2016 marks Marvel’s second year of original programming on Netflix. Just like in 2015, there are two shows officially scheduled to air: Daredevil and Luke Cage. While Daredevil’s second season was officially announced for March 18 several weeks ago, we’ve been in the dark about when the first batch of Luke Cage episodes will be released. Fortunately, it looks like Marvel has provided their first clue hinting at Luke Cage Season 1 debuting in November.
The Jessica Jones Twitter page posted this image earlier today of some folders in the Alias Investigations office. If you look closely, one of the them is labeled “Luke Cage - November.” Now, given that Luke made his first MCU appearance in Jessica Jones this past November, this could just be referring to their first meeting. However, it’s more likely this is Marvel teasing that Luke Cage will arrive in November, which makes sense. Not only is it already confirmed that the series will debut this year, but it’s been filming since last September, so everything should be ready to go by this November. Just like Jessica Jones, it’ll make a great post-Halloween, pre-Thanksgiving binge-ready treat.
Although Luke Cage was one of Jessica Jones’ main characters, we didn’t learn much about him aside from how he tragically lost his wife. The majority of his role was (understandably) dedicated to his relationship with Jessica and aiding in stopping Kilgrave…well, when he wasn’t being mind-controlled anyway. So now that he’ll be in the spotlight, viewers will finally delve deeper into his life and find out what makes him tick. If we’re lucky, we may even seem him wear his yellow t-shirt from the comics, along with other sweet tie-ins. Fingers crossed!
Spinning out of where we left him in Jessica Jones, Luke Cage will follow Luke as he rebuilds his life in Harlem. We’ll also learn how he got his super strength and indestructible skin from a “sabotaged experiment.” The show’s other players include sketchy nightclub owner Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes, local politician Mariah Dillard, detective Misty Knight and her partner Rafael Scarfe, and “street-smart” criminal Shades, who has ties to Luke’s past. Rosario Dawson will also reprise her role as Claire Temple, last seen helping Luke recover in the Jessica Jones Season 1 finale. Meanwhile, it’s unclear whether Krysten Ritter will reprise Jessica in a manner similar to how he appeared on her show, though since Jessica Jones was recently renewed for Season 2, Marvel may want to keep her firmly rooted in her own exploits before The Defenders miniseries is released.
We’ll keep you apprised of more concrete developments regarding Luke Cage’s premiere date, but for now, you can probably look forward to him punching bad guys and stopping bullets later this year.
