Luke Cage second season gets 2 new heroes

Comic Book Resource just announced that Luke Cage has two new cast members, who will ultimately becoming The Bushmaster and Nighthawk.

Listen up Marvel fans: the Universe just got a little bigger. CBR.com revealed that Gabrielle Dennis and Mustafa Shakir will be joining the cast for season two. Dennis will be playing Tilda Johnson. Producer Jeph Loeb describes the character as “a brilliant, holistic doctor with a complicated history in Harlem where, as much as she tries to stay far from trouble, it seems to always find her.”

Mustafa Shakir is known for his work in The Deuce and The Night Of. Shakir has a no-nonsense hardness that makes sense for the role. He’ll be playing John McIver, an alpha male who eventually turns into the crime boss Bushmaster. In their press release, Marvel and Netflix describe McIver as “a natural leader, brimming with charisma, whose mission is focused on Harlem and vengeance.”

These two characters are really exciting additions to Luke Cage because we are acquiring a complex villain and an even more complex female superhero. And one of color, at that.

Tilda Johnson is a smart, strong and adaptable woman who uses her scientific knowledge to become Nighthawk (also known as Nightshade or Deadly Nightshade in some comic appearances). She’s a leading lady with depth and structure, comparable to many male superheroes who have come before her.

Dennis is best known for her role on Rosewood, on which she’s a witty toxicology expert. So it makes sense that she’d become Nighthawk.

Next: Stranger Things now has a cute Demogorgon plushie (and more) from Funko

Dennis and Shakir join return cast members, including Mike Colter, Simone Missick, Rosario Dawson, and more. Our next encounter with Luke Cage will be in the new Defenders series, which will be available to stream August 18th.

We’ll have to wait until 2018 to meet the new crew on Luke Cage, which is when the series is due to return with 13 episodes available on Netflix.