The weight of Harlem is currently resting on the burly shoulders of Luke Cage, and doesn’t Cheo Hodari Coker know all about it.
The series showrunner is back at the helm for Luke Cage season 2, and believes Marvel’s Power Man will be able to skate around the sophomore slump by introducing a truly formidable opponent for Mike Colter’s Defender. His name? John McIver, otherwise known to you, I and the people of Harlem as the Bushmaster.
His superhuman abilities far exceed Luke Cage’s past opponents, and if one was to describe the Bushmaster as succinctly as possible, we’d say he’s a villain with the cunning intelligence of Cottonmouth mixed with Diamondback’s brute strength. And it’s for this reason that Coker believes Luke Cage’s second season is all about putting our Hero for Hire through his paces, beginning with a showdown against the Bushmaster.
The one metaphor we’ve used for this season actually comes from a quote from Mike Tyson. One of the things he said was ‘Everybody’s got a plan until they get punched in the face.’ When Luke Cage gets knocked on his ass by Bushmaster, the question is can he get back up?
All of this is made possible by Bushmaster’s unique fighting style, which is seemingly good enough to leave Luke Cage at a loss for words. Mustafa Shakir will be the one playing Harlem’s second bullet-proof character, and Coker believes his “African-influenced fighting style” will dazzle audiences.
Bushmaster’s fighting style is really influenced by Capoeira and so it’s one of the first times you see an African-influenced fighting style as opposed to traditional grappling or martial arts. So he fights with a certain flair that’s different than Luke’s boxing, brawler style.
On the eve of release, Luke Cage‘s showrunner also touched base on his leading man, and why he refuses to wear a mask or any form of disguise as he walks through the streets of his beloved hometown.
What makes Luke Cage different than any superhero is he uses a semblance of his real name and then he doesn’t wear a mask. One of the things we explore is why should he be different than a police officer or a fireman, in that they get paid for what they do and they are equally, in their own ways, heroic.
All 13 episodes of Luke Cage season 2 will begin streaming tomorrow, June 22nd, and if you’re curious to know more about Marvel’s second Netflix series of 2018 – after Jessica Jones, of course – then look no further than our official review.
