Summary
- Fan criticism of Luke Cage for featuring mostly Black villains is addressed by showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker.
- The main villains in the series were drawn from the comic books that inspired Luke Cage, showing a commitment to staying true to the source material.
- The show should be celebrated for its predominantly Black cast and its depiction of a hero fighting for his city, which can inspire the audience.
Marvel’s Luke Cage received high critical praise during its run on Netflix, but since joining Disney+, and being confirmed as canon within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, fans have now reappraised the series and criticized the show featuring the titular character for fighting mostly Black characters. The criticism has gotten so vocal on social media that it has caused series showrunner, Cheo Hodari Coker, to speak out. A user on X known as @silentpartner80 spoke on the series’ choice of villains and pointed out that Luke Cage (Mike Colter) is usually facing off against Black villains. Seeing the observation, Coker responded to the tweet with a straight-to-the-point answer that can be viewed below:
Luke Cage is based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, and follows the titular former convict who now uses his superhuman strength and unbreakable skin to fight crime and corruption in Harlem as he attempts to rebuild his life. Most of the main villains in the series were people of color, beginning in season one with crime boss Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes (Mahershala Ali) and Diamondback (Erik LaRay Harvey), who is later revealed to be Cage’s half-brother.
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The Luke Cage Series Draws Much of Its Inspiration From Marvel Comics
Release Date September 30, 2016
Studio Netflix
Franchise Marvel
One of the main villains of season two was Cottonmouth’s cousin, Mariah Stokes-Dillard (Alfre Woodard), who ended up at odds with another season two villain, John “Bushmaster” McIver (Mustafa Shakir). What these villains across season one and two have in common is that all of them appeared in some fashion in the comic books that inspired Luke Cage. They weren’t merely made up for the series to simply make Black characters antagonists. By actually drawing on inspiration from the source material, the creators of the show were being true to the comics.
This could very well be a case of looking for something that isn’t really there. Sure, there is an argument to be made that the show could’ve pulled from Luke Cage’s catalog of white villains featured in the comic books, but the series should be celebrated for showcasing a predominantly Black cast and not trying to whitewash the show entirely.
Luke Cage stood out from shows like Daredevil or Jessica Jones because the environment in which the story is taking place allowed for a bit more diversity. Also, at the heart of its story, is a central character who is determined to fight for his city and become the hero that it deserves, something that should be a source of inspiration for the audience.
Luke Cage can currently be streamed on Disney+.
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