Marvel's Luke Cage Review: 9 Spoiler-Free Reasons It's Awesome
With Luke Cage, the Netflix Marvel Universe has another hit on its hands, now going 3-3.
After what's felt like an eternal wait, Luke Cage is finally going to hit Netflix this coming Friday.
The series, the third solo show in the build-up to the Defenders, might have been on our screens sooner had it not been for the huge success of Daredevil Season 1 - a second season became the priority, and Cage was pushed back slightly.
Putting the focus on the man who was a supporting player in Jessica Jones, Luke Cage (played by Mike Colter) shifts the action from Hell's Kitchen to Harlem, and focuses on his life after JJ (just incase there was any confusion about where in the timeline this takes place).
Picking up a few months after we last saw him, Luke is busy sweeping floors at Pop's barber shop and washing dishes at local club Harlem's Paradise, just trying to keep his dead down and his powers (unbreakable skin and super strength) a secret - before eventually being pushed into action.
Netflix and Marvel haven't dropped the ball yet across two seasons of Daredevil and one of Jessica Jones, and the good news is that - after having the chance to watch the first few episodes - they're not about to start with Luke Cage. It's another superb entry into the Netflix Marvel Universe, and here's a spoiler-free look at why you need to be watching.
9. Harlem Is Just As Good As Hell's Kitchen
While the three seasons of the Netflix/Marvel shows we've had so far took place in Hell's Kitchen, which has served as central to the story and is likely the place the Defenders will come together, Luke Cage shifts the setting further north to Harlem.
It's a change that works brilliantly. Much like Daredevil is very connected to his home, and is its protector, Luke Cage has a similar tie to Harlem. It's a bit cliche to say that the location is its own character, but it's absolutely true here - the city has a life of its own, it's a breathing, moving, changing thing.
Cage has a real tie to the people and the people, a connection that helps push the reluctant hero into action. Indeed, it feels like most of these characters are all intrinsically linked to it, and this is the perfect place for this particular story to be told.