Countdown to Luke Cage

Mike Colter as a Leading Man

Jessica Jones is a show with a STRONG cast (I mean it had David Tennant as one of the best Marvel villains to date), but Colter stood out. He appeared in a little over half of the episodes of the series and made us care about Luke and his relationship with Jessica as more than a one night stand. This is why it’s high time Colter got his chance to shine. Yes he has previously appeared in shows such as The Good Wife, The Following, and pretty much all of the versions of Law & Order, but this is the first time he is playing the leading man. Having his own show will give him a place to show off his considerable acting ability and endless charm.

Colter is nothing short of physically imposing, but he also has this quiet onscreen presence that makes him seem dangerous. He doesn’t have to say much, as shown in the clip above, but the man gets his point across all the same. In all of the promos we’ve seen so far it’s this mix of tough but tender that makes Luke. Colter plays a man who can literally break a fist with his face, but who also cares about his neighborhood and the people in it.

Most importantly, Luke Cage is the first black superhero to get his own series. That is HUGE. We’ve seen War Machine (Terrence Howard/Don Cheadle) and Falcon (Anthony Mackie) in supporting roles in the MCU and we have to wait until 2018 to see the Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) on the big screen, but right here and now we get to see Luke Cage protecting his city and being a hero. It’s way past time, but it is a start in the right direction.

Next: The First Black Female Superhero