We’ve been talking about Marvel’s Luke Cage coming to Netflix this September for a while now. Tidbits of news have been dropped a little at a time to get us even more hype. But I’m not sure if you guys really get what’s going on right now. Spread out over time, all of the information we have about the Luke Cage series so far might have gotten lost in the sea of 2016 internet sharing. This thing is going to be lit.
When you mash all of those nuggets of context into one breath, it becomes even more clear than it might’ve been before. Luke Cage will, without a doubt, be the best Marvel series on Netflix ever (probably until The Defenders). And here’s why:
A Tribe Called Quest’s Ali Shaheed Muhammad did the score.
If you love hip-hop (or black music in general) you know that this is monumental. The scoring/soundtrack is always underrated in terms of importance to the quality of a visual experience. This is because when it’s done extremely well, you don’t notice it. I wrote about the details here, but this is big picture time. Just imagine the same flavor from track number 6 on king Kendrick Lamar’s Untitled Unmastered as the sonic backdrop to beautifully choreographed smackdowns from the bulletproof Harlem hustler, Luke Cage (plus a full orchestra).
Exactly.
The plot is exactly what we need right now from our media.
In a Facebook live video interview, Mike Colter dropped the most detailed information that we’ve gotten about the plot so far. And it didn’t disappoint one bit. He told us that Luke Cage has to get a grip on the streets and hold down the city because, “A lot of people get hurt, a lot of lives are lost, and unfortunately he’s the only one who is capable of actually helping deal with this because sometimes the law enforcement is actually not the best because they’re not aware or they’re not capable, or maybe they’re corrupt.”
There are also mentions of shady politicians, some conflict with the police and Cage’s struggle to keep his home safe — which is exactly what I’d want any black superhero in 2016 to be about off the rip. This is the reason I’ve always loved Luke Cage. He’s a hero from the neighborhood, for the neighborhood. When’s the last time you saw Captain America down in Brooklyn on the stoop? Exactly.
The cast + team on the show is amazing.
From what we’ve seen, it’s pretty clear that Mike Colter is the perfect Luke Cage. Then you’ve got the rest of the cast — Simone Missick is Misty Knight (who the fans have been waiting forever to see in live action). Mahershala Ali — the man who brought Remy Danton to life in House of Cards — is in it. Erik LaRay Harvey plays Willis Stryker (which I think is gonna be amazing). The legend Alfre Woodard is in it alongside so many more talented actors.
Cheo Hodari Coker, the man who penned the 2009 Biggie Smalls biopic Notorious, is the showrunner executive producing the series and wrote the first two episodes. Imagine a show that depicts the true black experience in New York on screen juxtaposed with the superhero narrative that Marvel is known so well for. Exactly.
Those things fed to you one at a time on three separate occasions might not get you hype (like they should). But if you were asleep on the upcoming Luke Cage series, it’s time to get woke in a hurry. Luke Cage is going to be a real moment for the culture that is very needed in the life of this character.
The past depictions of Luke Cage have been more than a little problematic. We’ve deserved our creative reparations for a very long time. The newest run of the comic by David F. Walker and Sanford Greene is definitely a form of that (which we all should be supporting). But to also get the live action debut that the character deserves? Sweet Christmas (you know I had to do it).
Cheo, kill em’ on the outro.
#BlackGuyNerds. Y’all ain’t ready for September 30th. No, you ain’t. pic.twitter.com/lVz2Me6fP2
— Cheo Hodari Coker (@cheo_coker) June 17, 2016
Thanks for reading Strictly 4 My Blerds. What are you hoping to see in Luke Cage the most? Let me know in the comments and tag a Facebook friend that needs to read this.
