Marvel's Luke Cage Review: 9 Spoiler-Free Reasons It's Awesome

Both of the Netflix Marvel shows so far have had very good supporting casts, and Luke Cage continues that trend. Indeed, there's an early argument to be made that it has the best of the entire bunch.

The standout among the supporting players in the first half is undoubtedly Simone Missick's Misty Knight, who really brings her character to life. She has an incredible, explosive chemistry with Mike Colter's Luke Cage, but is a captivating character in her own right too, with an interesting story of her own.

The same can really be said of the other characters. Alfre Woodard is wonderful as the conflicted politician and cousin of Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes, who seemingly wants to do right but can't quite make that shift away from family, bringing a sense of real power and gravitas, but much more layered than just a corrupt politician. Rosario Dawson is once again excellent as Claire Temple; Theo Rossi is a bizarre ball of energy as Shades; and Frankie Faison does a superb job as Harlem's father figure, Pop's. Every character here has their place and story, and the show is all the better for it.