I only stuck it out because I said that I would; plus, I watched SOA long after it had already gone off the air.
Like most decent shows, they should have stopped at season 5.
Villains are much more compelling when they aren’t one dimensional monsters who bare little resemblance to the average person.
“The only super freak we like is Rick James”
Great sign in the crowd at Marinda’s speech.
Do I need to watch Jessica Jones first?
Nah. You learn pretty much everything you need to know about his character in the first episode.
It helps to know that this takes place in a post-“Avengers” NYC though because they make a few side references to “the incident” (i.e. alien invasion thwarted by superheroes).
#Who is Luke Cage? How powerful is he?
A Brief Overview: Luke Cage (born Carl Lucas and also called Power Man) is a fictional superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Archie Goodwin and John Romita, Sr., he first appeared in Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1 (June 1972).
Imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, he gains superpowers in the form of unbreakable skin and superhuman strength. The character frequently teams up with fellow superhero Iron Fist, and is married to Jessica Jones, with whom he has a daughter. In 2005, writer Brian Michael Bendis added Luke Cage to the lineup of the New Avengers, and he has appeared in various Avengers titles since.
Thaddeus Howze
#Answerman
But you should watch it… it’s quite good. Slow build, but a satisfying wrap up of the season.
It is on my list I have been very impressed with Daredevil and I am casually aware of Jessica Jones and Luke Cage. Actually I think I have Jessica Jones Graphic novel.
I just heard that JJ sets up the story some, so I was curious if I should watch it order or not. I am on a Community binge right now.
I guess the only real spoiler from watching them out of order is “Luke Cage doesn’t die in Jessica Jones,” but you probably already put that together by now.
ETA: I got a little farther along in the show and there are a couple other minor spoilers mentioned in passing. So don’t watch out of order unless you don’t mind learning the ultimate fate of a certain antagonist.
##As much as they are sold as separate acts, the Netflix series of MCU products are far more interrelated than people realize.
Daredevil (S1) - Introduces the Netflix series of MCU properties, strong in fighting, deft story. Feels good cause it feels new. Introduces Claire as the Night Nurse. Wilson Fisk is the primary antagonist. Stick is grouchy. Introduces Karen Page and Foggy Nelson. Cameo by Matt Murdocks father.
Jessica Jones (S1), Introduces Jessica Jones, failed superhero, suffers from PTSD, has to deal with the menace of the Purple Man (a villain with nigh-irresistible mind control powers), played well by Doctor Who’s David Tennant. Introduces Luke Cage as love interest, also meet drug-using super-soldier wanna-be Nuke. Patsy Walker (Hellcat) makes her debut in the MCU.
Daredevil (S2) Stick returns and introduces the threat of the Hand, more Fisk behind bars, Frank Castle shoots up Hell’s Kitchen as the Punisher. More Night Nurse. Lots of weird things happen. More Punisher.
Luke Cage (S1) Reprises role from the Jessica Jones series but Jones does not make a cameo. Cage has made a new home in Harlem and is keeping a low profile. Series introduces MCU versions of Cottonmouth, Mariah Dillard, Diamondback and Shades who all appear in the first Luke Cage: Hero for Hire series. A panoply of extras are also involved. HammerTech is mentioned and seen in action. Mysterious Judas bullets capable of killing the bulletproof heroes appear. Expect to see both in later defenders properties. Introduces Misty Knight.
Iron Fist - which will introduce Daniel Rand, the master of an enigmatic power, called the Iron Fist. Don’t know how Fist will get to K’un Lun but once he is there, he will be trained in martial arts, acquire the Iron Fist and return to America to fight crime. At some point in his career he and Luke Cage become allies and friends. In the comics, he and Misty Knight are an item.
The Defenders will be a serialized event featuring the combined efforts of Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and Daredevil. Since each series has left some dangling elements of super-soldier technology in them, I suspect we will see something related to those dangling threads in this combined series. Some of the weird magic from the second Daredevil series (including a martial artist named Steel Wind) will likely make an appearance to keep Iron Fist on his toes. I think the Punisher is also on the cast list…
If you were ever curious about the timeline order to watch all of the MCU movies, series and events, here is a recent inforgraphic. I had more links for you but as a new user, I can only put two in a document.
Thaddeus Howze
The Answer-Man
Welcome to BoingBoing!
And…
Let me echo @Nightflyer here!!! Welcome to BB and…
Also, going to start Luke Cage this evening. I can’t wait to see it.
Let me know what you think when you get around to it. It’s been my favorite of the MCU so far, honestly. But I still haven’t watched DD, though.
Well I like the first 3 shows… gonna have to download the rest.
Daredevil I have only see the first show and it didn’t grab me as much as this one did maybe I should give it another try.
I’ve heard it’s excellent (DD). Maybe I’ll get around to it eventually.
I’m also really behind on the MCU in general.
I find the musical cues on Luke Cage to be exceptional. Really, really good work going on there.
And I’m enjoying the show- I’m on the 8th episode right now, and I’ve no intention of stopping. I liked Jessica Jones a lot, but I passed after a few episodes of Dare Devil.
For whatever that’s worth.
I was wondering about watching DD because I was recently wondering what Charlie Cox had been up to after Stardust, and I find he’s the guy playing Matt Murdoch.
Here’s my take as a watcher of most Marvel movies - who is maybe a little tired of the genre. I’m conversant in the primary heros as well as most secondary heros and supporting cast.
DD(S1) - Good fun. Watched it all over several days. I was never into the DD comic, but I had forced myself to sit through Ben Affleck’s “movie adaptation” So this came with baggage, but I still enjoyed it.
JJ - I liked JJ very much. Marathoned over a weekend. I felt casting was well done and script was generally good. I’d heard of the comic, but had never read it.
DD(S2) - I think I’m on the third episode. The Punisher is one of my least favorite Anti-heros, so I’ve had trouble getting the ball rolling.
LC - I’ve been forcing myself to pace it some, but I will finish the last episode tonight. Besides some nitpics upthread, I’ve found this to be really good. Had I not seen Luke in Jessica Jones, probably would not have bothered. I know the comic, but never sought it out.
in addition to the greater MCU …
Agents of Shield is great background noise. I watch it when the seasons roll over onto NF. It’s fun to play “Guess which Marvel Movie” was obviously in the theater when they were aired.
Agent Carter (S1) - was good. I never got to S2 as I have no idea what streaming service has it right now.
Best thing about Daredevil is that they developed Wilson Fisk/Kingpin into a great compelling character (played by Vincent D’Onofrio). Matt Murdock/Daredevil makes for an interesting counterpoint to Luke Cage’s powers because he frequently gets the shit beat out of him in big nasty brawls that leave him bloodied and broken.
I found each of the season finales kind of disappointing (especially a certain subplot involving Ninjas) but enjoyed the show overall.
It’s too bad. I thought he was really damn good as Dunn Purnsley in Boardwalk Empire.
###My lightly-spoiled review of Marvel’s Luke Cage series which was published on Polygon.com.
An excerpt: I started reading comics in 1972, the year Luke Cage, Hero for Hire came into existence. I am a black man who’s watched media all my life waiting for a black hero who could represent me. Was it asking too much to have a hero I didn’t have to be ashamed of because he didn’t speak the Queen’s English; a hero unburdened with negative stereotypes?
Someone who wasn’t crippled by the very event which gave him his superhuman abilities. A character who wasn’t a pimp, pusher, or gang-banger with questionable moral qualities; a hero who wasn’t just an oversized sexual appetite with a fetish for the largest firearms imaginable. A hero not inclined to use the N-Word every fifteen seconds. According to the roles presented to black actors over ten decades, the answer is unfortunately, yes.
I’ve waited forty-six years for a television series to make me feel like Marvel’s Luke Cage did…
