This is another Marvel project that I was surprised at how much I liked it. My knowledge of Luke Cage is limited to some animated shows in recent years and his appearance in Marvel Ultimate Alliance and its sequel. I think he was introduced very effectively in Jessica Jones. He didn’t feel like a mere setup character and actually functioned within the series very well. But this show shocked me because it’s doing what I love to see franchises do: it plays with genre.
At the very beginning of the series you can see the blaxploitation influence on the series which really sets the series apart from the other Defenders shows. There’s even some Western influences as well when you think about setting and function of characters in the show (Harlem’s Paradise- a saloon, Luke Cage- A sheriff, etc.) and then there’s that amazing overlap in the score between blaxploitation and spaghetti Western sounds. Now I will say there are some drawbacks leaning so heavily into this genre as I think that it makes some performances more campy and over the top. Theo Rossi as Shades for example is really chewing scenery and Erik LaRay Harvey as Diamondback (but he actually pulls off what he’s doing very well) or even Simone Missick as Misty Knight. Does that mean these performances are terrible? No, absolutely not. But they kind of break that grounded, gritty nature of the Defenders shows a bit because they lean very heavily into camp. Again, that’s not always bad, but it can be a little distracting or silly at times. The series is filled with great characters. As I said, I’m not familiar with Luke Cage’s side of Marvel, but there is such an interesting blend of comic book characters and original characters (I’m assuming) that makes this show feel like more than just a comic book show. The very premise of Luke Cage is interesting with a lot of themes to unpack and discuss narratively. This was probably not intentional, but there is a little reference to the argument and premise behind Civil War. This was probably aimed more at the conflict between police and vigilantes, but it’s interesting, nevertheless. There are, of course, comic book references and easter eggs like Luke’s first superhero title as Power Man and the tiara he wore originally all of which sort of acknowledge some of the more complicated, difficult or silly aspects of this character and his story. I also really appreciated the plot point from Jessica Jones involving Reva’s flashdrive coming back, if ever so briefly. And while I’m not the biggest fan of Justin Hammer, it is amusing to see some of his weapons and technology pop up in this series.
In the Defenders shows there are more references to the Avengers and the Battle of New York than you can count. But it is kind of odd that there is no reference to the events of the Incredible Hulk in this show. The Hulk did rampage through Harlem during his fight with the Abomination, and I would think that would also be something the community there would have to deal with even 7-8 years later.
Again, I was pleasantly surprised with this series and what it was doing.
Rating: 4/5