Marvel's Luke Cage
Series, 2016, Marvel Television, Set in Harlem
Marvel's Luke Cage is #16 of 69 in release order and #66 of 69 in chronological order in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The story
Given superstrength and durability by a sabotaged experiment, a wrongly accused man escapes prison to become a superhero for hire.
Marvel's Luke Cage recap
In season 1, Luke Cage, given unbreakable skin and great strength by a prison experiment, sweeps hair at Pop's barbershop in Harlem and wants to be left alone. When Pop is killed in a shooting ordered by club owner Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes, Luke takes on Cottonmouth and his cousin, councilwoman Mariah Dillard, with Detective Misty Knight on the case. Mariah kills Cottonmouth, and Willis Stryker, called Diamondback, Luke's half brother, arrives with special bullets that can pierce his skin. In season 2, Luke is a celebrity in Harlem. John McIver, called Bushmaster, a Jamaican with his own powers, wants revenge on Mariah because her family stole his family's business and killed his parents. Misty gets a bionic arm after losing hers. Mariah grows more ruthless and orders a massacre, and her daughter Tilda turns against her.
Marvel's Luke Cage ending explained
Season 2 ends with Mariah poisoned in prison by Tilda and dying, but not before signing Harlem's Paradise club over to Luke. Luke takes over the club and finds himself deciding how to run Harlem, close to the gangsters he fought. Netflix cancelled the show after season 2, and Luke appears again in the season 2 finale of Daredevil: Born Again.
Where to watch Marvel's Luke Cage
Marvel's Luke Cage is streaming on Disney+ in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.2/10, Rotten Tomatoes 88%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Captain America: Civil War, before Doctor Strange.
- Chronological order: after Marvel's Jessica Jones, before Marvel's Iron Fist.
What to watch before Marvel's Luke Cage
Nothing. Marvel's Luke Cage (2016) doesn't continue an earlier version, so it stands on its own. Marvel's Luke Cage itself is optional in the Marvel Cinematic Universe order.
Cast
- Mike Colter as Luke Cage
- Alfre Woodard as Mariah Dillard
- Simone Missick as Misty Knight
- Theo Rossi as Hernan ‘Shades’ Alvarez
- Justin Swain as Detective Mark Bailey
- Sean Ringgold as Sugar
- Mustafa Shakir as John 'Bushmaster' McIver
- Gabrielle Dennis as Tilda Johnson
- Ron Cephas Jones as Bobby Fish
- John Clarence Stewart as Alex Wesley
- Karen Pittman as Inspector Priscilla Ridley
- Jeremiah Craft as D.W. Griffith
Created by Cheo Hodari Coker.