Luke Cage (TV series)
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''Marvel's Luke Cage'' is an American television series created by
Cheo Hodari Coker Cheo Hodari Coker (born December 12, 1972) is an American former music journalist turned television writer and producer known for such television series as ''Luke Cage'', '' NCIS: Los Angeles'', '' Southland'' and '' Ray Donovan''. Coker also wro ...
for the streaming service
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
, based on the
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
character
Luke Cage Lucas "Luke" Cage, born Carl Lucas and also known as Power Man, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in ''Luke Cage, Hero for Hire'' #1 (June 1972) and was created by Archie Go ...
. It is set in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...
(MCU), acknowledging the continuity of the franchise's films, and was the third Marvel Netflix series leading to the crossover miniseries '' The Defenders''. The series was produced by
Marvel Television Marvel Television was an American television production company responsible for live-action and animated (through Marvel Animation) television shows and direct-to-DVD series based on characters from Marvel Comics. The division was based at affi ...
in association with
ABC Studios ABC Signature is an American television Filmmaking#Production, production studio that is a subsidiary of Disney Television Studios, a division of Walt Disney Television, which is part of the List of assets owned by The Walt Disney Company#Disne ...
, with Coker serving as
showrunner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also th ...
.
Mike Colter Mike Randal Colter (born August 26, 1976) is an American actor best known for his role as Luke Cage in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in the streaming television series ''Luke Cage'' (2016–2018), '' The Defenders'' (2017), and ''Jess ...
stars as
Luke Cage Lucas "Luke" Cage, born Carl Lucas and also known as Power Man, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in ''Luke Cage, Hero for Hire'' #1 (June 1972) and was created by Archie Go ...
, a former convict with superhuman strength and unbreakable skin who now fights crime and corruption.
Simone Missick Simone Missick (née Cook; born January 19, 1982) is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Detective Misty Knight in ''Luke Cage'', a role she also plays in '' The Defenders' ...
,
Theo Rossi John Theodore Rossi (born June 4, 1975) is an American actor and producer. He portrayed Juan Carlos "Juice" Ortiz on the FX series ''Sons of Anarchy'' (2008–2014) and Hernan "Shades" Alvarez in ''Luke Cage'' (2016–2018). His film roles i ...
,
Rosario Dawson Rosario Isabel Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in the 1995 independent drama ''Kids''. Her subsequent film roles include '' He Got Game'' (1998), ''Josie and the Pussycats'' (2001), ''Men in Bl ...
, and
Alfre Woodard Alfre Woodard (; born November 8, 1952) is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including four Primetime Emmy Awards (tying the record for the most acting Emmys won by an African-American performer, along with Regina King), ...
also star, with
Mahershala Ali Mahershala Ali (; born Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore, February 16, 1974) is an American actor. He has received multiple accolades, including two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. ''Time'' magazine named him one of th ...
and
Erik LaRay Harvey Erik LaRay Harvey (born 1972) is an American actor known for his roles as Dunn Purnsley in ''Boardwalk Empire'', Diamondback (Willis Stryker), Willis Stryker / Diamondback in ''Luke Cage (TV series), Luke Cage'', and his role in ''The Charnel Hous ...
joining them for
season one Season One may refer to: Albums * ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004 * ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughters album), 2012 * ''Season One'' (Saukrates album), 2012 See also * * * Season 2 (disambiguation) * Season 4 (disambiguat ...
, and
Mustafa Shakir Mustafa Shakir (born August 21, 1976) is an American actor known for his portrayal as Bushmaster in '' Marvel's Luke Cage'', Big Mike in ''The Deuce'' and Jet Black in ''Cowboy Bebop'' (2021). Biography and career Shakir was born in North Ca ...
and
Gabrielle Dennis Gabrielle Dennis is an American actress and comedian, known mostly for her work in cable television series ('' The Game'', '' Blue Mountain State'', '' The Underground''). Dennis starred in the Fox medical drama ''Rosewood'' alongside Morris C ...
joining for
season two Season 2 may refer to: * ''Season 2'' (Infinite album) * ''2econd Season ''2econd Season'' is the second and most recent album by Atlanta-based rapper Unk. Release It was released on November 4, 2008. Guest Performers The album features gu ...
. Development of the series began in late 2013. Colter was cast as Cage in December 2014, to appear in the series ''
Jessica Jones Jessica Campbell Jones Cage is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Gaydos and first appeared in ''Alias'' #1 (November 2001) ...
'' before starring in his own series. Coker was hired as showrunner in March 2015, and focused on themes of race and black culture with a neo-blaxploitation,
neo-Western The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referre ...
tone. Filming for the series, which looked to replicate the unique culture and atmosphere of
Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...
, took place in New York City. It features many musical guests as well as a "'90s hip-hop" score by
Adrian Younge Adrian Younge (born May 7, 1978) is an American composer, arranger and music producer based in the Los Angeles area. Background Younge grew up in Fontana, California. His father is a lawyer and Younge himself earned a Juris Doctor degree fr ...
and
Ali Shaheed Muhammad Ali Shaheed Muhammad (born August 11, 1970) is an American hip hop DJ, record producer, and rapper, best known as a member of A Tribe Called Quest. With Q-Tip and Phife Dawg (and sometimes Jarobi White), the group released five studio albums ...
. The first season was released in its entirety on Netflix on September 30, 2016, followed by the second on June 22, 2018. They were met with positive reviews, and received numerous accolades including a
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Award The Creative Arts Emmys are a class of Emmy Awards presented in recognition of technical and other similar achievements in American television programming. They are commonly awarded to behind-the-scenes personnel such as production designers, set ...
. Following creative differences during the development of a third season, Netflix cancelled ''Luke Cage'' on October 19, 2018; all of the Marvel Netflix series were removed from Netflix on March 1, 2022, after Disney regained the license for them. They began streaming on
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...
from March 16.


Premise

When a sabotaged experiment gives him super strength and unbreakable skin,
Luke Cage Lucas "Luke" Cage, born Carl Lucas and also known as Power Man, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in ''Luke Cage, Hero for Hire'' #1 (June 1972) and was created by Archie Go ...
becomes a fugitive attempting to rebuild his life in
Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...
and must soon confront his past and fight a battle for the heart of his city. After clearing his name, Cage becomes a hero and celebrity in Harlem, only to encounter a new threat that makes him confront the line between hero and villain.


Cast and characters

*
Mike Colter Mike Randal Colter (born August 26, 1976) is an American actor best known for his role as Luke Cage in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in the streaming television series ''Luke Cage'' (2016–2018), '' The Defenders'' (2017), and ''Jess ...
as
Luke Cage Lucas "Luke" Cage, born Carl Lucas and also known as Power Man, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in ''Luke Cage, Hero for Hire'' #1 (June 1972) and was created by Archie Go ...
:
Former convict Carl Lucas was given superhuman strength and unbreakable skin, and now fights crime under the name Luke Cage. Colter portrayed the character differently in the series than he had previously in ''
Marvel's Jessica Jones ''Marvel's Jessica Jones'' is an American television series created by Melissa Rosenberg for the streaming service Netflix, based on the Marvel Comics character Jessica Jones. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), acknowledging the c ...
'', explaining, "You're not always the same person around everyone you know ... you might not necessarily behave the same way around your mom that you would with your wife or your boss". The character uses his signature catch phrase 'Sweet Christmas' from the comics in the series, but sparingly, with the character often "opting instead for pensive silence"; composer
Adrian Younge Adrian Younge (born May 7, 1978) is an American composer, arranger and music producer based in the Los Angeles area. Background Younge grew up in Fontana, California. His father is a lawyer and Younge himself earned a Juris Doctor degree fr ...
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." Colter put on of muscle for the role. David Austin and Clifton Cutrary portray a young and teenage Lucas, respectively. *
Mahershala Ali Mahershala Ali (; born Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore, February 16, 1974) is an American actor. He has received multiple accolades, including two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. ''Time'' magazine named him one of th ...
as
Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach a ...
:
The owner of the Harlem's Paradise nightclub and the cousin of Mariah Dillard who deals in illegal operations. Ali described Stokes as "a '' Godfather''-type villain", while Head of
Marvel Television Marvel Television was an American television production company responsible for live-action and animated (through Marvel Animation) television shows and direct-to-DVD series based on characters from Marvel Comics. The division was based at affi ...
Jeph Loeb Joseph "Jeph" Loeb III () is an American film and television writer, producer and comic book writer. Loeb was a producer/writer on the TV series ''Smallville'' and ''Lost'', writer for the films '' Commando'' and ''Teen Wolf'', and a writer and ...
referred to him as "the other hero of the story", continuing the tradition of previous Marvel Netflix villains
Wilson Fisk The Kingpin (Wilson Grant Fisk) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and John Romita Sr., and first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #50 (cover-dated July 19 ...
and Kilgrave. Showrunner
Cheo Hodari Coker Cheo Hodari Coker (born December 12, 1972) is an American former music journalist turned television writer and producer known for such television series as ''Luke Cage'', '' NCIS: Los Angeles'', '' Southland'' and '' Ray Donovan''. Coker also wro ...
, a former music journalist, said that the attitude of rapper
Biggie Smalls Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...
particularly influenced his version of Cottonmouth. Ali took the role knowing that Stokes would die early on in the series, saying the experience "was like shooting a film ... 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". Elijah Boothe portrays a young Stokes. *
Simone Missick Simone Missick (née Cook; born January 19, 1982) is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Detective Misty Knight in ''Luke Cage'', a role she also plays in '' The Defenders' ...
as Mercedes "Misty" Knight:
A Harlem NYPD Detective with a strong sense of justice, who is determined to learn about Cage. 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...
ith The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is immediatel ...
our current times, it's difficult to believe in the system." 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 John Theodore Rossi (born June 4, 1975) is an American actor and producer. He portrayed Juan Carlos "Juice" Ortiz on the FX series ''Sons of Anarchy'' (2008–2014) and Hernan "Shades" Alvarez in ''Luke Cage'' (2016–2018). His film roles i ...
as Hernan "Shades" Alvarez:
A relentless, menacing, smooth and manipulative, street smart criminal working for Diamondback with ties to Cage's past. Loeb called Shades "kind of the
Littlefinger Petyr Baelish, nicknamed Littlefinger, is a fictional character in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation ''Game of Thrones''. Introduced in 1996's ''A Game ...
of ''Luke Cage''", "the ultimate opportunist". *
Erik LaRay Harvey Erik LaRay Harvey (born 1972) is an American actor known for his roles as Dunn Purnsley in ''Boardwalk Empire'', Diamondback (Willis Stryker), Willis Stryker / Diamondback in ''Luke Cage (TV series), Luke Cage'', and his role in ''The Charnel Hous ...
as
Willis Stryker / Diamondback Willis may refer to: Places United States * Willis, Florida, an unincorporated community * Willis, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Willis, Kansas, a city * Willis, Michigan, an unincorporated community * Willis, Nebraska, an unincorpo ...
:
A powerful arms dealer who is Cage's half brother and the one who framed him for the crime that sent him to Seagate Prison. Coker felt the backstory between Stryker and Cage got "twisted" because of how ''Jessica Jones'' introduced Cage's wife Reva Connors, believing the series did not get Stryker's tone right until the eleventh episode. Harvey talked about the character's illegitimacy, saying being "called a bastard his whole life... swhat 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." 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 Rosario Isabel Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in the 1995 independent drama ''Kids''. Her subsequent film roles include '' He Got Game'' (1998), ''Josie and the Pussycats'' (2001), ''Men in Bl ...
as
Claire Temple Claire Temple is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is a medical doctor primarily affiliated with the superhero Luke Cage and is one of his early love interests. Starting in 2015, a versio ...
:
A former 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 Alfre Woodard (; born November 8, 1952) is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including four Primetime Emmy Awards (tying the record for the most acting Emmys won by an African-American performer, along with Regina King), ...
as Mariah Stokes-Dillard:
A local councilwoman 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, 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. *
Gabrielle Dennis Gabrielle Dennis is an American actress and comedian, known mostly for her work in cable television series ('' The Game'', '' Blue Mountain State'', '' The Underground''). Dennis starred in the Fox medical drama ''Rosewood'' alongside Morris C ...
as Tilda Johnson: A holistic doctor and the daughter of Mariah Dillard who cannot stay out of trouble in Harlem *
Mustafa Shakir Mustafa Shakir (born August 21, 1976) is an American actor known for his portrayal as Bushmaster in '' Marvel's Luke Cage'', Big Mike in ''The Deuce'' and Jet Black in ''Cowboy Bebop'' (2021). Biography and career Shakir was born in North Ca ...
as John McIver / Bushmaster: The leader of a Jamaican gang called the Stylers who uses folk magic to gain powers almost equal to Cage's and who obsessively pursues revenge against the Stokes family.


Episodes


Season 1 (2016)


Season 2 (2018)


Production


Development

In May 2013,
Marvel Studios Marvel Studios, LLC (originally known as Marvel Films from 1993 to 1996) is an American film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Walt Disney Company. Marvel Studios produces the Mar ...
reacquired the rights to
Luke Cage Lucas "Luke" Cage, born Carl Lucas and also known as Power Man, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in ''Luke Cage, Hero for Hire'' #1 (June 1972) and was created by Archie Go ...
from
Sony Pictures Entertainment Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, ac ...
/
Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...
, after a feature film had been in development at Columbia since 2003, to no avail. By October 2013,
Marvel Television Marvel Television was an American television production company responsible for live-action and animated (through Marvel Animation) television shows and direct-to-DVD series based on characters from Marvel Comics. The division was based at affi ...
was preparing four drama series and a miniseries, totaling 60 episodes, to present to
video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of o ...
services and cable providers, with
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
,
Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...
, and
WGN America WGN America was an American subscription television network that was owned by the Nexstar Media Group, and was the company's only wholly owned, national cable-originated television channel. The channel in its final form under the WGN branding ra ...
expressing interest. A few weeks later, Marvel and Disney announced that Marvel Television and
ABC Studios ABC Signature is an American television Filmmaking#Production, production studio that is a subsidiary of Disney Television Studios, a division of Walt Disney Television, which is part of the List of assets owned by The Walt Disney Company#Disne ...
would provide Netflix with live-action series centered around Luke Cage, Daredevil,
Jessica Jones Jessica Campbell Jones Cage is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Gaydos and first appeared in ''Alias'' #1 (November 2001) ...
, and Iron Fist, leading up to a miniseries based on the
Defenders Defender(s) or The Defender(s) may refer to: *Defense (military) *Defense (sports) **Defender (association football) Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Defender'' (1989 film), a Canadian documentary * ''The Defender'' (1994 f ...
. Marvel began their search for a showrunner in 2014, and in late March 2015, Netflix and Marvel announced
Cheo Hodari Coker Cheo Hodari Coker (born December 12, 1972) is an American former music journalist turned television writer and producer known for such television series as ''Luke Cage'', '' NCIS: Los Angeles'', '' Southland'' and '' Ray Donovan''. Coker also wro ...
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 ''The Wire'' is an American Crime film, crime drama Television show, television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The ...
'' did for Baltimore." Charles Murray, Alison Engel, Allie Goss, Kris Henigman, Cindy Holland, Alan Fine,
Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...
, Joe Queseda,
Dan Buckley Dan Buckley is an American publishing executive, who is known for his work as Publisher, and then as President of Marvel Entertainment since January 2017. Early life Dan Buckley was raised in upstate New York and later a New York city resident. ...
, 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 Cage was introduced in ''
Marvel's Jessica Jones ''Marvel's Jessica Jones'' is an American television series created by Melissa Rosenberg for the streaming service Netflix, based on the Marvel Comics character Jessica Jones. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), acknowledging the c ...
'' and became a breakout star, with Marvel wanting to "follow the momentum". Coker had also created a draft that became the
bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
for the series that contributed to Marvel switching the series' order with ''Iron Fist''. In December 2016, Netflix renewed the series for a second season.


Writing

Charles Murray, Akela Cooper, Nathan Louis Jackson, Matt Owens, Aïda Mashaka Croal,
Jason Horwitch Jason Horwitch is an American film and television writer. He is the recipient of the Writers Guild of America’s Paul Selvin Award for FX’s ''The Pentagon Papers (film), The Pentagon Papers''. Horwitch created AMC’s conspiracy thriller telev ...
, and Christian Taylor served as writers on the first season, with Matthew Lopes, Nicole Mirante-Matthews, and Ian Stokes joining for the second. Coker noted that the majority of the series' writers were Black and "majority geek", one of the first such writing teams, which was "a rarity on television". The writers also " nderstoodthe culture" and had a "lived experience" that gave the series "authenticity". After signing on to the series, Coker was able to read the first two scripts of both ''
Marvel's Daredevil ''Marvel's Daredevil'' is an American television series created by Drew Goddard for the streaming service Netflix, based on the Marvel Comics character Daredevil. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), acknowledging the continuity of ...
'' and ''Jessica Jones'', giving him an idea of the quality of writing for those series, and how important the development of their villains was. Actor
Mike Colter Mike Randal Colter (born August 26, 1976) is an American actor best known for his role as Luke Cage in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in the streaming television series ''Luke Cage'' (2016–2018), '' The Defenders'' (2017), and ''Jess ...
described the series as having "soul" and "intensity", compared to the "dark action" of ''Daredevil'' and the "noir feel" of ''Jessica Jones''. Coker described "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." Jason Tanz of ''
Wired ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fra ...
'' likened the series to neo-blaxploitation, which Coker agreed with in that "blaxploitation is
ust UST or Ust may refer to: Organizations * UST (company), American digital technology company * Equatorial Guinea Workers' Union * Union of Trade Unions of Chad (Union des Syndicats du Tchad) * United States Television Manufacturing Corp. * UST Gr ...
black characters being able to assert themselves in a visual world", stating that he felt the series was more specifically a "hip-hop
Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
", comparing its characters and setting to
Sergio Leone Sergio Leone (; 3 January 1929 – 30 April 1989) was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter credited as the pioneer of the Spaghetti Western genre and widely regarded as one of the most influential directors in the history of cin ...
's ''
Dollars Trilogy ''Dollars Trilogy'' ( it, link=no, Trilogia del dollaro), also known as the ''Man with No Name Trilogy'' ( it, link=no, Trilogia dell'Uomo senza nome) or the ''Blood Money Trilogy'', is an Italian film series consisting of three Spaghetti Weste ...
'' of films (with Cage the
Man with No Name The Man with No Name ( it, Uomo senza nome) is the antihero character portrayed by Clint Eastwood in Sergio Leone's "''Dollars Trilogy''" of Italian Spaghetti Western films: ''A Fistful of Dollars'' (1964), ''For a Few Dollars More'' (1965), ...
, for example). Each episode title of the series is named after a song title from hip-hop duos: the first season's from
Gang Starr Gang Starr was an American hip hop duo, consisting of Texas record producer DJ Premier and Massachusetts rapper Guru. For the entirety of their association, they were based out of Brooklyn, New York. Gang Starr was at its height from 1989 to 2 ...
, and the second season's from
Pete Rock & CL Smooth Pete Rock & CL Smooth were a hip hop duo from Mount Vernon, New York. They made their debut with their 1991 EP, '' All Souled Out'' and followed that with their 1992 LP '' Mecca and the Soul Brother''. Career 1991–1994: The Golden Age As a p ...
. 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 Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police bruta ...
, 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" has been so important. ''Luke Cage'' was also the first MCU property to use the word "
nigger In the English language, the word ''nigger'' is an ethnic slur used against black people, especially African Americans. Starting in the late 1990s, references to ''nigger'' have been progressively replaced by the euphemism , notably in cases ...
" or "
nigga ''Nigga'' () is a colloquial and vulgar term used in African-American Vernacular English that began as a dialect form of the word ''nigger'', an ethnic slur against black people. The word is commonly associated with hip hop music and Afri ...
", with Marvel having complete trust in Coker's use of it: the word is used casually in the series, though 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 Lance Darnell Kwaku Gross (born July 8, 1981) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Calvin Payne on the TBS sitcom '' Tyler Perry's House of Payne'' and OWN sitcom '' Tyler Perry's The Paynes''., as well as appearing in other Ty ...
, 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. He signed on for the two series without reading any scripts. In August 2015,
Alfre Woodard Alfre Woodard (; born November 8, 1952) is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including four Primetime Emmy Awards (tying the record for the most acting Emmys won by an African-American performer, along with Regina King), ...
, 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, portraying Mariah Dillard. Also announced as cast in September were
Theo Rossi John Theodore Rossi (born June 4, 1975) is an American actor and producer. He portrayed Juan Carlos "Juice" Ortiz on the FX series ''Sons of Anarchy'' (2008–2014) and Hernan "Shades" Alvarez in ''Luke Cage'' (2016–2018). His film roles i ...
as Shades,
Simone Missick Simone Missick (née Cook; born January 19, 1982) is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Detective Misty Knight in ''Luke Cage'', a role she also plays in '' The Defenders' ...
as
Misty Knight Mercedes "Misty" Knight is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Tony Isabella and Arvell Jones, Knight was first mentioned (by name) in ''Marvel Premiere'' #20 (Jan. 1975) and appeared in ...
, and
Mahershala Ali Mahershala Ali (; born Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore, February 16, 1974) is an American actor. He has received multiple accolades, including two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. ''Time'' magazine named him one of th ...
as
Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach a ...
. In November,
Rosario Dawson Rosario Isabel Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in the 1995 independent drama ''Kids''. Her subsequent film roles include '' He Got Game'' (1998), ''Josie and the Pussycats'' (2001), ''Men in Bl ...
was confirmed to be reprising her role of
Claire Temple Claire Temple is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is a medical doctor primarily affiliated with the superhero Luke Cage and is one of his early love interests. Starting in 2015, a versio ...
from previous MCU Netflix series. In March 2016, set photos revealed
Erik LaRay Harvey Erik LaRay Harvey (born 1972) is an American actor known for his roles as Dunn Purnsley in ''Boardwalk Empire'', Diamondback (Willis Stryker), Willis Stryker / Diamondback in ''Luke Cage (TV series), Luke Cage'', and his role in ''The Charnel Hous ...
had been cast as
Willis Stryker / Diamondback Willis may refer to: Places United States * Willis, Florida, an unincorporated community * Willis, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Willis, Kansas, a city * Willis, Michigan, an unincorporated community * Willis, Nebraska, an unincorpo ...
. Harvey's involvement was not officially announced by Marvel prior to the series' release, and he agreed not to do any publicity for it to not "ruin the twist" of Stryker being the series' main villain. Harvey and
Ron Cephas Jones Ron Cephas Jones (born January 8, 1957) is an American actor. He is best known for his role in the drama series '' This Is Us'' (2016–2022), which earned him four consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning twice for Outstanding Gues ...
had originally been considered for Cottonmouth, until Coker decided to have the character be younger; Harvey then became Stryker, while Coker created the recurring character of Bobby Fish for Jones. Colter, Missick, Rossi, Dawson, and Woodard returned for the second season. In July 2017,
Mustafa Shakir Mustafa Shakir (born August 21, 1976) is an American actor known for his portrayal as Bushmaster in '' Marvel's Luke Cage'', Big Mike in ''The Deuce'' and Jet Black in ''Cowboy Bebop'' (2021). Biography and career Shakir was born in North Ca ...
and
Gabrielle Dennis Gabrielle Dennis is an American actress and comedian, known mostly for her work in cable television series ('' The Game'', '' Blue Mountain State'', '' The Underground''). Dennis starred in the Fox medical drama ''Rosewood'' alongside Morris C ...
joined the cast, as John McIver and Tilda Johnson, respectively.


Design

Stephanie Maslansky, the costume designer for ''Daredevil'' and ''Jessica Jones'', serves as costume designer for ''Luke Cage'' as well. The series sees Cage have a wardrobe evolution from his initial look of T-shirts, jeans, leather jackets or an army jacket that was introduced in ''Jessica Jones''. 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 looking to pay homage to Cage's original costume with his updated clothing for the series, Maslansky and Coker considered "the idea of him wearing a gold hoodie, a gold T-shirt, but those just seemed too on the nose, and just too bright for a guy who is trying to keep his identity quiet." Instead, Maslansky lined the insides of all of Cage's hoodies with yellow, so the color could frame the character's face in close ups. The series' title sequence, which uses yellow overtones, blends a silhouette of Luke Cage with images of Harlem. Originally, the sequence was of Cage jogging that appeared in the sixth episode in the first season with ''Luke Cage'' in "a yellow
American International Pictures American International Pictures (AIP) is an American motion picture production label of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution company known for producing and releasing fi ...
/'
Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensemble ...
' font".


Filming

Filming for the series takes place in New York City, significantly in Harlem, where the series is set. Coker described the neighborhood as "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 Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. 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." Sound stage work also takes place in New York. Manuel Billeter serves as director of photography for the series, after doing the same for ''Jessica Jones''.


Visual effects

Visual effects for the series were completed by
FuseFX FuseFX is a motion picture special visual effects (VFX) company headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Their creative studios include FuseFX, Folks VFX, Rising Sun Pictures and El Ranchito. Established in 2006, the company develops visual ...
, with Greg Anderson serving as visual effects supervisor.


Music

In April 2016, Coker revealed that
Adrian Younge Adrian Younge (born May 7, 1978) is an American composer, arranger and music producer based in the Los Angeles area. Background Younge grew up in Fontana, California. His father is a lawyer and Younge himself earned a Juris Doctor degree fr ...
and
Ali Shaheed Muhammad Ali Shaheed Muhammad (born August 11, 1970) is an American hip hop DJ, record producer, and rapper, best known as a member of A Tribe Called Quest. With Q-Tip and Phife Dawg (and sometimes Jarobi White), the group released five studio albums ...
were composing the series' score, describing it as "a confluence of multiple genres, a bit of 90ship-hop, soul, psychedelic rock and classical", with "a lot of different musical appearances". Coker had contacted Younge and Muhammad separately, asking if they would like to work together on the series, not knowing that the pair were already working together on an album. Younge and Muhammad took inspiration from
Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close affili ...
,
Ennio Morricone Ennio Morricone (; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpeter who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as more than 100 classica ...
, and Muhammad's group
A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip
, with Younge saying, "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." A soundtrack album for the first season was released on October 7, 2016, digitally and pressed on yellow vinyl by Mondo. A soundtrack for the second season was released on June 22, 2018, digitally.


Marvel Cinematic Universe tie-ins

''Luke Cage'' is the third of the ordered Netflix series after ''Daredevil'' and ''Jessica Jones'' and was followed by ''Iron Fist'', which lead to the miniseries ''The Defenders''. In November 2013,
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
CEO
Bob Iger Robert Allen Iger (; born February 10, 1951) is an American businessman who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Walt Disney Company. He previously served as the President of ABC Television between 1994 and 1995 and the President and Ch ...
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 Vincent Philip D'Onofrio (; born June 30, 1959) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his supporting and leading roles in both film and television. He has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. His roles include Private Leonar ...
,
Wilson Fisk The Kingpin (Wilson Grant Fisk) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and John Romita Sr., and first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #50 (cover-dated July 19 ...
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 Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...
to do a little crossover into '' Thor 2'' and for
Bruce Banner The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book a ...
to appear at the end of ''
Iron Man 3 ''Iron Man 3'' (titled onscreen as ''Iron Man Three'') is a 2013 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to ''Ir ...
''. 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."


Marketing

Disney Consumer Products Disney Consumer Products, Inc. is the retailing and licensing subsidiary of the Disney Parks, Experiences and Products segment of The Walt Disney Company. Previously, Consumer Products was a segment of Disney until 2016, then a unit of Disney Co ...
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 Hot Topic, Inc. (stylized as HOT TOPIC) is an American retail chain specializing in counterculture-related clothing and accessories, as well as licensed music. The stores are aimed towards an audience interested in rock music and video gaming ...
. 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.


Release


Streaming

''Luke Cage'' was released on the streaming service Netflix, in all territories where it is available, in
Ultra HD Ultra-high-definition television (also known as Ultra HD television, Ultra HD, UHDTV, UHD and Super Hi-Vision) today includes 4K UHD and 8K UHD, which are two digital video formats with an aspect ratio of 16:9. These were first proposed b ...
4K and
high dynamic range High dynamic range (HDR) is a dynamic range higher than usual, synonyms are wide dynamic range, extended dynamic range, expanded dynamic range. The term is often used in discussing the dynamic range of various signals such as images, videos, au ...
. The first season was enhanced to be available in HDR after its initial release by post-production vendor Deluxe. The episodes of each season were released simultaneously, as opposed to a serialized format, to encourage
binge-watching Binge-watching (also called binge-viewing) is the practice of watching entertainment or informational content for a prolonged time span, usually a single television show. Statistics Binge-watching overlaps with marathon viewing which places mo ...
, a format which has been successful for other Netflix original series. Despite being branded as a "Netflix Original", ''Luke Cage'' was licensed to Netflix from Disney. ''Luke Cage'' was removed from Netflix on March 1, 2022, along with the other Marvel Netflix series, due to Netflix's license for the series ending and Disney regaining the rights. Disney opted not to have Netflix pay a large licensing fee to retain the distribution rights for the series. Coker hoped Disney did not "sit on
he series He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
for years to allow for an easier reboot, or re-air it with a different mix, or the N-Word muted". The series will be made available on
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...
on March 16 in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, and in Disney+'s other markets by the end of 2022. In the United States, revised parental controls were introduced to the service to allow the more mature content of the series to be added, similarly to the controls that already exist for other regions that have the
Star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...
content hub. The series' tribute to Reg E. Cathey in the second season was removed on Disney+.


Home media


Reception


Audience viewership

As Netflix does not reveal subscriber viewership numbers for any of their original series, Karim Zreik, senior vice president of original programming at Marvel Television, provided some viewership demographics for ''Luke Cage'' in August 2017, noting that the series has attracted "sort of a mix" of viewers between gender and age. Also in the month, Netflix released viewing patterns for the Marvel Netflix series. The data, which came from Netflix's "1,300 'taste communities' around the world, where subscribers are grouped based on what they watch", showed that viewers would not watch the series in chronological order by release, rather starting with ''Jessica Jones'', then ''Daredevil'', ''Luke Cage'' and finally ''Iron Fist''. Todd Yellin, Netflix's vice president of product innovation, noted that audiences watch the series "in order of how they're interested in them and how they learn about them." Netflix's data also showed that a viewer watching ''Luke Cage'' would most often then move on to ''Iron Fist'', with Yellin figuring that ''Jessica Jones'' and ''Luke Cage'' would have paired up more, given that Cage was introduced on ''Jessica Jones''. The data also revealed that fans of ''
Stranger Things ''Stranger Things'' is an American science fiction horror drama television series created by the Duffer Brothers, who also serve as showrunners and are executive producers along with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen. Produced by Monkey Massacre Prod ...
'' and other series that explore "the dark side of society" such as ''
Black Mirror ''Black Mirror'' is a British anthology television series created by Charlie Brooker. Individual episodes explore a diversity of genres, but most are set in near-future dystopias with science fiction technology—a type of speculative fictio ...
'', '' The Walking Dead'' and the documentary ''
Amanda Knox Amanda Marie Knox (born July 9, 1987) is an American author, activist, and journalist. She spent almost four years in an Italian prison following her wrongful conviction for the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher, a fellow exchange student with ...
'' led viewers to starting ''Luke Cage''. In October 2018, Crimson Hexagon, a consumer insights company, released data that examined the "social-media buzz" for the series to try to correlate it with potential viewership. The data showed that when the first season premiered in September 2016, the season had over 300,000 Twitter and Instagram posts regarding it, and when the second season was released in June 2018, the posts had declined dramatically to under 50,000.


Critical response

The review aggregation website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
reported a 90% approval rating with an average rating of 8/10 based on 72 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 Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 79 out of 100 based on 30 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". The second season has an approval rating of 85% with an average rating of 7.2/10 based on 62 reviews. The website's critical consensus states, "In its second season, Marvel's Luke Cage delivers a satisfyingly complex narrative and a solid ensemble cast led by Alfre Woodard's standout performance as the archvillainess Black Mariah." On Metacritic, it has a score of 64 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".


Accolades

, - ! scope="row" , 2016 ,
Hollywood Music in Media Awards The Hollywood Music In Media Awards (HMMA) is an award organization honoring original music (Song and Score) in all forms visual media including film, TV, video games, trailers, commercial advertisements, documentaries, music videos and special pr ...
, Main Title – TV Show / Digital Series ,
Ali Shaheed Muhammad Ali Shaheed Muhammad (born August 11, 1970) is an American hip hop DJ, record producer, and rapper, best known as a member of A Tribe Called Quest. With Q-Tip and Phife Dawg (and sometimes Jarobi White), the group released five studio albums ...
and
Adrian Younge Adrian Younge (born May 7, 1978) is an American composer, arranger and music producer based in the Los Angeles area. Background Younge grew up in Fontana, California. His father is a lawyer and Younge himself earned a Juris Doctor degree fr ...
, , , - ! scope="row" rowspan="23" , 2017 ,
People's Choice Awards The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the general public and fans. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls until ...
, Favorite Premium Sci-Fi/Fantasy Series , ''Luke Cage'' , , , - , Screen Actors Guild Awards , Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series , ''Luke Cage'' , , , - , rowspan="2" ,
NAACP Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ( NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...
, Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series ,
Mike Colter Mike Randal Colter (born August 26, 1976) is an American actor best known for his role as Luke Cage in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in the streaming television series ''Luke Cage'' (2016–2018), '' The Defenders'' (2017), and ''Jess ...
, , , - , Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series , Akela Cooper for "
Manifest Manifest may refer to: Computing * Manifest file, a metadata file that enumerates files in a program or package * Manifest (CLI), a metadata text file for CLI assemblies Events * Manifest (convention), a defunct anime festival in Melbourne, Aus ...
" , , , - , Golden Reel Awards , TV – Short Form Musical Score , " Soliloquy of Chaos" , , , - ,
Peabody Awards The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...
, Entertainment and Children's programs , ''Luke Cage'' , , , - , rowspan="2" ,
MTV Movie & TV Awards The MTV Movie & TV Awards (formerly the MTV Movie Awards) is a film and television awards show presented annually on MTV. The first MTV Movie Awards were presented in 1992. The ceremony was renamed the MTV Movie & TV Awards for its 26th editio ...
, Best Hero ,
Mike Colter Mike Randal Colter (born August 26, 1976) is an American actor best known for his role as Luke Cage in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in the streaming television series ''Luke Cage'' (2016–2018), '' The Defenders'' (2017), and ''Jess ...
, , , - , Best Fight Against the System , ''Luke Cage'' , , , - ,
Golden Trailer Awards The Golden Trailer Awards are an American annual award show for film trailers founded in 1999. The awards also honor the best work in all areas of film and video game marketing, including posters, television advertisements and other media, in ...
, Best Action (TV Spot/Trailer/Teaser for a series) , "Defender" , , , - ,
BET Awards The BET Awards is an American award show that was established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate black entertainers and other minorities in music, film, sports and philanthropy. The awards, which are presented annua ...
, Best Actor ,
Mahershala Ali Mahershala Ali (; born Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore, February 16, 1974) is an American actor. He has received multiple accolades, including two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. ''Time'' magazine named him one of th ...
, , , - , rowspan="2" ,
Saturn Awards The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...
, Best New Media Television Series , ''Luke Cage'' , , , - , Best Actor on a Television Series ,
Mike Colter Mike Randal Colter (born August 26, 1976) is an American actor best known for his role as Luke Cage in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in the streaming television series ''Luke Cage'' (2016–2018), '' The Defenders'' (2017), and ''Jess ...
, , , - , rowspan="8" , Black Reel Awards for Television , Outstanding Drama Series , ''Luke Cage'' , , , - , Outstanding Actor, Drama Series ,
Mike Colter Mike Randal Colter (born August 26, 1976) is an American actor best known for his role as Luke Cage in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in the streaming television series ''Luke Cage'' (2016–2018), '' The Defenders'' (2017), and ''Jess ...
, , , - , Outstanding Supporting Actress, Drama Series ,
Rosario Dawson Rosario Isabel Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in the 1995 independent drama ''Kids''. Her subsequent film roles include '' He Got Game'' (1998), ''Josie and the Pussycats'' (2001), ''Men in Bl ...
, , , - , Outstanding Directing, Drama Series ,
Clark Johnson Clark Johnson (born September 10, 1954), is an American-Canadian actor and director who has worked in both television and film. He is best known for his roles as David Jefferson in ''Night Heat'' (1985–1988), Clark Roberts in ''E.N.G.'' (1989 ...
for " You Know My Steez" , , , - , Outstanding Writing, Drama Series ,
Cheo Hodari Coker Cheo Hodari Coker (born December 12, 1972) is an American former music journalist turned television writer and producer known for such television series as ''Luke Cage'', '' NCIS: Los Angeles'', '' Southland'' and '' Ray Donovan''. Coker also wro ...
for " Moment of Truth" , , , - , rowspan="2" , Outstanding Guest Performer, Drama Series ,
Mahershala Ali Mahershala Ali (; born Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore, February 16, 1974) is an American actor. He has received multiple accolades, including two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. ''Time'' magazine named him one of th ...
, , , - ,
Frankie Faison Frankie Russel Faison (born June 10, 1949) is an American actor known for his role as Deputy Commissioner, and, later, Commissioner, Ervin Burrell in the HBO series ''The Wire'', as Barney Matthews in the ''Hannibal Lecter'' franchise, and as Suga ...
, , , - , Outstanding Music (Comedy, Drama, TV Movie or Limited Series) ,
Adrian Younge Adrian Younge (born May 7, 1978) is an American composer, arranger and music producer based in the Los Angeles area. Background Younge grew up in Fontana, California. His father is a lawyer and Younge himself earned a Juris Doctor degree fr ...
&
Ali Shaheed Muhammad Ali Shaheed Muhammad (born August 11, 1970) is an American hip hop DJ, record producer, and rapper, best known as a member of A Tribe Called Quest. With Q-Tip and Phife Dawg (and sometimes Jarobi White), the group released five studio albums ...
(composers); Gabe Hilfer & Season Kent (music supervisors) , , , - ,
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime E ...
, Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Limited Series, or Movie , James Lew , , , - , rowspan="2" ,
Hollywood Music in Media Awards The Hollywood Music In Media Awards (HMMA) is an award organization honoring original music (Song and Score) in all forms visual media including film, TV, video games, trailers, commercial advertisements, documentaries, music videos and special pr ...
, Original Song – TV Show/Limited Series , "Bulletproof Love" for
Method Man Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Method Man, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is known as a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He is also half of t ...
, , , - , Main Title Theme – TV Show/Limited Series , Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge , , , - ! scope="row" , 2018 ,
People's Choice Awards The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the general public and fans. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls until ...
, The Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show of 2018 , ''Luke Cage'' , ,


Cancellation and future

By the end of July 2018, work in the series' writers room was believed to have begun on a third season, though Netflix had yet to make a decision on whether the season would be ordered at that point. That September, the writers room was put on hold so Netflix and Marvel could plan how to adjust the season from the expected 13 episodes to a shorter 10-episode run. During the week of October 15, detailed scripts for the first half of those 10 episodes were delivered to Netflix and Marvel, incorporating ideas that had been plotted out for six months and notes received from Netflix and Marvel executives. Some of the executives had issues with these scripts, despite featuring many of the notes they asked to be included, with the creative differences devolving into "behind-the-scenes turmoil" by the end of the week, with some demands that a new showrunner be found for the season. With Marvel and Netflix on opposite sides of this disagreement, and the series being costly for Netflix even though they do not own the property, "the only viable exit strategy" was cancellation, with the series officially canceled by Netflix on October 19, 2018. ''Deadline Hollywood'' noted that, unlike fellow series ''Iron Fist'', which had been canceled a week earlier, Marvel had no plans to continue or revive the series on another platform such as Disney+, especially since, per the original deal between Marvel and Netflix for the series, the characters cannot appear in any non-Netflix series or films for at least two years following the cancellation of ''Luke Cage'', as reported by ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
''.
Kevin A. Mayer Kevin A. Mayer (born 1962) is an American business executive who is the co-founder and co-CEO of Candle Media, alongside Thomas O. Staggs, the former COO and CFO of The Walt Disney Company. Backed by Blackstone Inc., Candle Media acquired Hello ...
, chairman of Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer and International, noted that, while it had not yet been discussed, it was a possibility that Disney+ could revive the series. In February 2019,
Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...
's senior vice president of originals Craig Erwich said that the streaming service was open to reviving the series, along with the other former Netflix series. In December 2020, Colter stated there had not been any discussions with
Marvel Studios Marvel Studios, LLC (originally known as Marvel Films from 1993 to 1996) is an American film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Walt Disney Company. Marvel Studios produces the Mar ...
regarding him reprising the role, saying "I know fans are eager to see something with the character. I know I established him and it was an honor to do that, but I don’t know what the future holds... If something happens, I’d love to have a conversation with them, but for now I’m not holding my breath, I’m happy either way, it was a good run." In February 2022, Coker said he hoped that Colter and Missick would be asked to reprise their roles if Marvel Studios chose to feature the characters again, and was open to creating commentary tracks or a retrospective podcast for the series.


References


External links

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