Luke Cage

TV's New Power Man

- Abbie Bernstein

MARVEL’S LUKE CAGE is the latest installment of Marvel Television and Netflix’s collaboration. This so far includes MARVEL’S DAREDEVIL (two seasons are currently available, with a third in production) and MARVEL’S JESSICA JONES, which introduced Luke Cage, played by Mike Colter. JESSICA JONES will get a second season, and MARVEL’S THE PUNISHER and MARVEL’S IRON FIST will also get runs in 2017, before all of the main characters come together in a Marvel/Netflix THE DEFENDERS series. This in turn is in the same universe as the Marvel movies (THE AVENGERS, et al).

Star Colter and executive producer Cheo Hodari Coker, who developed LUKE CAGE from ’70s Marvel Comics, sat down with FM during the Television Critics Association summer press tour to talk about the show.

DEFENDING SOLO VENTURES

Both men agree that they feel it’s wise that each Defender is getting his/her own series before they come together as a group. “Each series gets to be its own thing,” Coker explains. “You could have THE DEFENDERS at first and then had the separate series, but I think the way that they’ve built it up is brilliant, because then you appreciate each character. And even though some people might like Jessica more than they might like Luke, and some people are going to be diehard DAREDEVIL through and through, and then when IRON FIST comes out, some people are going to be Danny Rand all day — when they come together, you’re going to have your favorite, but at the same time, you’re going to appreciate the nuances and levels of each of them. You [could] see something you like and say, ‘Hey, I didn’t have a chance to watch [that character’s series], so now I’m going to watch that.’”