The character of Luke Cage certainly is no stranger to the Marvel Television audience. Mike Colter made his debut as the imposing yet gentle Cage on Jessica Jones where the audience got just a taste of who this character is.
But Cage’s story will continue this September with Netflix’s Luke Cage, which will explore the origins of Luke Cage, as well as weave another integral chapter leading into The Defenders.
From the start of the series it’s evident that Luke is reluctant to be a hero. He has these powers that he doesn’t necessarily want and he’s keen to keep to himself.
“[He is] a guy that has been thrust into a place that he doesn’t really want to be,” Mike Colter told us during a roundtable interview at SDCC. “He’s a guy that has been endowed with abilities, as they say. To him it’s not a positive; he doesn’t see it that way. He’s reluctant. He’s the kind of guy that shies away from the spotlight. He’s a humble guy. He doesn’t want any part of this. But ultimately it’s something that he’s going to have to deal with.”
Luke Cage executive producer Cheo Hodari Coker addressed that theme of this first season.
“Part of what the first season is about how does one accept the mantle of being a hero?” he said.
One of the things that sets Luke Cage apart from other superheroes on television and film is the fact that he is the first African American superhero. And that’s not something that Coker or Colter shied away from.
“You always get questioned: what makes Luke Cage different from any other superhero? He’s black,” Coker said. “Let’s face it, there aren’t a lot of black superheroes. In dealing with a black superhero you’re going to deal with ugly history and the beauty of history. It’s kind of, yes, he’s going to have different responsibilities and different issues that say Captain America wouldn’t have to deal with, but then again he’s going to deal with certain things that every superhero has to deal with.”
Watch our interview with Colter and Coker below where they discuss comic influence, the impact of race in Luke Cage, and more.
