The 7 Best Moments From Marvel’s Luke Cage

A character piece at heart, Luke Cage prioritizes smaller, more intimate moments that turn pleasantries into payoffs and ultimately make for a more sophisticated, more focused series. Showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker, a former journalist, cuts into Cage with an almost surgical care, pulling out pieces of him we didn't get to see when he first busted onto the scene in last year's incredible Jessica Jones. While he's not the most powerful or the most interesting character in Marvel's pantheon of tightly-clothed heroes, Luke Cage possesses a vulnerability that transforms him from a simple, musclebound ex-con to a dynamic, empathetic character we can all get behind. Luckily, Mike Colter comes to the role pre-equipped; his crowd-pleasing turn on Jessica Jones helped him (and his viewers) grow accustomed to his performance. Now, with his warm-up finished, Colter can approach his character with fewer restrictions and less restraint. If Jessica Jones tackled the how, then Luke Cage answers the why. You'd think an impenetrable powerhouse would be a tough nut to crack, but Coker approaches the series with all the tools required to do just that. His creative decisions suggest a deep understanding of Cage's character that proves to be as impressive as it is needed; the Harlem hunk isn't a character with whom casual fans are incredibly familiar, but Coker remedies this. He makes his love for Cage abundantly clear, ensuring that viewers come away from the series with a better grasp of his inner machinations and motivations. The pages ahead will attempt to list the best, most shocking moments from Marvel's newest hit. I say “attempt” because it wasn't easy picking a mere seven moments from such a phenomenal series. Regardless of whether or not you agree though, I hope you at least enjoy. 7) Luke Cage vs. Diamondback (Final Round) After a number of bouts (none of which ended well for Luke Cage), Diamondback and his hated half-brother square off with all of Harlem watching. It's a scene we've all been waiting for. A tipping of the scale, so to speak. An armor-clad Diamondback throws himself at Cage with every vestige of strength he has left, bloodying him to a near-fatal point. Then, rising from the mangled frame of a nearby van, Cage strikes a blow that knocks Diamondback across the street. The punch incapacitates the belligerent baddie, but fails to kill him. We'll undoubtedly see him again. The Defenders, maybe? The fight is intercut with flashbacks involving a young Carl Lucas in a boxing ring, a creative decision that establishes a parallel between the two formative confrontations. It's a short fight, but it's absolutely one for the books. 6) Shades Kills Zip And His Goons Up until now, we hadn't seen Shades do much beyond growl advice at Cottonmouth and encourage Mariah to embrace her inner criminal. Now, though, we get to see why Carl Lucas' fellow inmate has the reputation he's earned. In a brief, brutal struggle, Shades manages to overwhelm and overpower Diamondback's henchman, Zip, and the rest of the crew tasked with murdering him in an elevator. Zip attempts to strangle Shades with his belt, at which point Shades grabs a gun, shoots the other gangsters, and, after escorting the only survivor to the roof, guns him down with a ruthlessness of which I didn't think he was capable. Shades ends up surviving the events of Luke Cage, but after killing Zip, he goes back to whispering in Mariah's ear and being the councilwoman's willing lackey. 5) Cottonmouth Murders Tone Pop's death struck me with the force of an oncoming train. His sudden exit from the show broke hearts, boggled minds and begged the question, “Who will be Cage's rock now?” Tone, the trigger-happy gangster who shoots Pop, Chico, and Cage through the front window of the barber shop, hurries back to Cottonmouth bursting with pride. Enraged, Cottonmouth roars into his hapless henchman's startled face before throwing him off the roof upon which they've convened. A screaming Tone becomes acquainted with a car parked directly below, landing with a sickening crash on the car's roof and dying immediately. Tone obviously didn't know his boss very well. If he had, he would have known to avoid killing the one man that everyone respected and loved. Lackeys like Tone usually don't last very long. He was reckless, impulsive and cruel, qualities to which a calmer, more calculated villain like Cottonmouth doesn't take too kindly to. Nobody really mourns Tone, because he's really just a disposable gangster whose only notable act involved killing the one character we wanted to see make it. 4) Luke Cage vs. Diamondback (Round 1) After Diamondback's Judas bullet takes him through his stomach, a wounded Cage stumbles after his would-be killer and fights him in a vacant theater. The showrunners infuse the scene with desperation and emotion; it's immediately made clear that the fighters have a history, and that Diamondback has some serious beef with Cage. Every moment, from the taunting to the brief, brutal confrontation in the center aisle, adds gravitas to the proceedings and works to introduce Diamondback in a thrilling way. After hearing so much about him from Shades, it's nice (and terrifying) to see a villain with the depth and darkness required to replace Ali's excellent portrayal of Cottomouth. He's not the criminal overlord he's built up to be. As it happens, he's quite the opposite. He functions as more of an assassin than a mastermind, riddling Cage with Judas bullets before hurrying off to plot and plan. Oh, and he also kills a bunch of gang leaders (except for Domingo Colon) to make a statement. He's very much in the trenches with the other characters, fighting, stabbing and shooting with the best and the baddest of them. 3) Misty's Interrogation As the series hurtles toward a stunning conclusion, Misty Knight, brilliantly portrayed by Simone Missick, becomes a sort of supercop seemingly unfazed by the worsening state of Harlem. However, after assaulting Claire Temple in an interrogation room, Knight is subjected to a sit-down herself. It's here, in this unadorned, nondescript room, that we finally meet this character. She talks about why she became a cop, what motivates her, and what she plans to do to set the record straight. She even reveals what went through her mind when she slammed Claire against the wall. Her interrogator, a fat, flaps-for-jaws man with a knack for asking cutting questions, coaxes the story from her lips after presenting her with an unopened can of lemonade. The lemonade plays an interesting role here, mainly because it triggers her in a big, traumatic way. It's a fascinating sequence made even more exciting by the realization that we've now seen the most vulnerable side of a character who does a phenomenal job at keeping herself together. The show broke Luke Cage, but up until this point, it hadn't managed to break Knight. Had to happen sometime, right? 2) Cottonmouth Comes In For A Shave Cottonmouth's arrival at Pop's barbershop ranks high on this list because it increases the show's tension while simultaneously adding another layer to these characters and how they interact with their environment and each other. The scene examines the interplay between Pop's shop and the people who populate it, establishing the joint as a haven where even the most powerful criminals can enjoy a shave and walk out untouched, unbothered and unscathed. Pop and his good old stubble-stopper have found a happy customer in Cornell Stokes, even if the spiffy businessman favors a shave-and-split situation over paying the wizened barber what he's due. When a villain comes in for something as mundane as an afternoon shave, all of the violence, vitriol, and viciousness that characterize the central conflict is immediately put on hold. For a few short, sweet minutes, opposing players feign civility on the grounds that no weapons or words are brandished with malicious intent. Of course, that doesn't mean passive aggression and ego-bruising jabs aren't fair game. 1) Mariah Dillard Kills Cottonmouth In a single, brutal move, Alfre Woodard's conniving Mariah Dillard murders Cottonmouth after he spits a cruel remark about the sexual abuse she endured as a child. It's a tide-turning act of unimaginable violence, one that will subsequently unite the councilwoman and the enigmatic Shades Alvarez. In the moments following the murder, Shades beats Cottonmouth's body beyond recognition, cementing the ex-con as a criminal with the smarts to do what's required and cover his tracks afterwards. Mariah later shows remorse for her actions, fighting back tears over Cornell's covered corpse before Shades walks in and reminds her of her new responsibilities. Together, the two villains frame Luke Cage for the murder and watch as public support for the heroic hunk transforms into unbridled hatred. Not only does this establish Shades and Mariah as two formidable opponents for Cage, but it also makes way for a much more dangerous villain in the form of Diamondback.