Marvel's The Defenders left a couple heroes in a tough spot with its finale, but it's fair to say Misty Knight got the toughest draw of all. The whip-smart detective was already going to have a hard time coping with her lost arm during Luke Cage Season 2, and now it looks like her life will get even more complicated. Singer and actress Antonique Smith was announced as the new Season 2 character Detective Nandi Tyler, and the new character description makes her sound like she'll be a real pain in the ass for Misty.
Misty Knight and Antonique Smith's Nandi Tyler have known each other a long time, but their relationship is far from friendly. The two have disliked each other since their days in high school, and things only get worse when Nandi takes over Misty's position at the precinct following the latter's injury. Black Film reported there could be more to Nandi Tyler's character in Luke Cage Season 2 than a fierce rivalry, however, as fans will question whether or not her motives are truly good, or if there's some type of hidden agenda she's working to serve.
One guess is as good as any, since Nandi Tyler will be a character unique to the Marvel Universe, with no established canon in the comic book world. Of course, Marvel has been known to use false character names during the casting process, as to not arouse any suspicion that characters may be more important than they initially seem. There have been no whisperings of that being the case with this Luke Cage casting, though, so this is most likely just a new character meant to add more depth to Misty's story in the new season, while possibly kicking up narrative dust for other characters as well.
Antonique Smith is a solid casting for a detective, as she just recently played one on NBC's Chicago P.D. Smith isn't the most prolific actor to have joined the ranks of Marvel's Luke Cage, to be sure, but she's had a few roles throughout the years that folks may recognize her from. Smith's biggest role to date was as Faith Evans in the Biggie Smalls biopic Notorious, and she's been in other notable works such as Across The Universe, HBO's Bored To Death, and Law & Order.
Antonique Smith will get a chance to wow the world once again as Season 2 of Luke Cage is set to begin streaming on Netflix on Friday, June 22 at 12:01 a.m. PT. For a list of other superhero shows coming in the near future, be sure to visit Cinema Blend's superhero premiere guide. Anyone looking for a more generalized list of television shows coming in 2018 can find all they need at our midseason premiere guide and summer premiere guide.
