While fans were first introduced to Marvel’s Luke Cage in Jessica Jones, those fans will have the chance to get to know him much better once his new solo series launches on Netflix later this month.
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In a new behind the scenes featurette for the much-anticipated show, Luke Cage star Mike Colter described who the character is in his eyes.
“Luke Cage is not a guy who’s trying to be a hero. After Jessica Jones, he goes uptown and he just wants to be left alone, but he finds Cottonmouth basically running Harlem. Cage didn’t want to get involved, he’s just trying to figure things out. He just can’t stay idly by and let things happen.”
The conflict Cage feels internally about his powers and his duty isn’t small, but it’s understandable once you realize how much the character’s gone through, as Executive Producer Cheo Hodari Coker succinctly points out.
“He has powers he didn’t ask for, the woman he fell in love with is dead, and he was put in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Harlem is where he’s hiding out. He ends up sweeping up hair in a barbershop.”
Another major player in the Luke Cage-verse is Claire Temple, who’s shown up in all three of Marvel’s Netflix projects. Rosario Dawson returns to the role and details the main throughline of the show.
“If you see a need and you decided it’s your responsibility to address it, that’s the hero’s journey. It’s a really different vibe, a really different hero.”
MORE: Learn more about Luke Cage’s origin with ComicBook.com’s Major Issues.
After a sabotaged experiment leaves him with super strength and unbreakable skin, Luke Cage becomes a fugitive trying to rebuild his life in modern day Harlem, New York City. But he is soon pulled out of the shadows and must fight a battle for the heart of his city – forcing him to confront a past he had tried to bury.
Luke Cage debuts on Netflix September 30th.
