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Things You Need to Know About TV’s Newest Superhero Luke Cage

In case you missed out on binge-watching it last weekend

Another superhero from the Marvel universe has landed on our screens—Luke Cage. Marvel fans—us included—rejoiced, knowing this, along with a couple of other superhero series, will ultimately lead to either a Defenders miniseries or (even better) a movie. But in the meantime, we’re dissecting Luke Cage (the series not Mike Colter) and sharing some of the things we’ve learned about and from the hot-new series, from the essential down to the trivial.

Hero For Hire

Luke Cage a.k.a Power Man was first introduced to Marvel in June 1972 with the first installment titled Hero for Hire. Luke was also the first Afro-American superhero to star in his own comic series.

Comics vs. TV

While we’ve heard and read mostly positive reviews about Luke Cage, there were major plot changes in the screen version. For instance in the comics, Luke’s backstory was that of a troubled teen getting involved in gang activities before living a legitimate path as an adult. On screen, he was the son of a preacher turned cop from Georgia. But either origin story still leads up to him being framed and doing time for a crime he didn’t commit. Also, Stryker was not his brother in the comics but his childhood friend who was dating Reva—the real cause of the pair’s conflict. There are many other nuances but we’d rather not spoil your Netflix and chill time for you.

The Plot

A lot of changes were made including the superhero’s true purpose for doing what he does. But ultimately, the plot stays true to major life events that made him Luke Cage, like gaining superpowers from a cellular regeneration experiment gone wrong (i.e., superhuman strength, unbreakable skin) and fighting crime—he just does it for free instead of for profit in the screen version.

Costume Edit

In the series, Luke is mostly seen in dark sweats with bullet holes in them, which we prefer over the skin-tight yellow shirt and heavy metal accessories in the original version. Though the finale sees him in a gray hoodie with yellow lining, which is perhaps a nod to his origins.

First Appearance

Luke Cage made his first and regular TV appearance in another Marvel/Netflix series, Jessica Jones, which premiered in 2015 and was played by Mike Colten.

Making Movies

Unknown to many, the movie adaptation of Luke Cage has been in development since 2003. Many have been considered for the role including Jamie Foxx and Tyrese Gibson, while other stars, like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson have since expressed interest in taking on the Power Man’s role.

Watch the trailer below