'Luke Cage' Star Mike Colter Breaks Silence On Series Cancellation

Marvel and Netflix shocked fans with the cancellation of Luke Cage at the same time as Daredevil season 3 was premiering. The reaction from Marvel fans and other Marvel Netflix stars has been pouring out all weekend - but now we're finally hearing from the man himself.

Here's what Luke Cage star Mike Colter recently posted to social media, regarding the cancellation:

I am forever grateful to Marvel and Netflix for letting me portray such a prolific character, and I thank you amazing fans. As one door closes, another has opened, with the birth of my daughter this week. A lot of great memories. Time to make more. Always forward, forward always pic.twitter.com/Dvv4YOBeEE

— Mike Colter (@realmikecolter) October 22, 2018

At first glance it may seem like Colter is flashing Marvel and Netflix the ol' bird - but it quickly becomes apparent upon examination that the actor is actually taking things in stride. With this picture of his newborn daughter, Colter is reframing a major disappointment as a major new life chapter opening up. Colter has been married to his wife, Iva, since 2016, with whom he has one previous child, also a daughter. Iva was visibly pregnant when the couple attended the Luke Cage season 2 premiere earlier this year; we wish the couple the best with their new addition.

It's always hard to gauge the popularity and performance of a Marvel Netflix series - or any Netflix series, for that matter. The streaming service keeps its performance metrics under such strict lock and key that outside onlookers can only measure things like level of mainstream buzz and reviews as an estimate of how a show is doing. It seemed that both Luke Cage and Iron Fist had overcome some of their respective early stumbles and showed significant improvement in their sophomore seasons. More importantly, both shows ended on game-changing cliffhangers that fans were eager to see play out.

So far, the rumor mill has been churning with explanations for why the cancellation occurred. The most likely reason seems to be administrative, with Marvel and Netflix unable to agree to terms for license renewal. Many fans suspect this is a first step for Disney to begin sweeping up its characters for the studio's own streaming service, while other fans are holding out hope that this is all just a strategic fake-out before we get a Heroes for Hire series combining the Luke Cage and Iron Fist characters into one show.

Daredevil season 3 is now streaming on Netflix. Jessica Jones season 3 and Punisher season 2 are both still in production.