The Marvel Cinematic Universe seems to be constantly expanding. Not only do we now getting two huge blockbuster features every year featuring the likes of Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America, Marvel has also expanded to the small screen with the television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and creates a new short film, called a "One Shot," for each Blu-ray/DVD release. As more and more material from the comic book world comes out, we learn about all kinds of new settings, characters and stories, all of which is potential ground work for future films and TV shows. Knowing this, it's not a huge surprise that the upcoming Marvel One Shot All Hail The King contains a tiny little reference to another one of the studio's in-development characters: Luke Cage.
We brought you the rundown on the new short film yesterday when Entertainment Weekly released a special preview of the piece alongside an interview with writer/director Drew Pearce, but there's one detail in particular that's worth circling. In the movie, a documentary filmmaker (played by Scoot McNairy) to visit Trevor Slattery - Iron Man 3's druggie actor/fake Mandarin played by Sir Ben Kingsley - in prison and get his side of the story in regard to what happened with the whole situation between Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce). There's been talk that what develops from the plot of the short could eventually lead into something as big as Iron Man 4, but for right now let's focus on the fact that the entire thing takes place within the walls of Seagate Prison.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the comics, Seagate Prison is a maximum security facility that has actually earned the nickname Little Alcatraz. In addition to holding some of the universe's most dangerous criminals, the location is best known for being where an innocent man named Carl Lucas was incarcerated for a crime he didn't commit. While serving his term he agrees to undergo a series a medical experiments, and the results turned Lucas into the superhero known as Luke Cage. The character possesses some extreme powers, including superhuman strength, unbreakable skin, and an enhanced healing factor.
The reason why this little Easter Egg is worth paying attention to is because Marvel has already announced that they have some pretty big plans for Luke Cage. Back in November, the studio announced that they were setting up a string of new television shows that would be airing exclusively on Netflix, and in addition to characters like Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, and Daredevil, Luke Cage will also be getting his own series. Details are extremely slim at this point and we don't even know if the origin story is going to be a part of the hero's introduction, but establishing Seagate in the Marvel Cinematic Universe suggests that it very well could be.
You'll be able to see All Hail The King for yourself when the Blu-ray/DVD for Thor: The Dark World is released on February 25th.
