Sweet Christmas! - Luke Cage Appreciation 2022

[dkrook]

Oh, I gotcha! Let me explain what I mean!

First and foremost he has no flaws. He is a perfect father, he's a perfect husband and he's an idol in his community. Actually, according to Defenders 1 2018 he's the most popular hero in all of New York, not just Harlem, all of New York. The people love him so much they were begging him to run for Mayor from back then. In the David Walker series he's very mild mannered in how he deals with criminals. He's literally being gentle with them while he's tossing them around and was even trying to plead his case to a corrupted police officer while they were kicking the crap out of him. Y'know, black people in comics and law enforcement beef is becoming tiring. So he has no edge, no flaws, basic abilities and a boring look. I don't see how anyone would want to spend 4 bucks on a series with a lead like that in a market that offers so many other alternatives.

Back in the day he had flaws. He was cocky, had trust issues because of Willis' betrayal, found it hard to confess love to Claire Temple because of his complicated past and his unresolved trust issues. He struggled to pay rent, had to deal with constant attacks on the Gem Theater because of his profile as a hero, dealt with being overlooked in favor of other heroes hence the name change to Power Man. He was short tempered and would knock someone out and then ask questions if they crossed him wrong. He was actually known to be pretty smart, clever and had good investigation skills. His fight scenes were fun too because his weight often became a liability so he had to be careful. He had to calculate how far he could jump and whether whatever he landed on could support him. Sometimes he ate asphalt, sometimes he was successful. It was interesting though. We see none of these things anymore. He married a woman he barely knew(not counting the one issue retcon in the Pulse) and has slowly become this middle aged Mr. Rogers lol. I'm exaggerating but you get me lol.

The SJW to me is already creeping in. He basically spoke about hating police in Devil Reign Omega despite having a pretty friendly relationship with police even after his wrongful incarceration. His father was a cop, one of his closest friends, Misty Knight, was a cop, Raphael Scarfe as well- and in the first 25 issues of his series he's seen asking the police to call him anytime and doesn't show a lot of disdain for them other than fear of them finding out he's an escape convict. I feel like they're going to turn him into Mayor Eric Adams and that's not a great direction for him. I am open to be proven wrong, but he'll be doing a lot of Mayor stuff as a support character in Thunderbolts so I don't expect much development.

Well if you're looking for flaws, then you're probably going to be over the moon. Eric Adam's is about as flawed as you get as a public servant. Especially if you feel their walking Cage in that direction. Honestly I want to see him defined by a better class of archenemy, not him struggling with his power, or with stereotypical black man stuff...like problems with fatherhood, and with females in relationships. Luke can be a perfect father figure and husband while still having big challenges as a hero.

[LukeCagefan]

Well if you're looking for flaws, then you're probably going to be over the moon. Eric Adam's is about as flawed as you get as a public servant. Especially if you feel their walking Cage in that direction. Honestly I want to see him defined by a better class of archenemy, not him struggling with his power, or with stereotypical black man stuff...like problems with fatherhood, and with females in relationships. Luke can be a perfect father figure and husband while still having big challenges as a hero.

I agree with you. Give me big challenges. I don't mind him being a great father and husband granted my disdain for Jessica Jones, but give him some professional challenges. Eric Adams is flawed but Marvel writers are unlikely to see it. They see him as a political ally so he's a saint until he's not.

To think about it he could really use better enemies.

[Riv86672]

Dudeeeee that's freaking sick! Like Luke would say: I can dig it!!!

^^^Its funny how Miller was unknowingly laying the groundwork for several Netflix series 40 years later!

[Riv86672]

Honestly I want to see him defined by a better class of archenemy … Luke can be a perfect father figure and husband while still having big challenges as a hero.

To think about it he could really use better enemies.

^^^Over the years I’ve advocated Moses Magnum becoming an arch enemy of Luke’s.
I’ve gotten positive responses to the idea but the negative ones have always confused me as they generally consist of ppl saying he’s too powerful for Luke.

To which I’ve always said, that’s the point. Why wouldn't you want your hero to have powerful enemies he has to struggle to defeat?

Fighting uphill battles w. opponents outside your weight class is a big part of what being heroic is.

Moses Magnum can challenge Luke physically, financially, scientifically…
Actually w. Luke now being Mayor of NYC someone like Magnum sniffing around looking to do bad things makes a kind of sense.

[SecretWarrior]

I feel like this would be a flick Luke would star in during the 80s:

[SecretWarrior]

[LukeCagefan]

^^^Over the years I’ve advocated Moses Magnum becoming an arch enemy of Luke’s.
I’ve gotten positive responses to the idea but the negative ones have always confused me as they generally consist of ppl saying he’s too powerful for Luke.

To which I’ve always said, that’s the point. Why wouldn't you want your hero to have powerful enemies he has to struggle to defeat?

Fighting uphill battles w. opponents outside your weight class is a big part of what being heroic is.

Moses Magnum can challenge Luke physically, financially, scientifically…
Actually w. Luke now being Mayor of NYC someone like Magnum sniffing around looking to do bad things makes a kind of sense.

Frank Miller was definitely ahead of his time! In recent years Luke has grown in lower significantly to where he's exchanging blows with Namor in water, effortlessly picking up eighteen wheelers, punching The Thing in the air and jumping out of aircrafts. Back in the day he was fearful of falling off a building. I think Luke could use some powerful villains lol. He's become too strong for guys like Tombstone, Diamondback, and Hardcore. Bushmaster, too. I endorse Moses Magnum. Give Luke a worthy archenemies!

[Agent Z]

A good writer could explain that.

I view it as while he had friends who are cops-he is also seeing and hearing (probably from those friends) the dark side of being a cop. Maybe he was talking about that versus a hatered of all cops (which like you said makes no sense with his Dad, Misty and so on-unless that is for SHOW).

I have a feeling that is for show.

Luke didn't hate cops in the show either. The only cop he had an issue with was Scarfe and only because he was corrupt.

[LukeCagefan]

I feel like this would be a flick Luke would star in during the 80s:

Honestly, I love these films. I recently watched the 1970's Shaft since I had been meaning to do that years when I found out he was an influence on Luke.

[9th.]

If Luke were to get hair again, what hairstyles would you give him?

[SecretWarrior]

[SecretWarrior]

If Luke were to get hair again, what hairstyles would you give him?

Not bald, not dreads, as both are overdone in comics these days.

[dkrook]

If Luke were to get hair again, what hairstyles would you give him?

Not sure, but for Godsake keep him away from the drip that my 17 yrs old and his peers love rocking, lol! Maybe give Luke Cage a Ceasar?

[LukeCagefan]

If Luke were to get hair again, what hairstyles would you give him?

What's wrong with a mini fro? Lol

[Riv86672]

What's wrong with a mini fro? Lol

^^^I’d like it natural, but close to the scalp, no fade.

He went through his fade phase in the nineties. A natural look better reflects his maturity.