Marvel’s Luke Cage will premiere in its entirety on Netflix on September 30, and fans are going to get a closer look at the character who first appeared on TV in Jessica Jones and in Marvel comics in 1972 in Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1. The show is set in the same continuity as the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is the third Netflix series leading up to the crossover series The Defenders (Daredevil has had two seasons and the next one is Iron Fist.) Mike Coulter stars as the superhero with unbreakable skin, who is now fighting crime in Harlem. Let’s take a look at the cast of characters and the actors playing the roles.
Mike Coulter — Luke Cage
Coulter is playing the main character, who’s tagline, “Sweet Christmas,” was first heard during his stint on Jessica Jones. He was part of an experiment that granted him unbreakable skin. As we learned in the show, Cage was married to Reva Connors, who’s death Jessica was involved in, though he initially believed it to be an accident. He ran a bar called Luke’s in Hell’s Kitchen and became involved with Jessica, bonding over their shared superpowers. After being knocked out by Jessica’s gun, he ended up in the hospital, and then Jessica’s house, though he disappeared. He’s now fighting crime in Harlem in the new series.
Coulter has been seen in shows like The Good Wife, in which he played criminal and dad Lemond Bishop, Ringer, in which he played Malcolm Ward, and of course, Jessica Jones. He also played Big Willie Little in the film Million Dollar Baby. Video game fans will recognize him as the voice of Agent Jameson Locke in the Halo franchise.
Mahershala Ali — Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes
Ali plays villain Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes, the owner of Harlem’s Paradise night club. The place isn’t exactly on the up and up. Showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker has stated that the character is influenced by rapper Biggie Smalls. In the earlier Netflix series, the villain is everyone’s favorite character and it’s likely to be the same here. Ali is known for playing Richard Tyler in the TV series The 4400 and more recently Remy Danton in House of Cards. He played Boggs in The Hunger Games series of films and Moses Washington in Free State of Jones.
Simone Missick — Misty Knight
Misty Knight is a police detective in Harlem who is trying to find out about Luke Cage. Her partner is Rafael Scarfe. She first appeared in comics in 1975 in Marvel Premiere #20. In the comics, she was given a bionic arm by Tony Stark and has powerful martial arts skills. The character has appeared with the X-Men and Iron Fist, with whom she had a relationship. She and her friend Colleen Wing set up a private detective agency. As Iron Fist is the next show in the Netflix lineup, she’s likely to appear there as well. Missick has appeared as Elise in the television film A Taste of Romance and as Porschla in the TV series Ray Donovan.
Alfre Woodard — Mariah Dillard
Dillard is the cousin of Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes and is a local politician trying to change Harlem. In the comics, she’s known as Black Mariah, the leader of a group of criminals called the Rat Pack. She’s recently returned to comics in Power Man and Iron Fist. Woodard has been nominated for an Academy Award, a Grammy Award and 18 times for an Emmy Award. She won four of those, a Golden Globe and three SAG Awards. She appeared in the film Cross Creek as Beatrice “Geechee,” for which she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. She’s appeared in shows like L.A. Law, St. Elsewhere, the television film Mandela where she played Winnie Mandela, Desperate Housewives where she played Betty Applewhite, and she played President Constance Payton in State of Affairs. She won numerous awards for her role in the HBO film Miss Evers’ Boys, and appeared as Grace Cooley in Scrooged, Chantelle in Passion Fish, Carolyn Carmichael in Crooklyn, Marianna in How to Make an American Quilt, Lily Sloane in Star Trek: First Contact, Loretta Sinclair in Down in the Delta, and Miriam Sharpe in Captain America: Civil War.
Theo Rossi — “Shades” Alvarez
“Shades” Alvarez is a smooth criminal who has a connection to Luke’s past. He wears sunglasses in the series and has stated that he watched Charlie Cox’s performance in Daredevil for inspiration. In the comics, he has a visor that can shoot blasts. Rossi recently played Juan Carlos “Juice” Ortiz on the TV series Sons of Anarchy and has appeared as Norris in Veronica Mars, and episodes of NYPD Blue, Lost, Bones, Grey’s Anatomy, Lie to Me and Hawaii Five-0. Along with some of his Sons of Anarchy cast members, he works with the Boot Campaign to raise money for wounded soldiers.
Frank Whaley — Rafael Scarfe
Rafael Scarfe is the police partner and mentor to Misty Knight. In the show, they’re investigating Luke Cage. In the comics, he murdered criminals who got off without punishment. Whaley has appeared in films like Field of Dreams, as Robby Krieger in The Doors, Swimming with Sharks, JFK and as Brett in Pulp Fiction. He’s appeared in TV series like Gotham, The Black List, Ugly Betty, and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Sônia Braga — Soledad Temple
Soledad Temple is the mother of nurse-to-superheroes Claire Temple. Braga has been nominated for three Golden Globes and an Emmy Award. She’s appeared in films like Kiss of the Spider Woman as Leni Lamaison / Marta / Spider Woman and Ruby Archuleta in The Milagro Beanfield War. On the television side, Braga has appeared as Maria Diego Reyes in Sex in the City, Berta Gonzalez in American Family, Emilina Palmero in George Lopez, Elena Derevko in Alias, Lorena Correia in Royal Pains, and Alicia in Warehouse 13.
Rosario Dawson — Claire Temple
Claire Temple first appeared in Daredevil, patching up Matt Murdoch as a night-shift nurse and having a brief relationship with him. Since then, she’s appeared in Jessica Jones, taking care of Luke Cage before he disappears out of Jessica’s apartment. She often puts her job in jeopardy, working with superheroes, but they know to go to her for discrete healing. She often has words of wisdom for them as well. Dawson has appeared as Mimi Marquez in the film Rent, as Lala Bonilla in He Got Game, Valerie Brown in Josie and the Pussycats, Gail in Sin City and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, Rebecca “Becky” Scott in Clerks II, Laura Vasquez in Men in Black II, Abarnathy Ross in Deathproof, and the voice of Wonder Woman in Justice League: Throne of Atlantis and Justice League vs. Teen Titans. Dawson is also a Trekkie, who can speak a little Klingon.
Rob Morgan — Turk Barrett
Turk Barrett first appeared as a human trafficker and arms dealer who is in cahoots with Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) in Daredevil. He appeared in season 2, where Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll) uses his ankle monitor to bring the police to the location of themselves and the other kidnapping victims. Morgan plays Officer Powell in the series Stranger Things and will appear in the upcoming series Godless.
Are you guys excited for Luke Cage? Which characters are you most excited to see? Let us know in the comments and stay tuned to SuperHeroHype for more coverage of the show!
