Luke Cage Season 2: 32 Easter Eggs & References Explained
2. Nightshade Is Born
The big shocker in the season finale is Mariah's daugher Tilda (Gabrielle Dennis) poisoning her mother to death, though ironically being left out of her mother's will with Harlem's Paradise instead being left to Luke, much to Tilda's dismay.
What's most telling, though, is that while making post-mortem arrangements for her mother, Tilda rejects the Stokes surname, insisting that she be referred to as "Tilda Johnson."
The implication seems clear: combined with her frequent cooking up of Nightshade throughout the season and the power struggle between her and Luke that seems set to explode in season three, Tilda has become her comic book alter-ego once and for all: Nightshade.
1. The Godfather
The final moments of the season show Luke taking over control of Harlem's Paradise while it's left intentionally ambiguous as to whether he'll succumb to the temptations of power.
There are a number of hilariously on-the-nose references to The Godfather here, from D.W. referring to him as "Luke Corleone" and namedropping The Godfather Part II's Hyman Roth (Lee Strasberg), before the famous closing door ending of the original Godfather is homaged with Luke's office door being closed on a concerned Misty.
This is one of those references that plays better the less you know about The Godfather, because if you're a fan of the franchise, it's pretty impossible to take seriously.
What do you make of these Luke Cage season two Easter eggs? Got any more to add? Shout them out in the comments!