10 Things You Need To Know About Luke Cage

Sweet Christmas! We're now just a few days away from the arrival of Marvel’s latest Netflix series, Luke Cage, which will land in its entirety on the streaming service come September 30th and is already receiving excellent reviews. But how much do we actually know about the eponymous Mr. Cage? Well, we've previously met Mike Colter’s man with unbreakable skin in Jessica Jones, where he entered into a tempestuous relationship with Krysten Ritter’s character before moving away from Hell’s Kitchen come the end of the season. In Luke Cage, we'll find out what happened to him after that and also how he ended up with his special abilities. But before you watch him in action on Netflix, here's a quick guide to some facts you need to know about the Hero for Hire – from his dubious origins to the celebrity who stole his name, these 10 things will help you familiarize yourself with the character before this Friday. 10) He's A Product Of The Blaxploitation Craze Luke Cage is already being lauded for making up for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s previous lack of diversity by featuring a largely black cast and starring a non-white hero for the first time (the films will follow suit with Black Panther in 2018). However, Luke Cage was originally a much more controversial character. When he debuted in 1972, Blaxploitation films - that were either seen as empowering or racially insensitive - were all the rage and Cage was an attempt by Marvel to cash in on that. An ex-con who was imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit, Cage didn’t wear a cape or fly - he was a more grounded, street-wise superhero than audiences were used to. Though he did take up a superhero name… 9) His Alter Ego Is Power Man (Though Not In The Show) In Jessica Jones, the super-powered private eye does not see herself as a superhero and so doesn't have a traditional superhero name - even though the character goes by the alter ego Jewel in the comics. Luke Cage will follow suit as he will eschew his usual identity of Power Man in the show. Though the character's solo comics were often titled Luke Cage, the Power Man moniker has been with him since (almost) the very beginning. Cage’s co-creator Archie Goodwin originally came up with it in reference to the Black Power Movement of the time. The reason for the change might be that the character already has a name to hide his secret identity – Luke Cage. Originally born Carl Lucas, Cage changed his name when he broke out of prison. 8) His Powers Came From An Experiment to Recreate Captain America While serving time in Seagate Prison, Carl Lucas is the favourite target of corrupt and brutal guard Billy Bob Rackham, until he's demoted - a fact he blames Lucas for. Meanwhile, Carl is recruited into an experimental cellular regeneration procedure by a Dr. Noah Burnstein, who is working on recreating the Super-Soldier process that gave Steve Rogers his abilities. However, Rackham crashes the experiment and accidentally increases the treatment past its limits. The outcome: Lucas is reborn as Luke Cage, a man with impenetrable skin and enhanced strength. As it happens, this isn't unique to Cage. Half of the Marvel universe is obsessed with recreating Steve Rogers’ super-serum, it seems, as various other heroes like Hulk, Deathlok, Warhawk and the Ultimate Spider-Man derive their powers from Cap-related experiments gone wrong. 7) He’s A Hero For Hire Once he escapes from Seagate, Luke Cage becomes a superhero – but there's a difference. He sets himself up as a Hero For Hire, meaning he'll protect the innocent and stop the bad guys like any normal hero, but he'll only do it for a price. In this capacity, Cage came up against much more down-to-earth antagonists than his fellow Marvel heroes. Rather than OTT supervillains, Cage’s rogues gallery largely consists of mob bosses and crime lords. Sure, they have a gimmick, but they weren’t the sort to wear costumes and attempt to take over the world. These include Cottonmouth, the king of Harlem’s criminal underworld with razor-sharp teeth, and Black Mariah, who used a stolen ambulance to pilfer dead bodies. His primary enemy, however, is Diamondback - Luke’s best friend before he had him framed and sent to jail. 6) He's Best Friends With Iron Fist Five years after his creation, the Blaxploitation genre had dried up and Power Man sales were significantly dropping. In a move that made good business sense and is probably responsible for the character's continued longevity, Marvel decided to pair Luke Cage up with another hero created to cash in on a trend. From Power Man #50, Cage was partnered with Danny Rand AKA Iron Fist, the kung-fu based superhero. Together, they became the Heroes for Hire, an organization that has grown exponentially over the years and has included big guns like Hulk, Human Torch, Punisher, Black Panther and even Spider-Man. This has led to many people assuming Finn Jones – set to play Iron Fist in 2017’s Netflix show – will appear at some point in Luke Cage. 5) He Started A Family With Jessica Jones The biggest relationship of Luke Cage’s life is Jessica Jones. Though TV viewers are familiar with the pair hooking up in the Netflix universe, their connection goes a lot deeper on the page – they're married and have a daughter. Luke and Jessica’s relationship is a favourite with fans, as it's so ordinary and relatable. Beginning with a one-night stand that led to Jessica becoming pregnant, the pair have stumbled through life as a couple like regular people – except they do some superheroing on the side. Their daughter is Danielle, and is babysat by Squirrel Girl when Luke and Jessica are called away on duty. It's also been revealed that in the future, Danielle will become Captain America and lead the Avengers. Speaking of which... 4) He Was Once A Leader Of The Avengers As you may know, these Netflix series are building up to next year’s team-up show The Defenders, which will see Luke, Jessica, Iron Fist and Daredevil come together. In the comics, however, Cage is probably most closely associated with the biggest Marvel team of all, The Avengers. He first joined Captain America’s Secret Avengers during the Civil War event. After Rogers’ assassination, Cage took it upon himself to form and lead the New Avengers, consisting of Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Wolverine, Iron Fist and naturally, Jessica Jones. Once Cap was resurrected, he backed out of the group and became the leader of the Thunderbolts instead, a team of reformed villains who want to be heroes. More recently, he has headed the Mighty Avengers, a charitable organization of heroes who work for free. 3) Nicolas Cage Took His Name Though he isn’t an actor known for his superhero connections to the world at large, Nicolas Cage is a massive comic book fan. Apart from starring in the Ghost Rider movies and Kick-Ass, he infamously almost played Superman in the mooted 90s Man of Steel reboot Superman Lives that ultimately went unmade. He also owes his stage name to a superhero. None other than Luke Cage. Cage is in fact Nicolas Ford Coppola, nephew of famed The Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola. To avoid just getting roles on the back of his famous uncle, young Nick took the name of one of his favourite Marvel heroes instead. He would also later name his son Kal-El, after the Last Son of Krypton. And no, we didn't make that up. 2) Quentin Tarantino Almost Made A Luke Cage Movie A renowned fan of exploitation cinema, Quentin Tarantino naturally is a big fan of the hero who's inspired by Blaxploitation films. So big a fan, in fact, that he nearly made a film about Power Man back in the early 1990s. His plan was to cast Laurence Fishburne as the lead, something the actor was very up for. Due to heated discussions with some comic book loving pals, however, Tarantino eventually decided that, if he was to do a superhero movie, it would be simpler to create his own character. Instead, he moved on to a little known project called Pulp Fiction. Throughout the 00s, Columbia Pictures also tried to get a Luke Cage film going. Despite both Dwayne Johnson and Idris Elba showing interest in the role, though, the rights eventually reverted back to Marvel. 1) Mike Colter Initially Didn’t Want The Role Going by Jessica Jones and what we have seen of his new Netflix show so far, it's clear that – despite those other attempts to bring the character to life – Mike Colter is the perfect Luke Cage. At first, though, the actor nearly didn’t take on the role. "I'm obviously very grateful to have the job and I love the character, but I had a moment of, 'Do I want to take on this iconic superhero right now?'" Colter said. "I didn't know if it was going to be a one-year commitment or if would be longer and it was a tough decision for a bit.” “Ultimately, I thought this is the role of a lifetime. If I hadn't see the first episodes of Jessica, if I hadn't read those scripts, if I hadn't seen what their vision would be and I hadn't seen Daredevil, it would have been a much, much harder sell."