Marvel's Luke Cage Season 2 Review: 4 Ups And 5 Downs

Ups...

4. The Acting Remains Excellent

Luke Cage Season 1 had one of the best casts in the Netflix MCU, and although Mahershala Ali sadly departed halfway through that series, the rest are back for Season 2 along with a few key additions.

The late, great Reg E. Cathey brings a level of gravitas and poignancy to the role of Luke's father, and Gabrielle Dennis is the right mix of charming and vulnerable as Tilda Johnson. Best among the newbies, though, is Mustafa Shakir as John 'Bushmaster' McIver, the season's new villain and one of its most compelling players.

Most of the returning players up there game too, especially Simone Missick and Alfre Woodard. Both were excellent in the first season, but bring even more to their characters this time around; Missick steps up to almost being the co-lead of the show, and there are signs she could carry one herself, and Woodard is ferocious, wounded, and clearly having a quite time being fully unleashed, even if all the story points don't work. Even Finn Jones, whose Danny Rand pops up later in the season, is better served than he's been anywhere else in this universe.