Season two of
Luke Cage ended on a somewhat unsatisfying note after the titular hero decided that the only way to protect Harlem was to become a crime lord, something comic book fans were greatly disappointed by. Now, though, showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker has offered some closure on the cancelled series by shedding some light on where things would have gone next for Power Man.
"It was crazy because we were hitting all these things that are happening in the press right now," he teases. "I can't on the record talk about what we had planned because, contractually, you know, I still don't want any Marvel assassins coming out of the woodwork to try to take me out. [Laughs] But what I can say is that we had a very good season planned, and it was one that I think would have brought Luke Cage as a character full circle."
Coker also went on to address how Luke's story ended, and while he clearly had to choose his words carefully, the executive producer pointed to that not being the Hero for Hire's permanent status quo.
"You see people online that were like, ‘Oh my god, I turned Luke into a gangster.’ They wouldn't be [saying that] if they had the opportunity to see all three seasons and see the directions Luke would have gone," Coker confirms. "I was always a Luke Cage fan, but I was probably, ultimately, a Chris Claremont, Frank Miller, Wolverine, X-Men Golden Era comic book fan, you know?"
"And it wasn't until Brian Michael Bendis rebooted Luke Cage within Jessica Jones - that [I felt liberated to] approach established characters within the Luke Cage universe from a different perspective."
It definitely would have been fun to see where Luke Cage went next, but all of these Marvel TV shows on Netflix ended abruptly, and that's left a lot of loose ends for fans to come to terms with. Rumours continue to swirl that Kevin Feige will one day reboot all of these characters, but their fate remains a mystery for the time being, and that's understandably disappointing for a variety of reasons.
To take a look at Luke Cage season 2's best Easter Eggs,
references, and cameos, hit the "Next" button below!
"Where's My Money, Honey?"
This is a pretty hardcore reference which comes in the sixth episode when Luke is attempting to rescue Piranha from Bushmaster's men. When the businessman/gangster points out that Luke is a "hero for hire," Power Man is quick to respond with, "Then where's my money, honey?" This line was pulled straight from Luke Cage: Hero for Hire #9 when Luke was hired by none other than Doctor Doom.