hero" digital social video series. The series "look[ed] to blend fiction with history by taking audiences behind the curtain on the themes that give the show it’s street-level authenticity and cultural relevance." The first part was centered on the music of the series, with commentary from Coker, Colter, composers Younge and Muhammad, A$AP Ferg and Method Man. At the end of September, the second part of the "Street Level Hero" series was released, focusing on Harlem, with commentary from Coker, Colter, A$AP Ferg, Method Man, and Harlem style icon Dapper Dan. On September 28, 2016, the series premiered at the AMC Magic Johnson in Harlem.

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 96% approval rating with an average rating of 8.2/10 based on 50 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "An immersive, socially conscious narrative and a confident, charismatic lead performance make Marvel's Luke Cage a stellar sampling of the new Marvel/Netflix universe." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 79 out of 100 based on 27 critics, indicating what the website considers to be "generally favorable".

Reviewing the first seven episodes of the series, Allison Keene of Collider.com awarded it 5 stars out of 5, saying, the series is "an intimate portrait of street life, detailing not only the inner workings of the crime syndicates, but also the beleaguered police, sleazy politicians, and the young people in the community who see guns and drugs as an easy way to make money." She also noted the use of race in the series, as well as giving each cast member "distinct personalities and memorable moments that create immediate stakes" while specifically praising Colter. Mike Cecchini of Den of Geek spoke positively of the series, saying "Luke Cage boasts an excellent cast, tremendous atmosphere, and a willingness to go places that other Marvel Studios productions can’t." He added that Simone Missick as Misty Knight was the series' standout performance, much like Colter was in Jessica Jones, and praised the music, feeling it had "the most active role in a superhero production since Guardians of the Galaxy" and called the original score by Younge and Muhammad "equally impressive" and "a perfect veneer of 70s style". However, Cecchini felt Luke Cage "hits the usual Marvel Netflix problems, though. There are some archetypes that get leaned on a little too heavily and characters have a tendency to monologue, sometimes aggressively."

Deadline.com's Dominic Patten called Luke Cage "one of the most socially relevant and smartest shows on the small screen you will see this year... Linking to the Greater Marvel Universe with finesse, hip-hop’s alternating swagger and reserve, the zeitgeist, and the iconic legacy of Harlem, the series reaches both back and forward into the culture of heroes and an America looking for a true game-changer." David Milner for Digital Spy also gave positive thoughts on the series, saying "When it's not fulfilling its duties as a Marvel-licensed product, Luke Cage is basically a précis of the last 100 years of African-American history – especially in relation to Harlem itself." Conversely, Milner felt Ali's Cottonmouth was not "as imposing a figure as Daredevil's Wilson Fisk and isn't nearly as darkly charismatic as David Tennant's Kilgrave from Jessica Jones." Maureen Ryan of Variety felt Luke Cage "has a more than adequate supply of pleasures", with the cast strong enough to "power" the series "through its rough spots, which include a somewhat clunky pilot and a notable tendency to sprawl". She also felt that "Where the drama tends to stumble is in meandering expositional scenes, which quite often go on too long and drain the show of momentum... when [high caliber actors such as Mahershala Ali and Alfre Woodard] can’t make a long dialogue scene work, the problem is in the writing, not the performances." Merrill Barr, writing for Forbes, called the series "another winner for Marvel and Netflix that shouldn’t be missed," saying, "Arcs are beautifully handled, often taking zigs when a zag is not only expected but often encouraged. Fans of the characters are going to rejoice at the level of quality they are getting with this one after waiting so long for Cage to be realized in live action, and fans of Marvel in general should really enjoy the 70s stylings that shake things up real well."

Giving the series 4.5 stars out of 5, Cinema Blend's Eric Eisenberg felt Luke Cage "has a unique flavor that could very well lead it to being called the best Netflix/Marvel series so far by the time it's first season is over," a sentiment also shared by Helen O'Hara of The Daily Telegraph. Eisenberg also praised the members of the supporting cast, including Misskick as Misty Knight, Frank Whaley as Rafael Scarfe, Frankie Faison as Pop, and Theo Rossi as Shades, and Ali and Woodard as the villains. Despite "weak exposition delivery in the pilot, repetitive narrative structures, and individual arcs that are cut short too soon," Eisenberg concluded that Luke Cage "presents a corner of the world unlike anything ever presented in comic book films or television – and built with a compelling vision and atmosphere, the first seven episodes suggest that it will ultimately come together as one of the best examples of the genre." David Betancourt, for The Washington Post, concluded, "When it comes to Marvel’s movies and Netflix’s shows, they haven’t struck out yet. Luke Cage is no different, and it is Netflix’s best Marvel show to date. When given the chance to bring to life one of the most well-known heroes of color around, Marvel and Netflix produced something that is undeniably and unapologetically black and beautiful." TV Guide's Alexander Zalban called the series one of 2016's "most vital, important" and "timely" television series, saying it had "incredibly layered and iconic performances" from the cast and felt that "just as Jessica Jones sucked fans in by being a superhero detective story set in the Marvel Universe, while actually being one of the most powerful and thorough explorations of sexual assault ever committed to film," so too would Luke Cage with the racial aspects it covered.

Matt Webb Mitovich of TVLine, who gave the series a "B", felt Harlem was "a wonderfully utilized character, both a welcome departure from the well-explored Hell’s Kitchen and a distinct neighborhood unto itself," along with strong performances from Colter (bringing "a needed intensity") and Ali ("compelling and threatening as Cottonmouth"), though felt some of its "talkier moments" and its pacing were some of the series' weak spots. Entertainment Weekly's Jeff Jensen awarded the series a "B-" saying "Luke Cage is a meaningful attempt at developing a new-model black hero. As entertaining drama, it’s trapped in a not-so-Marvelous trapped cage", though he criticized it as "one more piece of Marvel pop that expresses its ballyhooed shared-world premise so poorly, it’s jarring when it even happens," as well as some of the series' logic, "sluggish pace [and] thinly stretched plot". Reviewing the entire season, Terri Schwartz of IGN awarded it an 8.4 out of 10, saying, "Marvel's Luke Cage doesn't reach the heights of Daredevil and Jessica Jones, and its flawed second half ends up diminishing what was otherwise a fantastic season. But with something important to say and interesting new characters, Luke Cage is another win for Marvel's Netflix shows."

External links

• Marvel's Luke Cage on Netflix
• Marvel's Luke Cage at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com show