Marvel's Luke Cage: 10 Things The Netflix Series Needs To Do To Succeed

Between Wilson Fisk and Kilgrave, the Netflix shows have done an incredible job of crafting villains. They’re often given so much development that they feel like the second lead character of the show. So if Luke Cage wants to work, it’s going to need to not only emulate that method but to also create a completely different villain from those two.

Since Luke Cage doesn’t exactly have a lot of nemeses in the comics, the choices were fairly limited for who he would face. The result is that the big bad for the series will be an updated version of Black Mariah, a physically massive drug dealer and gangster.

Luke Cage is clearly taking some liberties with that and acclaimed actress Alfre Woodard will be taking on the role. Outlined as a politician from Harlem, Mariah Dillard is looking to bring change to her neighbourhood, but finds Luke Cage interfering with her plans. This sounds suspiciously similar to Kingpin’s goals so hopefully Luke Cage can look at this from a more political angle to give its villain a new spin and a compelling dynamic with the hero.