Marvel's Luke Cage Review: 9 Spoiler-Free Reasons It's Awesome
3. It's Got Real Street Smarts
Much like Jessica Jones, Luke Cage really succeeds in being a superhero show that’s about something, and is so much more than just a guy with powers fighting crime.
Cage isn’t just a superhero, he’s a black superhero, and that’s an important part of the character and the story. The show doesn’t attempt to turn away from the real world issues, but instead utilises them to make its story even stronger. The series is extremely smart, and in this era feels very socially and politically relevant.
Crime bosses, corrupt politicians, police and citizens alike worn down by the system, and kids turning to a life of crime and guns when there’s no apparent alternative for them, all of it is present here. The show, much like the character and comics its inspired by, takes inspiration from the blaxpoitation films of the 70s, but gives it a modern spin.
As Cheo Hodari Coker said at Comic-Con, “the world is ready for a bulletproof black man.” Luke Cage gives us that, and a hero we both deserve and need right now.