‘Luke Cage’ Reveals Reg E. Cathey is Playing SPOILER

WARNING: Spoilers ahead for season two of Luke Cage up ahead. If you haven’t had the chance to catch the show yet, proceed with caution.

The second season of Luke Cage debuted on Netflix earlier today and with it, a whole plethora of new faces joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe. From Mustafa Shakir’s Bushmaster to Gabrielle Dennis’ Tilda Johnson, many new comic book characters have made their live action debuts.

Among the new additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the late Reg E. Cathey. Cathey plays Luke Cage’s (Mike Colter) father James Lucas. Although discussed a few times over the course of the first season, it was until now that James made his live-action debut.

James Leonard Lucas first appeared in comics in Cage #3 (1992) as created by Marcus McLaurin and Dwayne Turner. In the comics, James was actually a brief member of the Might Avengers alongside heroes like Adam Brashear’s Blue Marvel and Blade.

While James and his wife Esther did have two children in the comics, Netflix and Marvel Television tweaked that plot point in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Lucas kids in the comics were Carl (Luke’s real name) and James Jr. whereas Carl and Will Stryker — the villain known as Diamondback — are half-brothers in Luke Cage.

Cathey passed away after production on Luke Cage wrapped earlier this year after a reported battle with lung cancer. He was 59.

After his passing, Marvel Television released a statement praising the actor for his work on Luke Cage.

“Everyone at Marvel Television is deeply saddened by the loss of Reg E. Cathey,” the statement read. “It was an honor to work with him and to know him. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family and friends. In Marvel’s Luke Cage season 2, Reg played James Lucas, Luke’s father. We were lucky enough to experience the magic that was Reg in his final performance.”

Outside of Luke Cage, Cathey was probably best known for his role as Freddy Hayes in Netflix’s House of Cards. For his role as Hayes, he earned three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, including a win in 2015. He also played Dr. Franklin Storm in Fox’s 2015 reboot of Fantastic Four and Norman Wilson in The Wire.

What do you think of Reg’s performance in Luke Cage so far? How far you through the second season? Let us know in the comments below!

Season two of Luke Cage is now streaming on Netflix.