Mike Colter On Playing Luke Cage In Marvel's Netflix Universe

In December, Marvel Studios officially announced that Mike Colter had landed the coveted role of Luke Cage. He'll first appear in six or seven episode of Netflix's A.K.A. Jessica Jones, and then he'll have his very own standalone series on Netflix as well.

Colter says he is excited about the part because he was a fan of the "gritty" comic books, and he really appreciates the way Marvel Studios tells the human side to their superheroes. "Marvel does a fantastic job about bringing human stories – because you're telling big stories with a heart at the centre of it – and that's what connects all of the characters to our audience members," Colter told IGN. "Audience members have to feel connected with these characters, to make them relate to the character's situations and that's what you see with all of the Marvel characters."

In the comics, Cage is convicted of a crime he didn't comit. In order to shave off time on his lengthy-sentence he takes part in an experiment which gives him super-strength and impervious skin. He then uses those powers to clear his name and the help less fortune.

Colter is also impressed with the scripts for AKA Jessica Jones, which will star Krysten Ritter ("Breaking Bad"). "And when I look at the scripts, I'm really pleased with it because it's a slow-burn; there's nothing happening really fast that gets ahead of itself," Colter said. "I'm really with where they're taking it and how they're developing the characters, because it's really cool and it's geared towards an adult audience, which is something that will be different from the Marvel Cinematic Universe you've seen before on the big screen."

Luke Cage is one of the more prominent black superheroes, but Colter doesn't think about what his skin color happens to be. What really matters to Colter is the person underneath. "The approach with the character for me is more about the human qualities and the things that make Luke Cage tick," Colter explained. "And the writers have to then decide to bring in the race of the character, if there's an angle there. But I don't look at it as something I have to prep differently for, because I am what I am and I approach the characters as they have to then be played by me, Mike Colter – the actor who happens to be black. It's more of an aside, rather than something I take on by the horns. It doesn't really factor for me at all."

A.K.A. Jessica Jones will debut on Netflix in 2015 after Marvel's Daredevil.