Marvel's Luke Cage: 25 WTF Moments From Season 1

With Luke Cage, Marvel and Netflix have managed to strike gold yet again. The series, the third in the build-up to The Defenders, had the benefit of some rave reviews going in, but easily managed to live up to the hype.

Is it their best yet? I'd say no, with some pacing issues, the plot being stretched a bit too thinly, and one major character not really working too well, but it will ultimately come down to personal preference - it's definitely in the same ballpark as Daredevil and Jessica Jones.

Featuring a string of wonderful performances, led by title star Mike Colter and relative newcomer Simone Missick (as Misty Knight), the series goes beyond simple superhero stories to take a deep dive into black culture and examines the serious real world issues through the lens of a bulletproof black man.

There were some truly standout moments big and small, such as a fight scene set to Wu Tang Clan's Bring Da Ruckus and important character scenes between the likes of Luke and Claire Temple, but also some very WTF ones as well. Those that were funny, weird, shocking, or felt out-of-place - and left you saying "Sweet Christmas!" (Oh, and spoilers, of course.)

Picking up a few months after Luke Cage's appearance in Jessica Jones, there are a few references to his time there dropped throughout the show - mostly concerning Claire Temple, while there's also a nice voice cameo from Trish.

However, the first callback comes right in the first episode, and it's not all that complimentary towards Jessica - as Pop's refers to her as Luke's "rebound chick." I thought they had something special.