Luke Cage
First appearing in 1972, courtesy of Archie Goodwin and John Romita Sr. – Luke Cage is the embodiment of vengeful anger and the desire for personal progress. He was born as Carl Lucas in Harlem – amid gang violence, organized crime and deep-rooted corruption. As he grew, he attempted to extricate himself from that lifestyle, while his childhood friend – Willis Stryker – was drawn further down. Eventually, suspecting Lucas of romantic betrayal, Stryker hid heroin in Lucas’ home and saw that he was arrested. Despite his innocence, Lucas was jailed and spent time nurturing a consuming rage over the injustice.
While incarcerated, Lucas was recruited by Dr. Noah Burstein as a test subject for an experimental cell regeneration process. When the test went terribly wrong due to sabotage, Lucas received physical enhancements that effectively manifested as super powers – including strength, endurance and near invulnerability. He escaped and saw the opportunity for profit – hiring out his services under the name ‘Luke Cage.’
Cage became a central figure among the superheroes of New York City, building connections with the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Nighthawk and Jessica Jones. He forged a particularly close bond with Iron Fist, and the two spent time working as a pair. As well as fighting alongside Captain America, against the Superhero Registration Act, Cage has been seen battling a range of conventional criminals, in addition to Stryker, Gideon Mace, Doctor Doom, Chemistro, Bushmaster, the Green Goblin and the Emissaries of Evil.
Columbia Pictures spent years trying to develop a Luke Cage feature film, and were said to have reached the point where a screenplay was completed with John Singleton attached to direct. While the role was never officially cast, Jamie Foxx was rumoured to be under consideration, with Dwayne Johnson and Idris Elba both listed as expressing an interest. It was not until Marvel and Netflix teamed to create a group of Defenders series on the streaming service though that Mike Colter was announced as Luke Cage. Colter has confirmed that his work as Cage in AKA Jessica Jones is underway, but the production information for his own series – assumed to be filming next – has yet to be revealed.
