Marvel’s Luke Cage Liveblog From San Diego Comic Con 2016

Here we are ladies and gentlemen, the final big panel of Thursday at Comic Con International. We’re seated in Ballroom 20 waiting to see Mike Colter & co take the stage. Keep refreshing the page to get up to the minute news and quotes as it happens.

The room just went dark and a countdown clock has begin. We’re just under 2 minutes before the panel begins.

For those new to this, we’re going to try and bulletpoint as much as we can for you so you can easily digest the awesome news.

And away we go folks.

Netflix is kicking things off with a sizzle reel showing all three Defenders that we’ve come to meet in an action packed series of clips. Everything from Jessica Jones’ day drinking to the super famous hallway scene from Daredevil. There’s even some Wilson Fisk and Purple Man in this! HUGE ROAR for Bernthal’s Punisher.

And here comes Marvel EVP of TV himself, Jeph Loeb. He takes the podium wearing a Luke cage hoodie, and it looks like there is a Daredevil shirt underneath. Oh, yup. There it is, a Daredevil T-Shirt and to add more flair, a Jessica Jones has come out. As is routine with these events, Loeb is a master of getting the crowd excited and leads the crowd in a chant, DAREDEVIL! JESSICA JONES! LUKE CAGE!

The room goes wild.

Before we get started, Loeb takes time to thank Marvel’s Dan Buckley, Alan Fine, Joe Quesada, Tom Lieber, the Netflix crew, and more. The crowd obliges and gives the whole list a round of applause.

Here’s our security warning folks. You know, the snipers that every actor talks about. They’re here.

Jon Bernthal has just taken the stage and a HUGE Punisher Logo is on the screen. Bernthal wants to see the clip again. Loeb tries to brush him off playfully, but Jon insists he plays it again.

“I know you’re making a movie right now, but thanks for coming by,” says Loeb. “What was it like when you found out you were going to play Frank Castle on Daredevil season 2?”

“I know how much this character means to everyone and it’s a tremendous honor to be The Punisher,” Bernthal answers.

Loeb manages to get a Walking Dead jab in.

“Comic book fans are the greatest fans in the world, again I can’t tell you how thankful I am for the feedback. Frank is in my bones now. It makes me love my family harder and if anything i am enormously grateful for this opportunity.

“What was it like when you found out you were going to get your own show,” asks Loeb.

“Work. Work. Work. I’m ready,” Bernthal exclaimed.

Bernthal exits and Loeb introduces the Luke Cage team. First one out is Cheo Coker, showrunner of Luke Cage. Frank Whaley is next. Then comes Theo Rossi. Oh wait, here’s Joe Quesada acting like he wants to tell Jeph something! Loeb is trying to introduce Misty Knight and shoo’s Joe off stage. Mahaershala Ali is next. Out comes Simone Missick. Here comes Joe again, shoo’d off stage once more. Alfrie Woodward is next and last but not least, Mike Colter.

The room goes nuts for Mike’s entrance!

Unfortunately Rosario Dawson could not be here because she’s shooting something for Marvel Netflix in New York. What could it be?

Loeb says he wants to talk to the cast, but he wants to show a scene.

Here we go.

A man is thrown through a door, Luke walks through. He calls out a gangster, and starts tossing folks left and right. They’re in a boxing gym. People pull out guns “I guess you haven’t heard about me, have you.” Bullets bounce off Luke and everyone is scared. “Im about sick about having to buy new clothes. More people being thrown through windows. Luke walks into the office, and asks where the guns from Cottonmouth are. “What you think you can go after everyone,” the gangster asks. “I think I can,” Cage answers. Cage threatens to throw the man out the window and into the river. “You see, it’s the impact that kills you. It crushes your lungs, then the water pours in and it’s a terrible way to go.” The guy gives up the guns real easy after that. Cage grabs a hoodie and asks if it comes in a double XL.

And the lights are back up.

“The world is ready for a bulletproof black man,” explained Coker when asked about the show. This is a show that feels very much like today with some great throwback themes.

First reactions from the cast are up next. Alfre says he was absolutely blessed to join the team. The scripts were top notch. Frank Whaley points to the music cues that Coker built into the scripts as a big draw for him. Music plays a big role in this show. “It’s not a musical, but has a musicality,” says Loeb.

“It’s a wu-tangification of the Marvel Universe,” Coker continued. “It has a grip and is elegant at the same time.” Every single episode is named after a gang star song. I wanted the 13 episodes to feel like an album. Like when Prince put an album, you would shut things out and listen to the whole thing. But now, with TV, you binge watch. This show is made to binge. The music helps, but it is all about the pace. Man, it’s great.”

Here comes another clip.

Cottonmouth is having a HUGE fit in his bar, and is breaking a bunch of stuff with a bat. Alfre Woodward’s character is there and puts him in his place as one of Cottonmouth’s guys cuts the tension by announcing a cop is at the door.

The rest of the cast answers questions about why they love taking on the characters they ended up taking. Theo Rossi spoke to learning how to act with shades on the whole time and Simone Missick could not stop talking about how much she loves how much of a bad-ass Misty Knight is.

Mike Colter continued saying it’s been the time of his life playing Luke Cage. He wouldn’t change it.

Simone stops the panel to wish Frank Whaley a happy birthday! The crowd erupts into song.

Loeb mentions that whatever they do when it comes to Netflix, they release it worldwide. Luke Cage is no exception. And here we go! A new teaser for a new trailer. Then the cast lines up on stage with Loeb wearing his Daredevil shirt.

Joe storms out! “I’ve been looking all over for you.” Joe forgot, but thankfully he wrote it down. Wrote it down. Daredevil season 3.

There is a new clip being shown! It’s Finn Jones from the set of Iron Fist! Here’s a sizzle!

We seewhat looks like a plane crash in the snow. Young Danny Rand picked up by monks. He’s then walking shoeless in the city, then locked up in a hospital. Then he punches a hole in a wall. Here comes the Iron Fist Logo! The “o” in Iron Fist is the dragon symbol shown in Daredevil, but also the comic book’s logo.

DEFENDERS TEASE BY LOEB! This panel should have been over already!

it’s a sizzle, we see bits and pieces of paper. The Daredevil Logo, The Luke Cage Logo, The Iron Fist Logo, And BOOM The Defenders Logo!

Thanks for following along folks. We’re out of here!