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.