When a sabotaged experiment gives him super strength and unbreakable skin, Luke Cage becomes a fugitive attempting to rebuild his life in Harlem and must confront his past and fight a battle... Read allWhen a sabotaged experiment gives him super strength and unbreakable skin, Luke Cage becomes a fugitive attempting to rebuild his life in Harlem and must confront his past and fight a battle for the heart of his city.When a sabotaged experiment gives him super strength and unbreakable skin, Luke Cage becomes a fugitive attempting to rebuild his life in Harlem and must confront his past and fight a battle for the heart of his city.
- Won 1 Primetime Emmy
- 6 wins & 23 nominations total
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Summary
Reviewers say 'Luke Cage' is lauded for Mike Colter's compelling performance and its insightful examination of racial tensions and community dynamics. The Harlem setting and fusion of superhero action with social commentary are celebrated. However, critiques point to pacing problems, narrative inconsistencies, and uneven writing. Some find Luke Cage's character underdeveloped and the villains less engaging. Opinions on the show's treatment of gender and racial themes are mixed, adding complexity to its reception.
Featured reviews
Luke Cage, although not in the top three of marvel-Netflix shows is still really good. I think that it has the best presentation and aesthetic but lacks somewhat in execution. The latter half of season one takes a dive in quality and the final seconds of the show ruins the character of Luke Cage in my opinion. But I still think it had the potential to be so much better. If Disney gave this show another shot with the same people but maybe gave some course correction along the way with the other people from the marvel-Netflix shows it could be a really good stylish show.
Luke Cage (Mike Colter) received superpowers when he was experimented on in a private prison. He has super strength and impenetrable skin. He returns to his Harlem neighborhood to fight local crime lord Cottonmouth (Mahershala Ali) and other villains. Misty Knight (Simone Missick) is a police detective fighting for justice.
I really like Mike Colter and I really like the character of Luke Cage. The show does struggle to maintain story flow over the full 13 episode seasons. Nevertheless, it delivers quite a good punch in the Netflix Marvel Universal. Colter is able to maintain narrative drive all by himself. He is a compelling character and I hope he stays in the Marvel universe despite the cancellation due to the pending Netflix Marvel streaming war.
I really like Mike Colter and I really like the character of Luke Cage. The show does struggle to maintain story flow over the full 13 episode seasons. Nevertheless, it delivers quite a good punch in the Netflix Marvel Universal. Colter is able to maintain narrative drive all by himself. He is a compelling character and I hope he stays in the Marvel universe despite the cancellation due to the pending Netflix Marvel streaming war.
I enjoyed 'Luke Cage' like all Netflix-Marvel TV shows and gave it a 7/10. The acting, especially Mike Colter's portrayal of Luke Cage, was solid, bringing the character to life. The music and overall atmosphere of Harlem were standout elements, enhancing the series' unique identity. Casting choices were well-suited, and the cinematography captured the gritty urban setting effectively. The directing maintained a consistent tone throughout. However, the writing occasionally suffered from pacing issues and narrative detours, affecting the overall flow. Its strength lies in its exploration of themes like community and power, but it could have benefited from tighter storytelling. 'Luke Cage' is a worthy addition to the Netflix-Marvel lineup, offering a distinctive take on the superhero genre.
While this is definitely Luke Cage's show, this isn't the first time we've seen him. Being an integral part of Jessica Jones season 1, this is the continuation of that character and while it doesn't exactly goes the same heights as Jessica Jones or Daredevil, it's a damn good time
Season 1; Fresh off the action packed season of Daredevil season 2, I seen this was where our Netflix MCU story continues, further establishing The Defenders roster. Really glad they explained Luke Cages powers in this season( machine used to heal faster malfunctioned while Cage was in it) Taking place sometime after Jessica Jones Season 1's ending, we see Luke Cage ditch Hells Kitchen for Harlem Which sets the backdrop for the many characters we meet. First we have Cottonmouth; a ruthless nightclub owner who gets a visit from Shades, an associate of Cottonmouths employer Diamondback. Now, before I start talking about the characters, let me first off and say how great some of these scenes in this very first episode was. That entire scene of Cottonmouth giving his "everybody want to be the king" monologue was *chefs kiss*. Anyways, I think Ali did a great performance, and sadly was cut too short midway through the season. Meanwhile we have another character named Detective Misty who becomes a integral part to the entire Defenders roster. And of course, the return of Claire... visiting her mother in Harlem, with a calling to help people with abilities. 2 more characters, Mariah and Shades, are also prominent in this, with becoming some of the best written villains in the show. And finally; Striker/Diamondback. Oh and he happens to be Cages half brother! S**t just got real. The ending fight between Luke and Styker was fun, but corny at the same time, A good season, although some stuff was corny, especially Diamondback, and there was a lot of uneventful episodes, but other than that, a great season.
Season 2: Now, this season is set after The Defender miniseries, so we see Cage becoming more of a celebrity, but he's also forced to deal with not only the partnership between Mariah and Shades, but he also has a newcomer in Harlem. Bushmaster proved to be a pretty convincing villain, with his goal to wipe out Mariah and take what what rightfully was his. While I don't think any of the characters quite matched Cottonmouth's, I think this season fleshed out and made both Shades, Mariah, and Bushmaster a trio of villains that each had their own goals and demons to figure out. Now, the ending was pretty interesting, and would like to see that more in the future, perhaps is a future Luke Cage show???
In all, this 2 season show was pretty cool. It gave this universe a vibe I think it may have been missing, and to see street crime being dealt with with such a charming guy as Luke Cage, you can't complain. Definitely recommended.
Season 1; Fresh off the action packed season of Daredevil season 2, I seen this was where our Netflix MCU story continues, further establishing The Defenders roster. Really glad they explained Luke Cages powers in this season( machine used to heal faster malfunctioned while Cage was in it) Taking place sometime after Jessica Jones Season 1's ending, we see Luke Cage ditch Hells Kitchen for Harlem Which sets the backdrop for the many characters we meet. First we have Cottonmouth; a ruthless nightclub owner who gets a visit from Shades, an associate of Cottonmouths employer Diamondback. Now, before I start talking about the characters, let me first off and say how great some of these scenes in this very first episode was. That entire scene of Cottonmouth giving his "everybody want to be the king" monologue was *chefs kiss*. Anyways, I think Ali did a great performance, and sadly was cut too short midway through the season. Meanwhile we have another character named Detective Misty who becomes a integral part to the entire Defenders roster. And of course, the return of Claire... visiting her mother in Harlem, with a calling to help people with abilities. 2 more characters, Mariah and Shades, are also prominent in this, with becoming some of the best written villains in the show. And finally; Striker/Diamondback. Oh and he happens to be Cages half brother! S**t just got real. The ending fight between Luke and Styker was fun, but corny at the same time, A good season, although some stuff was corny, especially Diamondback, and there was a lot of uneventful episodes, but other than that, a great season.
Season 2: Now, this season is set after The Defender miniseries, so we see Cage becoming more of a celebrity, but he's also forced to deal with not only the partnership between Mariah and Shades, but he also has a newcomer in Harlem. Bushmaster proved to be a pretty convincing villain, with his goal to wipe out Mariah and take what what rightfully was his. While I don't think any of the characters quite matched Cottonmouth's, I think this season fleshed out and made both Shades, Mariah, and Bushmaster a trio of villains that each had their own goals and demons to figure out. Now, the ending was pretty interesting, and would like to see that more in the future, perhaps is a future Luke Cage show???
In all, this 2 season show was pretty cool. It gave this universe a vibe I think it may have been missing, and to see street crime being dealt with with such a charming guy as Luke Cage, you can't complain. Definitely recommended.
As a huge fan of Marvel I'm a little biased because I pretty much like everything they put out. My bias aside, Luke Cage is terrific. If you don't believe me just read through the reviews here and look at the ratings. Even the critics loved this show. It's about a fugitive who gets super strength after an experiment goes wrong. He moves back home to Harlem to try to rebuild his life and make his home a safe place from all the terrible people try to take over. Now that it's on Disney plus maybe they can bring him back. They've already started to bring back others and recently renewed Daredevil so there's still hope. Even if they don't bring him back for his own show again, at least bring him back into the MCU through another show like the Daredevil revival. If you're a Marvel fan then this is a must watch.
Did you know
- TriviaThe "Swear Jar" in Pop's Barbershop was actually included in the show for Prince. Writer and executive producer Cheo Hodari Coker was going to show Prince the first two episodes of the show and had hoped to convince Prince perform at Harlem's Paradise nightclub in the finale of Season 1. However, Prince's untimely death in 2016 quickly dashed those hopes.
- GoofsBehind the desk in Cottonmouth's office is a very fancy type of flat panel TV that actually mechanically extends from the wall and flips the screen so that one side is a TV monitor while the other is a painting or some other form of art. In some scenes throughout the first 6 episodes or so, there is a small black reading lamp that appears only when the "art-side" is facing out, almost as if the set dressers forgot there was a TV on the other side and that the lamp would have been knocked over if anyone ever turned on the TV.
- Crazy creditsThe first season has its episode titles named after a Gang Starr song.
The second season has its episode titles named after a Pete Rock-C.L. Smooth song.
- SoundtracksBulletproof Love
Performed by Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad feat. Method Man
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- Marvel's Luke Cage
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- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime55 minutes
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- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1
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