Marvel Studios
Editor’s note: With the axe now fallen on the remaining Marvel series on Netflix, Jaylen Christie offers up his thoughts on why Luke Cage mattered in the TV superhero landscape.
Superhero fans and casual viewers of Marvel’s Luke Cage were met with an unanticipated shock when news broke in mid-October regarding the Netflix show’s sudden cancellation. While many people couldn’t have cared less about Iron Fist being unceremoniously axed a week prior, Luke Cage’s untimely cancellation came as a complete and utter surprise. I, for one, was devastated – and no amount of ‘coffee’ is going to help me get over it. Shout-out to fans that caught that joke.
Since its debut in September 2016, Luke Cage offered up a welcome dissimilar take on the superhero genre. Its episodes and solid storytelling oftentimes seemed like a fun and gritty callback to the blaxploitation era of cinema, and its commentary on society today placed a microscopic lens on the problems that are faced by some minorities on a day-to-day basis. The show was successful in taking its original source material – a jive-talking, tiara wearing, super powered hero who first appeared in comic books in 1972 – and turning him into a conflicted savior of sorts in a smart, fun, and intriguing series with fascinating characters and notable plot twists.
It was also a hit with Netflix viewers. According to Business Insider, Luke Cage was one of the top 20 most viewed Netflix shows of 2016 and beat out House of Cards and Marvel’s own Jessica Jones. Still, it got the axe! As Luke would say, ‘Sweet Christmas!’ What gives?
Disney apparently. It has become common knowledge that Disney is launching its own streaming service in 2019 and there has been speculation that both Luke Cage and Iron Fist’s cancellation is the result of that. Some have even said that Disney plans on snatching up the Netflix Marvel shows like they will be doing with the Marvel films that are currently streaming on Netflix.
I’m not one to gossip, but I am one to offer a hypothesis. It’s the nerd in me. Having said that, here’s my theory: In the comics, Luke Cage aka Power Man and Danny Rand aka Iron Fist are best friends. They’ve been paired up numerous times in comics and recently had a revived series, ‘Power Man and Iron Fist’, that wrapped up in 2017. Could Disney be planning on doing a ‘Power Man and Iron Fist’ show? One could only hope. I’d certainly be down for that. In the event that this isn’t the case, I suggest a show centered on the Daughters of the Dragon, a female duo consisting of Misty Knight and Colleen Wing, two amazing kick-ass characters that popped up in both Luke Cage and Iron Fist. The possibilities are endless.
I certainly hope the same can be said about Luke Cage the character. Anyone that knows me knows that I’m a firm believer in representation. Representation matters. Diversity and inclusion matters. The show featured an ethnically diverse cast and also featured cameo appearances from notable hip hop and R&B stars. Additionally, Mike Colter was excellent as Luke, and Alfre Woodard deserves an Emmy for a wonderful turn as the villainous Mariah Dillard (or as Bushmaster would say MariahStokes) in season two.
Now that Netflix has also cancelled Jessica Jones, The Punisher, and Daredevil – and Lord knows I’ll miss Daredevil – I suppose all we can do is wait to see what Disney has in store. Fingers crossed.
Sweet Christmas!
Editor’s note: It’s unlikely that any of the Netflix Marvel series will move to the family-friendly Disney+ service. However, Marvel has entered into a deal with Hulu — in which Disney is now a majority owner with its acquisition of Fox — to produce four new Marvel animated series including Howard the Duck, so all eye are now on Hulu as being the possible new home to the former Netflix series if Disney/Marvel decides to continue. Disney has stated the more adult-skewing content would go to Hulu. Disney can’t make any announcement about the fate of these series until the contract with Netflix expires in 2020.
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