Luke Cage - Netflix's Another Marvellous Series

[Amelia Faulkner]

I've finally taken the plunge and got a Netflix subscription, so I've started on Luke Cage. Only two episodes in, but I like it so far!

 

[Droflet]

Amelia, don't forget about Daredevil and Jessica Jones. Great shows.

 

[Amelia Faulkner]

Seen DD. Couldn't get into JJ and abandoned it halfway through.

 

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Luke Cage is now a black celebrity with the city hanging on his shoulders. I am intrigued as where the power play in the Harlem takes Mister Cage as both past and the future comes knocking onto his door ... or trashing into his parlour as it's the norm with the powered people these days. I bet he's again wishing for them to leave him alone. The showrunners has also revealed that the sound track isn't made from the hip-hop tracks as well as they'll be sampling whole black culture. Expect to hear some old school classics.

 

[Connavar]

I saw on my mobile that Netlifx gave me a notice that LC season 2 will start next week. I'm really excited for it. Compared to latest Netflix marvel shows other thanPunisher which was great Cage looked so good in comparison.

Diamonback type villain who is strong,smart to be scary is needed to challenge Cage in S2.

 

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Diamonback type villain who is strong,smart to be scary is needed to challenge Cage in S2.

Already in the season 2. I'm not sure if the DiamondBack will be back, but they've promised an equal villain and that they're going to use him to knock Mister Cage down. I cannot remember now what is his name.

 

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The new villain is called Bushmaster.

 

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[Anthoney]

Starting season 2 now. Planning on a total binge.

 

[Anthoney]

The first episode was not too bad.

Spoiler: S2E1

I'm glad they fixed the Judas bullet problem. What good is a bulletproof superhero if bullets can kill him.

 

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In some ways States never changes. There will always be corner boys, hustlers, shooters and the kingpin's as if the norm, the standard way in the life. All connect by the Money. It enables people from the politicans to pimps. But it doesn't seem to affect ways of our black hero. Man, who criminals fear, women worship, childs idolize and men compare. Maybe it's a blessing that there are not really any real heroes in world, because that business is tough.

Just think about it. DareDevil cannot show his face. Nobody believes Iron Fist is real and everyone else wants a piece from Luke Cage. And him, he is so wishing that the world would have never known he existed. Being a superhero is not easy business. Being a black hero in our world, where viral videos can raise you to godhood or doom you to cutter in 24 hours is especially though. But it makes me glad that he's back on the small screen.

Spoiler: S02E01 - Soul Brother #1

In the comics Luke had to choose to became a hero for a hire. After all, hero's too have to eat. Only the Avengers get spoils from Tony Stark's billions. The rest have to do something for the living. While I cannot recommend Luke to follow Punisher's footsteps I think he should take some spoils from the action he shells on the criminals.

He could easily be a vigilant and nobody would blink their eye. Who would really care as all they would see that his name sells as well as Stark Industries stock or Kardashian's image. We are living in the world where black man can be rich as a king and it's normal. What I don't understand is why the crime runs so high with the black community even though they have everything to make the difference.

Should we blame 50 Cents for making the "Get Rich or Die Trying" so infamous that it has become the rule? Or white man ruthlessness and greed for making our civilisation the way it is today?

Whatever it is, it's good to know that love conquers all and out of all men in Marvel's Netflix series Claire chose the right man even though she could have got any other. For the bulletproof man she was the right choice. A safe bet, but thing is she ain't strong enough to rule over the man like Luke Cage. There should always be standing behind the man.

In Luke's case, he's on his own boss. There ain't nobody who can rule him. He is the Mister Harlem, and the city stands behind him ... even if there are ripples in the pond.

I'm glad they fixed the Judas bullet problem. What good is a bulletproof superhero if bullets can kill him.

Well, they didn't give an explanation why the alien alloy stopped from working. It's true that he didn't got hurt, but there is no real reason why it suddenly would have stopped from working. What surprised me is that Luke survived the pressure wave from the explosion. He didn't even inhale the flames, but he took the shot stupidly in his guts for knowing that there is stuff out there that can hurt him.

I love seeing Bushmaster invulnerable, even more capable of wrecking chaos than the Bulletproof Man #1. Did he too go through the same program?

 

[Anthoney]

Spoiler: S2E1

but there is no real reason why it suddenly would have stopped from working.

They gave a reason. That the second bath and boil left his skin harder than before. This makes sense because a similar thing happened in the comics after he went through the process again.

 

[Connavar]

I'm on ep 3 and I'm loving it so far because I really like how they explore the way superhero fame works, hurts a superhero who doesn't a have a mask, secret identity to protect his private life. He can't work a real job so the famous heroes for hire name is needed not to be poorest hero ever.

I really dig Bushmaster, the most promising villain so far. The actor is perfect for the role,he has such dark,dangerous charisma perfect for the big ego, muscle,brain he has. I always wondered as someone who didn't follow Luke Cage comics what he would do with a villain with similar powers,strength but with much greater fighting ability. Unlike DD you don't need great martial arts when you can slap away people like they are flies, nothing hurts you.

 

[Anthoney]

This was the best use of Danny Rand out of all 3 series and he's only been in one episode so far.

 

[Anthoney]

Ok. I've finished. I have a few issues but they did a better job than Jessica Jones season 2.

Spoiler: Season 2

They did some things well. They talked about the other heroes. They talked about events from Defenders. It was good job of making Luke Cage seem like he's part of this Netflix universe. Jessica Jones ignored (for the most part) the other shows.

Misty's chopped off arm looked good. The robo arm was only so so but they were trying to keep from using CGI.

Bushmaster was a better antagonist than Diamondback. He wasn't just a crazy killing machine. He kill you if you went against him. He had a purpose and a reason

I liked what they did with Danny but think he just seemed to disappear. They should have kept him around more.

I didn't like the tension they built between Claire and Luke. Maybe it's because Rosario Dawson wants to do something else (or so I read) but I wish they had did it a different way.

I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. I had been thinking the daughter would end up with the club (and so did she). A Heroes for Hire ending would have been nice.

 

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I always wondered as someone who didn't follow Luke Cage comics what he would do with a villain with similar powers,strength but with much greater fighting ability. Unlike DD you don't need great martial arts when you can slap away people like they are flies, nothing hurts you.

It's strange that in DD's case, the villains don't seek him to gain status and power. All they want is to finish the job, deal or whatever, while in Luke's case everyone knowns his invulnerable and yet, they act as if they can challenge the man. As if his demise makes them a king of whole world.

I love that Luke Cage isn't a real professional fighter with umpteenth belts, but a man with a power and determination to get through the hard obstacles. To me he's way much cooler than Black Panther. It's a bit strange to think that they are both in the same world, and yet, they have never met. It is almost as if Luke Cage doesn't even register in his radar.

I would have thought that he would have sought out the man at least to say hello. Maybe even to offer him some of his cool things.

 

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Spoiler: Thoughts on episode 2 and 3

Mariah has a bigger problem then getting money for going into the legal business. Maybe the reason why she wants out so much is because she cannot control the business. Everyone walks over her, nobody really listens her wishes and orders. In a way she has lost her face in New York's criminal underworld and she's too stubborn on hanging in the past to be able to move forward.

If the Kingpin wouldn't be staying in the Riker's Island, I think he would have taken over Harlem's Paradise and made it one his side channels. So it's only a right that Bushmaster moves in as he's new blood and powerful enough to take over Mariah's position. No man, not even the Kingpin can challenge him, if he makes to the end in one piece. After all the Kingpin's powers are absolute ruthlessness and his smarts, while Bushmaster is somewhat magically powered.

It freaked me out to see him digging out bullets and then getting healed on some herbs. Who knows if that stuff is making him madder and more brutal. But is also equally interesting that the Black Panther also got powers from a plant. So why is that we don't see more of them, the plant powered people running around?

Funny thing with Misty Knights is that everyone, including herself seems to kicking her where it hurts. And she allows her injury to overwhelm herself. I can imagine that Stick would have said in Colleen Wing's case for her: "To get over yourself. The injury isn't what makes you, woman. You make you."

Her captain told her: "I cannot touch you," after she let Luke Cage walk after beating the Cockroach, "You're protected." But for some reason, smart as she is, Misty cannot hack it. She doesn't need to be a cyborg to be who she is when she has already reached a position where the people don't want to see her going down. Luke Cage included.

Misty's and Colleen's bar fight has been the best action scene so far, while Luke's scene has been same old. Sure it was cool to see him grabbing a grenade but he hasn't really gone town at the same way we saw in the first season.

 

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First of all apologies for taking a time to write a review. In the binge terms I should have written this in the first weekend and not take my time to watch Kings and Queens of Harlem city battling with a black Hercules. Unlike in the first season the city doesn't appear in the play until very, very late episodes, and even then you don't get to see it as most of the action are played in inside stages.

The reason why I call our black hero as black Hercules is because it fits him. Luke isn't a demigod, but taken he cannot be shot, stabbed, slashed, crushed, blown or drown, he is invulnerable to damage that would have rendered a normal person dead. Even super punches doesn't cause him as much trouble as they cause to the anti-hero Bushmaster.

The biggest and baddest villain in the play is the Queen of Harlem, Black Mariah. At the end, she almost as ruthless as the Kingpin as dollar signs flashing in her eyes, people are capped left, right and centre. It is kind of sad to see that Mariah gives her life, her blood and close relatives to be able to live in the lifestyle suited for the super rich. 50 Cents "Get Rich or Die Trying" scheme plays such a huge role that it's almost unbelievable.

Nobody can say or do anything as she wages a war against Luke Cage, the City of New York and the Bushmaster. But she ain't as blessed with smarts like Madame Gao or the Kingpin, because if she would have, I believe that she should have listened the King of Shades as more than often Shades gives her right solution at the right time. Although I have to admit that Bushmaster pushes her into certain action, but for being in the business of New York City's Criminal Underworld for at least since the 1970's, if not at latest 1980's, she has lost awful lot of streets produced wisdom.

Why Mariah cannot be like the other crime bosses and learn from the past instead of understanding the present situation is a big unknown? I, personally thought that Gambino's mafia boss was way cooler then Mariah's attempts on ruling the kingdom of Harlem city. It is only a luck that Luke Cage happens to live there and it is wonder why other Marvel superhero's from Spiderman to Iron Man to the Punisher doesn't ever venture over there?

Maybe the problem for the other powered people is that Harlem is mostly populated by the black people, and generally their lives compared to those who live in the Manhattan doesn't really count. Yet, it is interesting that the Hammer Industries products ended there in large numbers. So large numbers that they even count in this season after all those years Mister Harmmer has been dead. Yet, unlike in the first season they don't generally threaten Luke Cage.

It was a kind of relief to see that there are people out there that can make his life uncomfortable and straining at the darkest time. I don't think that Luke's life is ever going to be blessed with wonderful and flashy things like his counterpart, the Immortal Iron Fist.

I loved that they included as much "Hero-For-Hire" as they could into this season. But as long as Danny Rand has his billions I don't believe that it will ever come to full fruition even though it would suit Danny to lose his money and being forced in the same stage as Murdoch, JJ or Luke Cage.

The one thing that I would have cut out mostly was the music interludes as there was too much of while in the first season the music fit the picture. This second season feels more and less like a middle chapter on much bigger story.

Nevertheless, if I have to I give this season 8/10, while to JJ I would have given a score of 7/10. I wonder what they will do with the DD and the Immortal Iron Fist? I also feel sad that we are not going to see Luke's Dad or Claire the Nurse in the Netflix Marvel series any more. Sugar however is the right man for driving around the Black Hercules around the Kingdom.

 

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“We haven’t made any firm decisions yet,” Netflix’s Vice President of original content Cindy Holland said Sunday during the Television Critics Association press tour (via Deadline). Per the site, the writers room is reportedly developing a third season.

Cage would be the third Marvel and Netflix co-production to win a third season following Daredevil and Jessica Jones. The former is expected to reach the streaming service later this year.

The well-received series holds high ratings on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes — its premiere season earned a 94%, topping the 84% earned by the recently-released sophomore season — and with a second run of crossover series The Defenders not in Marvel’s current plans, fans should expect a third dosage of Cage.

Netflix Boss on Status of ‘Luke Cage’ Season 3