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See also Power Man, Cage for a complete list of references to clarify differences between these closely named or closely related articles. |
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| Luke Cage | |
| Aliases: | Carl Lucas; Mark Lucas; Cage; Power Man; Power Fist; Black Avenger |
| Continuity: | Marvel Universe |
| Notability: | Main character |
| Type: | Superhero |
| Gender: | Male |
| Race: | Altered human |
| Location: | Manhattan, New York City, New York |
| Relatives: | Jessica Jones (wife) Danielle Cage (daughter) |
| Status: | Alive |
| First: | Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1 |
| Actor: | Mike Colter Clifton Cutrary [1] |
Luke Cage, whose real name is Carl Lucas, is a fictional comic book superhero featured in titles published by Marvel Comics. He formerly went by the superhero code-name Power Man and was introduced in Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1 in June, 1972. The character has also been represented in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, first appearing in episodes of the Netflix television series Jessica Jones, where he was played by actor Mike Colter. This version of Luke Cage later branched out into his own Luke Cage television series in 2016, and was also a co-star on the Netflix series The Defenders.
Biography[]
Origin[]
Carl Lucas grew up on the streets of Harlem and was never what anyone would consider a law-abiding citizen. His best friend was a man named Willis Stryker who was involved in various criminal enterprises, not the least of which involved drug trafficking. Both men vied for the affection of a woman named Reva Connors, but Reva ultimately chose Lucas after witnessing his heroism when he saved Stryker's life during a run-in with the Syndicate. Willis may have been grateful to be alive, but he was not grateful that Lucas won the girl. He had Carl framed for drug possession and he was arrested. Lucas was sentenced to serve time in Seagate Prison in Georgia.
Although he tried to behave as a model prisoner, he invariably found himself getting into fights with other inmates such as Comanche and Shades who tried to recruit him into prison gang. This also drew the attention of several of the more disreputable guards at Seagate including Captain Billy Bob Rackham and another man named Quirt. Rackham had Quirt assault Lucas in his jail cell and Carl was soon put in Solitary Confinement. When Warden Tyler Stuart learned of this, he demoted Rackham and fired Quirt.
Stuart had a long conversation with Lucas and learned about his troubled past. He told him about a secret experiment being conducted at Seagate by Doctor Noah Burstein, which was intended to serve in the interests of helping mankind and wanted Lucas to volunteer as a test subject. Lucas agreed and Doctor Burstein placed his body inside of a containment tube, which he flushed with a special chemical formula. The embittered guard Rackham, seeking to assuage his vendetta against Lucas for costing him his rank, tampered with the controls on the containment tube, increasing the chemical dosage to dangerous levels. Not only did Lucas survive the process however, but he actually emerged from the container with superhuman strength and bulletproof skin. While attempting to escape from the prison, he was hit by a barrage of bullets, but shrugged them off and managed to dive through a window to freedom. It was believed that Lucas had been killed by the gunfire.
Carl Lucas returned to his old neighborhood in Harlem and changed his name to Luke Cage. He acquirred a bright costume, a metal headband and a belt made out of heavy chain and earned a living as a "Hero for Hire". [2]
Abilities[]
Relationships[]
Friends[]
- Claire Temple - Doctor; former lover.
- Danny Rand - Also known as Iron Fist. Partner in Heroes for Hire.
- David Griffith - Owner of the Gem theater. Leases the 3rd floor to Luke Cage.
- Flea - An informant who helped to clear Luke's name. Poisoned to death by Cottonmouth.
- Noah Burstein - Scientist who created process that gave Luke his powers.
- Reva Connors - Ex-girlfriend, deceased.
Foes[]
- Billy Bob Rackham - Corrupt prison guard from Seagate.
- Orville Smythe - Hired Luke to commit a crime. Inspired him to take up the name Power Man.
- Steeplejack, Jake Mallard - Crazed construction worker whom Luke fought in his early Power Man days.
- Steeplejack, Maxwell Plumm - The 2nd Steeplejack. Used slightly different equipment.
Clients[]
- Mimi Jenks - Killed by Billy Bob Rackham.
Appearances[]
TV series[]
| Luke Cage | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| Title: | Luke Cage |
| Format: | Live-action |
| Running time: | 60 min. |
| country: | USA |
| Network: | Netflix |
| Seasons: | 1+ |
| Episodes: | 13+ |
| Production | |
| Production company: | ABC Studios Marvel Studios Netflix |
| Executive producers: | Dan Buckley; Alan Fine; Stan Lee; Joe Quesada; Jim Chory; Cheo Hodari Coker; Alison Engel; Allie Goss; Kris Henigman; Cindy Holland; Jeph Loeb; Paul McGuigan; Charles Murray; Christian Taylor; Karim Zreik; Jason Horwitch |
| Producers: | Gail Barringer; Akela Cooper; Tom Lieber; Samantha Thomas |
| Principal cast: | Mike Colter; Mahershala Ali; Simone Missick; Theo Rossi; Alfre Woodard |
| Air dates | |
| First aired: | September 30th, 2016 |
Episodes[]
Season One[]
| Episode | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1x01 | Moment of Truth | September 30th, 2016 |
| 1x02 | Code of the Streets | September 30th, 2016 |
| 1x03 | Who's Gonna Take the Weight? | September 30th, 2016 |
| 1x04 | Step in the Arena | September 30th, 2016 |
| 1x05 | Just to Get a Rep | September 30th, 2016 |
| 1x06 | Suckas Need Bodyguards | September 30th, 2016 |
| 1x07 | Manifest | September 30th, 2016 |
| 1x08 | Blowin' Up the Spot | September 30th, 2016 |
| 1x09 | DWYCK | September 30th, 2016 |
| 1x10 | Take It Personal | September 30th, 2016 |
| 1x11 | Now You're Mine | September 30th, 2016 |
| 1x12 | Soliloquy of Chaos | September 30th, 2016 |
| 1x13 | You Know My Steez | September 30th, 2016 |
Notes[]
- Luke Cage once considered adopting the code name Ace of Spades, but dismissed the notion due to its racial connotations. [3] In the 1970s, "Spade" was often used as a derogatory term for a black person.
- One-time criminal Orville Smythe is the one who inspired Luke to take up the code name of Power Man. [4]
- Actor Clifton Cutrary played a teenage Carl Lucas in a flashback scene in the "You Know My Steez" episode of Marvel's Luke Cage.
External Links[]
- Luke Cage at MDP
- Luke Cage at Wikipedia
- Luke Cage at Comic Vine
- Luke Cage at the Marvel Universe
- Luke Cage at the Marvel Directory