First, Marvel stunned us all with the highly enjoyable and singular "Daredevil." The show's success initially caught audiences off guard. It wasn't just that the character had flamed out in spectacular fashion when Ben Affleck brought him to the big screen in 2002; it was also the fact that, tonally, he was completely different from everything else in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Viewers didn't really know what to expect but the Netflix series delivered in full. Then, "Jessica Jones" followed it up by giving fans one of the more complex and realistic heroes, male or female, in the MCU along with a spectacular villain in David Tennant's. Next, can Marvel do it one more time with "Luke Cage?"
The character, played by Mike Colter ("The Good Wife"), was introduced in "Jessica Jones" and is about to receive his own 13-episode spinoff series. To give fans a little taste of what's to come, Colter revealed that "Luke Cage" will begin at a low point for the character.
"'Luke Cage' is going to find Luke right after 'Jessica Jones,' Colter said. "He's uptown and basically licking his wounds, I would say. You're going to know exactly what I say when I say that. He's trying to figure out what is his next step and it's hard because he doesn't know where to go from here. He's lost a lot and he's basically in a state of turmoil."
Marvel took a calculated risk by keeping Luke Cage in the "Jessica Jones" series. While integral to the original comic storyline that inspired the TV series (Marvel's "Alias"), there was no guarantee that audiences would want to see an entire show dedicated to this supporting character. But Colter quickly became a fan-favorite and now views his role in "Jessica Jones" as a launching pad that will imrpove the quality of "Luke Cage."
"It's been a nice benefit," he said of his character's dual Netflix appearances. "It's nice to walk into something having a little head start and getting to warm up and stretch it out a bit. I think it helps. Because 'Jessica Jones' is so unique as a series, I'm so happy to be a part of it because 'Luke Cage' is completely different, as 'Daredevil' was completely different. It's nice to be a part of something that is unique and then to try and create something else that is unique so I'm just happy to be a part of this production. It's been a joy, quite honestly, there was not much of a break between the two series so I hit the ground running."
Marvel's "Daredevil" and "Jessica Jones" are available for streaming right now on Netflix. "Luke Cage" is expected to debut sometime in spring of 2016.
