With the rise of superhero media in the early 2000s and the continued craze of the genre, there is a lot of talk on which superhero is the best. From Batman to Captain America, the debate goes on and on. However, an often underrated and underappreciated group of superheroes are Black superheroes. With Black History month being this month, it seemed topical to talk about an amazing black superhero and a riveting tv show, Luke Cage.
One of six Marvel Netflix shows, Luke Cage stands out for its imagery and symbolism, it’s use of music to emphasize a scene, and like all Marvel Netflix shows its fight scenes. Luke Cage follows the life of a black man who was framed for murder and sentenced to prison. Once inside the prison, he is forced to join a fight club. During one of these fights, he is badly injured and it’s up to the prison doctor to save him. The only way the doctor could save him is by trying a new (eventually botched) experiment. It’s through this experiment that he gains his superpower, super strength and more interesting, unbreakable skin. Eventually, breaking out of prison, Luke sets out to live his life like any other man.
However, when secrets from his past start being uncovered, and villains start roaming the streets of Harlem, it’s up to Luke Cage to become the unwitting hero. When it comes to music, no one delivers better than Luke Cage. Music genres like hip hop, jazz, blues, and funk really bring the show to life. These songs also tie into the story as the songs represent specific turmoil inside both the characters and the black experience. The symbolism doesn’t stop there though, Luke Cage continues to impress by using references to real world artists (like Biggie Smalls) in order to embody character experiences and emotion. Luke Cage isn’t all deep connections, though. For many, when people want to watch superhero tv shows they are not looking for deep interconnected stories that seem to miss the important action. Luke Cage isn’t like those stories though, as it manages to balance its deep thought with its awe inspiring fight scenes. Without too many spoilers, Luke Cage has many remarkable fight scenes like the restaurant fight scene, the fight club montage, and, of course, the infamous Marvel Netflix hallway fight scene.
While the Luke Cage tv show is the third Marvel Netflix show to be released, the character gets his debut in Jessica Jones. Luckily, the show can easily be binged without needing to watch the connecting shows. At most, a quick recap of season 1 of Jessica Jones and the knowledge of Claire Temple (a nurse who shows up in almost all the Netflix shows in order to save the bleeding heroes) is enough to prepare someone for starting Luke Cage. With that
said, the sheer quality of the show is good enough to stand on its own and exceed someone’s expectations. Luke Cage is only available on Netflix to the 28th of February and it’s unknown at this time where the project will be next. So, to anyone interested in watching Luke Cage, it is suggested to watch it with posthaste.
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