Luke Cage is still a ways off from airing on Netflix, but the show’s cast is slowly coming together. The Good Wife’s Mike Colter will reprise his role as the eponymous hero, following his debut later this year in Jessica Jones, and it’s been reported that TV veteran Alfre Woodard will play local politician Minetta. Now there’s word that Sons of Anarchy star Theo Rossi has been added to the main cast as someone Luke may fight.
According to Deadline, Rossi will play Sonny, who is described as “relentless and menacing, smooth and manipulative, street smart and controlling.” However, projects like these often use pseudonyms to disguise a character’s true identity, and the outlet suspects that Rossi will actually be playing Luke Cage adversary “Shades” Alvarez, whose son Victor is the second Power Man in the comics. If Rossi’s character truly is Shades, he would be the fourth comic book villain rumored to appear in Luke Cage, following Cottonmouth, Black Mariah (who Woodard would actually be playing) and Diamondback.
Rossi is most well-known for his tenure on Sons of Anarchy as "Juice" Ortiz, who was the (simple) tech expert of the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, as well as one of the most troublesome member as time went on. The actor’s resume also includes guest spots on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Grey's Anatomy, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Hawaii Five-0. Rossi is the latest Sons of Anarchy star to join a superhero project. Others (both on the main cast and recurring players) include Ron Perlman (who played Hellboy), MichaelChiklis (who played The Thing in Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and also has a role on Gotham coming), Drea de Matteo (who played Karla Faye Gideon in an episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) and C.C.H. Pounder (who voiced Amanda Waller in various animated DC projects.
It was also reported that Rosario Dawson will reprise her role as Claire Temple in Luke Cage (presumably in a guest or recurring capacity), making this her third appearance in the MCU following Daredevil and Jessica Jones. Dawson signed a deal earlier this year that lets her appear in any of Marvel’s Netflix shows (including the miniseries The Defenders), effectively serving as the “bridge” between all these street-level heroes. Her presence in Luke Cage is especially fitting given that she was romantically involved with the bulletproof hero in the comics; since Luke eventually marries Jessica Jones in the comics, though, it’s anyone’s guess who he’ll end up with in this universe when everything is said and done.
No air date has been announced for Luke Cage on Netflix yet, but you can see the character’s first MCU appearance on Jessica Jones later this year.
