Luke Cage: Who is the Power Man?

Season 2 for the Marvel Series Luke Cage is out on 22nd June 2018 on Netflix and the first Season was a “Sweet Christmas!” Ride. Hopefully we will have another great ride with the Power Man himself and redeem the Marvel series after the Defenders series which was a letdown.

So, who is Luke Cage? You know he has indestructible powers, is a part of the Defenders and lives in Harlem, but there is a lot more to him than meets the eye. Here are five pieces of trivia that you might not know about Luke Cage.

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1. The First African American Hero

Luke Cage was created as the protector of a crime-dominated New York City and shares the same universe as the rest of the Marvel heroes. He was created by Marvel due to the rising popularity of Blaxploitation films at that time like Shaft.

Unlike Black Panther who is from Wakanda, Africa, Luke Cage is from America making him the first African American Hero. His first comic title is Luke Cage: Hero for Hire which was then retitled into Power Man. Until today, he still walks Harlem as the Hero for Hire and Defender of the weak.

 

2. Indestructible Skin

From the first Season, we know that he was wrongfully thrown into prison and went through an illegal experiment. Although Luke Cage seems like Superman (who can’t fly), he is far from it as his only power is having Indestructible Skin which also gives him superhuman strength and stamina.

His skin can bounce off bullets, withstand extreme heat, puncture wounds, and any kind of physical damage, making him almost indestructible. Although we know from the Netflix series that he did receive a bullet wound and bled after getting shot by Diamondback’s special bullet, he of course then had a hard time taking it out because of his indestructible skin.

 

3. Not His First Appearance on TV

Although this is the first iteration of a real life Luke Cage on television, he has appeared a few times, be it as a cameo or a mainstay character in a lot of cartoon series.

He appeared on the Ultimate Spiderman cartoon series as Power Man who uses his powers for good as S.H.I.E.L.D’s sanctioned superhero. His character was younger and his personality was a little overconfident while his backstory was changed for the younger audience.

He has also appeared in a lot of other series namely The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Hero and also in video games such as Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.

 

4. Jessica Jones

Luke Cage was actually introduced in Jessica Jones’ Netflix Series as a bartender and they had a short but intimate relationship. She does not appear in Luke Cage’s Netflix series for some unknown reason. They did reunite awkwardly in the Defender’s series but was too busy smacking the Hands around that they didn’t manage to develop their relationship much.

Their relationship follows their comic counterparts but went on even further. Hopefully, we’ll be able to see them together even more in either of their series. I won’t spoil how far their relationship went or what happened to them as it may be in the plot of the Netflix series, but you can read further in their comics.

 

5. Marvel Cinematic Universe References

Although we do not see other Marvel superheroes in the Netflix series, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is constantly referred to in the show. The incident in The Avengers movie was frequently referred to by the characters of the show in the first episode

There are also other company and brand references like Tony Stark’s video and Justin Hammer’s corporation that developed the Judas Bullet that pierced Luke Cage.

Maybe in the future, we will be able to see the whole Defenders crew in a movie, be it as a cameo or as important characters.

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With that, those were the five facts or trivia that you might not have known about Luke Cage! I hope his second season will be as awesome as the first and I hope to see more of the Defenders on Netflix.

Until next time, have a Sweet Christmas!