It’s long past time for the introduction of a bulletproof black man.
That’s according to Luke Cage series creator Cheo Hodari Coker, who spoke to Entertainment Weekly on the heels of yesterday’s high-octane reveal trailer. It was here that Coker touched base on the upcoming Marvel spinoff series, which he believes holds the ability to fill a void beyond Hell’s Kitchen.
“There’s never been a time in history where having a bulletproof black man, in terms of just looking at how that affects a neighborhood, in terms of looking at, for example, how it not only changes law enforcement but also changes the criminal world, and really in a sense, it’s like Luke’s entrance into this world changes the ecology of the entire neighborhood. Between that and exploring what it means to be a hero. Is it [someone] who’s far removed from everything or is it someone that the community can touch, that they can go to. There are a lot of issues explored in the show but at the same time, it’s [still] fun.”
That neighborhood is, of course, Harlem, home to Mike Colter’s reluctant hero for hire who boasts seemingly limitless strength and unbreakable skin after a failed experiment gone awry. Appearing at the Marvel TV panel last night – one which brought word of Daredevil season 3 – he had this to say: “When I think about what’s going on in the world right now, the world is ready for a bulletproof black man.”
Also on board for the upcoming solo series are Simone Missick as Misty Knight, Frank Whaley as Rafael Scarfe, Mahershala Ali as Cottonmouth, Theo Rossi as Shades, Alfre Woodard as Mariah Dillard and Rosario Dawson as Claire Temple.
Look for Luke Cage to make his mighty debut via Netflix on September 30.
