The first of Marvel’s Defenders television series – Daredevil – arrives as a Netflix production on April 10th, but audiences are already looking to the shows that will follow (AKA Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist), hoping for a glimpse of the tone that the streaming service plans to strike.
Mike Colter is the man who knows that information, since he has been cast in the role of Luke Cage, and therefore features in the two shows that will follow Daredevil. The actor recently faced the press to promote Halo: Nightfall and was inevitably questioned about his Marvel exploits.
“Marvel actually gives you a special training class in how not to say too much in interviews. We’re in the middle of shooting AKA Jessica Jones and Luke Cage is a very interesting character, who just happens to have super strength and unbreakable skin. He’s a neighbourhood hero, very much linked to New York and Jessica Jones.
“It’s all part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Luke Cage is darker, grittier, more tangible than Iron Man or Thor. He likes to keep things close to his chest, operate on the hush-hush. He has these abilities but he’s not sure how and when to use them. He’s a very nuanced character.”
The character of Luke Cage comes from New York City’s Harlem, and grew up amid gang violence and corruption. While jailed for a crime he did not commit, Cage volunteers to receive experimental cell regeneration treatment. When that experiment goes terribly wrong, he is left with superhuman strength and is impervious to damage. Seeing the potential for profit, he goes to work as a ‘hero for hire’ – something that causes him to cross paths with superhero-turned-private-investigator, Jessica Jones.
There has been much speculation as to the time that will elapse between Marvel series releases on Netflix, with many fans hoping to see AKA Jessica Jones on the streaming service before the end of the year. Now that we have confirmation from co-star Mike Colter that shooting is well underway, that pressure is sure to increase.