Luke Cage Luke Cage General Discussion Thread

[Norek]

One thing Ive wondered since they've announced The Defenders. Will Luke and Jessica be the only ones without costumes? Iron Fist and Daredevil have these elaborate outfits, while apart from a trademark yellow shirt maybe, Luke and JJ do most of their hero stuff in their civies.

Probably, and that is assuming that Iron Fist will also be wearing an outfit. But either way I don't really care. I would love to see Luke wearing the yellow shirt just to make the gang more colorful, but apart from that I don't expect them to be like the Avengers.

 

[Lamashtar]

Probably, and that is assuming that Iron Fist will also be wearing an outfit. But either way I don't really care. I would love to see Luke wearing the yellow shirt just to make the gang more colorful, but apart from that I don't expect them to be like the Avengers.

Iron Fist's outfit is pretty toned down from the 1980's. It could be Daredevil's ninja getup in yellow and green.

Jessica is anti-superhero now, so it makes sense she'd resist costume touches. Sadly--*sigh*--Luke will probably be toned down as well, since he's an escaped convict on the run. I would like to see him wear bracers eventually.

 

[Gamma Goliath]

I Honestly wouldn't mind the bruce lee jumpsuit he wears now.

 

[BarryAllen]

I want to be honest, as a big Luke Cage fan, I am on the fence about recent news regarding the show. Just like Daredevil was an origin story about Matt Murdock, I feel like Luke Cage's first season should give us the straight up origin of Luke Cage. Meaning Willis Stryker as the main antagonist, which would differentiate from other villains as they both grew up together in the same neighborhoods but go on completely different paths in life. Seeing the journey of Luke Cage from being a young gang member with the Rivals, to quitting, to being framed, to dealing with police brutality, to getting his powers, to busting out and fighting Willis Stryker to becoming the hero for his city would have been amazing. And it's little things that are kinda irksome. Like take this for example:

http://imgur.com/a/iDDIV

Reva Connors being Cage's wife instead of his former girlfriend? Reva Connors dying because of a bus crash? Huge missed opportunity for an emotional moment for the Luke Cage show. In the comics, Reva Connors was a girl who was friends with both Cage and Stryker but she always gravitated to Cage more. She died after Stryker stole drugs from Maggia and pinned the crime on Cage. That would have been a great moment to use for the show because she ended up being the victim of actions by one of her former friends. And another thing, why does the media know his name is Luke Cage? Kinda doesn't make sense for a former inmate on the run to have his new name out there in the newspapers.

 

[BarryAllen]

The Geek Blogosphere seems to collectively think her character (Minetta, IIRC) is going to be a take on Black Mariah. It doesn't quite seem to line up to me though since she's apparently playing a local politician and not a gang leader type. New character? Amalgamation of a couple of characters? Thoughts?

I'm not super excited about this. I like Alfre Woodard, but the description and the potential villain turn (based on who they are basing the character off of from the comics) makes this way to similar to Wilson Fisk's story arc in Daredevil.

Well the villain of Luke Cage could be a composite character, with Cottonmouth having character elements from Diamondback (maybe Cottonmouth frames Luke Cage directly, rather then having Diamondback steal drugs from Cottonmouth to frame Luke Cage) or maybe Diamondback is Cottonmouth's main assassin.

God I hope not. It really loses that underlying poetry about the differentiating journey of two men in an urban setting and the paths they take. Having Willis Stryker being an assasin for Cottonmouth, or having Cottonmouth being the direct antagonist to Cage would be a big misstep imo.

It's starting to sound like Diamondback won't be a part of this.

That new description makes it sound as if Cornell will be the main antagonist.

See above for why I'm not really enthusiastic about this. Cottonmouth should be a secondary antagonist, not a main one.

Would Rosario Dawson have made a better Misty Knight? Looking back on it, I say yes, but she's done a good job as Claire Temple. Looking at photos of Simone Missick, I think she's the right fit for Misty. I know that there were people who wanted Yaya DaCosta, but she's unavailable due to the Chicago Fire spinoff Chicago Med. I would not rule her out completely for Shuri in Black Panther or even Monica Rambeau though.

I was one of those who were really rooting for Yaya Dacosta, but it's unfortunate that she won't get to play it because she looks like Misty Knight stepped off the page:

However I am hoping that Simone Missick can do the role justice. I think casting an unknown for a force of nature personality like Misty Knight is a little bit of an uphill battle, and hopefully Missick can nail it. I was a little cautious when the news first came out because she reminds me of Vernee Watson, who played Will Smith's mom in Fresh Prince.

Big question, are we not getting Cage in prison? It seems the story is skipping that part of his story and going right to being powered which makes some sense as it's the heroing part of his story.

I really hope Marvel isn't skipping his origin story because they are afraid of alienating people with police brutality and prison industrial complex narratives that feature in Luke Cage's orgin story. That would definitely be a serious white-washing of the characters origin and roots.

Seems like they will continue on from Jessica Jones with Luke Cage backstory being mysterious in his own show. I expect his origins will be slowly unravelled which is why they may be holing back casting Cage family, Stryker, Noah Bernstein and so on.

I suggested they may have Misty Knight investigate Cage a while back. A good way to introduce her character and delve into the mystery of cage origins on the show.

I really think Luke Cage season 1 should be the origin story told fully. 13 episodes in enough to incorporate multiple elements including Stryker, Burnstein, Cage and his former street activities affecting his family, etc. His origin doesn't really work as mysterious, and it doesn't really fit in with Loeb's quote about his "story and where he came from and, most importantly, where he’s going". I don't want Luke Cage's future seasons to be about his past being revealed, I want it to be like Daredevil where elements of his past can return but it primarily forging into new territory.

They're obviously holding Styker back for a potential season 2.

I really hope we get Willis Stryker sometime. Wish it would've been in the first season though.

I Honestly wouldn't mind the bruce lee jumpsuit he wears now.

Nah, it really doesn't fit Iron Fist or his personality. It looks so unappealing and boring. His classic green and yellow would be perfect and reflect K'un-L'un better.

Someone on Reddit got some info on Luke Cage. Unlike previous Reddit "leaks", I'm more inclined to believe this one.



https://www.reddit.com/r/marvelstudios/comments/3lx53q/possible_spoilers_new_luke_cage_info/

This is one of the things I am excited for. I really like the nature of the enviornment they are going for and the use of hip-hop as a character in the show. Hope it feels like Nas's Illmatic mixed with Common's Be album.

 

[Dr. Evil]

Yaya was unavailable because she's shooting a new show for NBC called Chicago Med.

 

[MbJ]

There was also nothing to indicate she was ever in the running.

 

[Dr. Evil]

So it looks like Jessica will be mentioned in his series.

 

[Lamashtar]

I want to be honest, as a big Luke Cage fan, I am on the fence about recent news regarding the show. Just like Daredevil was an origin story about Matt Murdock, I feel like Luke Cage's first season should give us the straight up origin of Luke Cage. Meaning Willis Stryker as the main antagonist, which would differentiate from other villains as they both grew up together in the same neighborhoods but go on completely different paths in life. Seeing the journey of Luke Cage from being a young gang member with the Rivals, to quitting, to being framed, to dealing with police brutality, to getting his powers, to busting out and fighting Willis Stryker to becoming the hero for his city would have been amazing. And it's little things that are kinda irksome. Like take this for example:

http://imgur.com/a/iDDIV

Reva Connors being Cage's wife instead of his former girlfriend? Reva Connors dying because of a bus crash? Huge missed opportunity for an emotional moment for the Luke Cage show. In the comics, Reva Connors was a girl who was friends with both Cage and Stryker but she always gravitated to Cage more. She died after Stryker stole drugs from Maggia and pinned the crime on Cage. That would have been a great moment to use for the show because she ended up being the victim of actions by one of her former friends. And another thing, why does the media know his name is Luke Cage? Kinda doesn't make sense for a former inmate on the run to have his new name out there in the newspapers.

I'm not a purist, so I'm willing to cut Marvel some slack and wait til we find out the real story. Colter said they're doing an updated version, not every single beat of the original story. There might be changes. But this is the story of a fugitive. I wouldn't trust anything the newspapers say.

 

[Loki882]

Also, even in a 13-episode season, there's still a danger of overcrowding if you throw in too many characters/plots. Heck the DD show understood that, which is why some prominent DD characters (Elektra and Bullseye being the most notable examples) didn't appear at all. I know that some fans want their stories from the comics translated completely faithfully onscreen, and I can understand that. But sometimes, it's just not feasible because:

-Comics and film/TV are two very different mediums. What works from one doesn't automatically work for the other.
-Film/TV has time/pacing issues that comics don't really have (or at least not to the same degree).
-The MCU is set up differently from the comic book MU, so they need to show to fit within the framework of the former.
-Etc.

Plus I'm fine with changes to the source material, provided that they make sense in-context, are interesting in their own right, and you can sell me on them (which other things have done in the past.

 

[chamber-music]

This is mysterious Luke Cage who is on the run.

I think they will slowly unravel Luke Cage background. They can go into his origin in grater detail in future seasons.

Just because they don't show us Stryker or Reva Connors in the first season it doesn't mean they won''t mention them or show up in future seasons.

 

[NightBeetle]

Mike Colter Reveals Where And When Marvel's Luke Cage Will Take Place

During an interview with ComicBook.com for Jessica Jones at New York Comic Con, Mike Colter spent most of his time talking about approaching the role of Luke Cage on this series (and saying his catchphrase), but he did also drop some new tidbits about Luke Cage, the next series in development for Netflix and Marvel, and the third of the four Defenders series.
"I can tell you what they’ve allowed me to, which is basically, Luke Cage will take place a few months after Jessica Jones," Colter said. "So in real time, if you watch Jessica Jones, you’ll find [at the end] Luke Cage uptown in Harlem, working, trying to make ends meet. Luke Cage really hasn’t figured out what he’s doing. He’s tending bar, 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. The people he hangs around with, though, are in need. Ultimately, he’d rather be alone, but with the way he’s equipped he does step up. That’s what it’s about, it’s about finding that inner feeling to make you want to take action. Sometimes we just sit around, and sit on our hands and don’t do anything because it’s like 'hey, that’s not my problem.' You can’t do that when you’re a superhero. You have these gifts, now use them."

 

[The Overlord]

So I have a question, if Luke Cage is bullet proof and he mainly fights normal criminals, how would they pose a threat to him?

 

[Gamma Goliath]

They typically dont

 

[metaphysician]

Pretty much. He's threatened by normal criminals, if they can shake loose some military grade antivehicle weapons, or something big and explody. Or perhaps if they can get a vehicle and ram it into him very hard. Otherwise, they need to get some kind of superhuman on their side, or just avoid him.

 

[Gamma Goliath]

Yeah his weakness is his loved ones and himself imo.

 

[The Overlord]

Yeah his weakness is his loved ones and himself imo.

I think that could work a little while, but for the season climax, the villains would need the ability to hurt Cage, civilians or loved ones being in danger is fine for other episodes, but the climax needs to put Cage in physical danger himself, he needs to put in a position where he can lose everything, his life, the live of his loved ones and the lives of innocent civilians, everything has to be on the table.

Look at Robocop, at first the criminals couldn't hurt Robocop, but in the final act, they got their hands on some military grade weapons and Robocop had to step up his game to counter them, because he was no longer immune to their attacks.

Unless Cage is bomb proof as well as bullet proof, just have criminals get their hands on some rocket launchers and now Cage has to deal with more heavily armed hoods.

 

[Gamma Goliath]

I'm sure there will be a physical threat to him, and im sure he'll be a little nerfed.

 

[chamber-music]

So I have a question, if Luke Cage is bullet proof and he mainly fights normal criminals, how would they pose a threat to him?

There are still ways to hurt or kill Cage beyond getting in a fist fight or shooting him.

Cage can still be electrocuted, poisoned, drowned or suffocated.

A Luke Cage rogue like Chemistro could kill Cage if Marvel writers actually decided to turn him into a serious threat. Chemistro has a alchemy gun, which fires radiation able to transmute any substance into any other form of matter can. The transformed material usually turns to dust after exposure to heat or after a certain amount of time.

 

[Mike Murdock]

He's not going to be Superman. While bullets and knives can't kill him, I'm sure they'll bring in some heavy artillery that could actually harm him (like anti-tank guns, RPGs, etc.).

BTW, my understanding is bullets won't break his skin, but they can still hurt him. Is that right?

 

[BarryAllen]

Yaya was unavailable because she's shooting a new show for NBC called Chicago Med.

There was also nothing to indicate she was ever in the running.

All I said is that I wish she had gotten the role. I look forward to Missick, but she reminds me too much of Vernee Watson and not a kick-ass detective. But I remain optimisitc.

Also, even in a 13-episode season, there's still a danger of overcrowding if you throw in too many characters/plots. Heck the DD show understood that, which is why some prominent DD characters (Elektra and Bullseye being the most notable examples) didn't appear at all. I know that some fans want their stories from the comics translated completely faithfully onscreen, and I can understand that. But sometimes, it's just not feasible because:

-Comics and film/TV are two very different mediums. What works from one doesn't automatically work for the other.
-Film/TV has time/pacing issues that comics don't really have (or at least not to the same degree).
-The MCU is set up differently from the comic book MU, so they need to show to fit within the framework of the former.
-Etc.

Plus I'm fine with changes to the source material, provided that they make sense in-context, are interesting in their own right, and you can sell me on them (which other things have done in the past.

But that's the problem, they clearly don't make sense in-context. Why or how would the media know his name is Luke Cage when he's trying to remain on the downlow? And why would Luke be working as a security guard when he was former gang member? Luke isn't anti-police, but his run-ins with them in his early days aren't exactly nice, whether they be from his younger days or in Seagate Prison.

And I know that things will be different in adaptations from comic to tv. But I think there are plenty of missed opportunities and weird choices. Like idk if I like Luke and Reva being husband and wife. The whole thing with him settling down with Jessica Jones is that both never really had a fully committed relationship prior to meeting each other, and they found it with each other. And having Reva die from a bus crash as oppossed to gunfire kinda loses that very real danger gun violence has in urban neighborhoods. Having Reva die from a conflict between her former friends made her death all the more interesting. Now it's just meh, unless they reveal that gunfire was the reason the bus crashed.

This is mysterious Luke Cage who is on the run.

I think they will slowly unravel Luke Cage background. They can go into his origin in grater detail in future seasons.

Just because they don't show us Stryker or Reva Connors in the first season it doesn't mean they won''t mention them or show up in future seasons.

I really hope so, because I don't really like some of the choices they've made thus far. Woodard's character sounds like the exact same character arc Wilson Fisk had, this time with a politician instead of a businessman. I mean it's nice to see city politics, but I would rather see an exploration of the people of Harlem (both good and bad), and how an urban minority community creates an atmosphere for things like gangs and drugs to arrise. Cornell Cottonmouth was always a ****** ass character, and with a name like his, I wonder why they decided to use him. But I do hope they are setting him up as a mob boss that Willis Stryker takes the drugs from in order to frame Luke Cage.

I really liked the rumored reddit synopsis that was floating around (https://www.reddit.com/r/marvelstudios/comments/3lx53q/possible_spoilers_new_luke_cage_info/), which said:

I work for a music sync company and we recently had this description come through for music needed in an episode of Luke Cage.

"Luke Cage is written by Cheo Coker (Ray Donovan, Southland) and the first two episodes are being directed by Paul McGuigan (Sherlock Pilot, Scandal Pilot). Played by Mike Colter, it is the story of a bulletproof, super-powered man on the run from the law who, despite his checkered past, can’t help but become a hero. We like to say it's all Marvel but closer in tone to The Wire.

TONE: Luke Cage is a dark, yet vibrantly kinetic world with cinematic scope -- SHAFT meets CITY OF GOD. The music is hip-hop in all its bombast and complexity, a living, breathing character in the show, with song choices ranging from the instantly recognizable classics to the fresh, next big thing. This unique tone will be the backdrop as we tell the story of a superpowered escaped convict at war with himself, who sets up shop in a community at war with itself. Marvel represents family entertainment. Our series will never show tobacco smoking or drugs. We are PG-16, never rated R.

SETTING: The Harlem of right now. A patchwork of brick-and-mortar history and a highrise future. Predominantly Black, the area is nevertheless a mosh pit of income brackets and ethnicities. Our hero, LUKE CAGE, moves in several worlds – he lives above a Chinese restaurant, and works for cash at a beloved barbershop by day. At night, he’s a dishwasher at a slick, gangster-owned nightclub. Within these different worlds Luke will notice a pattern: Harlem is plagued by crime, corruption, and gangsters, and needs a hero.

THEMES: Identity. Power. Manhood. Who is Luke Cage? Is he the escaped con that just wants to be left alone, or is he railing against his destiny to become a hero and better his community? Over the course of season one, Luke will grow into the hero we've been waiting for.
Luke Cage is the third of five Marvel premium Netflix series. It’s a dark, grounded, adult, premium cable show. Luke is one of Marvel’s most iconic “street-level” superheroes, with his origins going back to the early 1970’s, and he’s a huge fan-favorite."

That sounds a lot like Luke Cage, and I really hope they follow through with exploring black masculinity in an urban enviornment, which is so crucial to Luke Cage as a character. That's why I really wanted Willis Stryker in the show, because both him and Luke start off in similar situations, but their lives follow very different paths. That would've been super cool and interesting to explore. And the Jessica Jones trailer had me a little eh when it came to Cage because he seemed really scared (not sure if that's the right word) of using his powers, and not as assertive as I had hoped like he was in his early days in the comics. I feel introducing Jessica Jones this early and having her being a force of nature personality in her own right kindof hampens the way they plan on approaching Cage. In a perfect world, I would've had the Cage show before JJ. I still look forward to this show, but some decisions have me cautious.

And one last thing, where's Comanche?

 

[kedrell]

Rosario Dawson’s Already Started Filming For Marvel’s ‘Luke Cage’

http://www.mtv.com/news/2372467/rosario-dawson-luke-cage/

 

[Rocinante]

I honestly feel like they're holding Comanche and Stryker back as to not have too many eggs in one basket, I'm sure with Shades featuring prominently in the show there will sort of be this underlining history that Cage and Shades allude to in their interactions and I suspect that's when we'll get hints towards the other two Rivals members.

 

[Loki882]

He's not scared of using his powers per se. He's just likely keep a low profile, being a wanted man and all that (at least that's what I presume is happening).

 

[HunBoy]