When fans of ‘Luke Cage‘ and ‘Iron First‘ heard that both shows were greenlit on Netflix we were all wondering if the “Heroes for Hire” would be showing up and now it looks like the second season may give us just that. Showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker was recently interviewed and dropped some major possibilities of it coming together in the second season. Obviously, nothing is set in stone with Marvel having the final say and we already have ‘The Defenders‘ crossover to happen first but this should give us all hopes for the series.
When asked what about Luke Cage really drew Coker in to take on the series he states:
“It isn’t just that he’s African-American. I think the thing about Luke Cage that I love is the fact that he’s not just jumping into being a hero. He’s a person first. That was the thing that appealed to me about the comic books. He was “the Hero for Hire.” It’s the fact that he’s like, “Look, maybe I should get paid for this?” Not in a bad way. He’s never like malevolent about it. I always thought that was kind of interesting. It made you think, “Like wait a minute: does Spider-Man have health insurance?” It’s the kind of stuff in the real world context, like what would that be like?
“Now in my mind — we don’t go into Heroes for Hire in Season One of Luke Cage* — Luke Cage Season One is ultimately about the evolution of a hero. I think what’s appealing about Luke is the fact that he’s just somebody who’s just your normal, average guy. He presents himself that way. He’s not pretentious, but then at the same time, feels a responsibility to kind of push forward. And really, the most appealing thing personally is Mike Colter. I mean, mind you, Mike Colter wasn’t cast when I started working on this. Basically, they were trying to find the guy. I got hired and about a month a half [later], they found Mike. Once I saw Mike, I was like, “Good God, this is the best casting since Sean Connery was cast as James Bond.”
You’ll note that “Heroes for Hire” is mentioned a couple times there but not in “Season One.” Coker later elaborated:
“Well, I mean Finn Jones will be in the mix for The Defenders. In terms of Luke Cage, Netflix has to order a second season first. And trust me, I don’t take any of this for granted because I mean there was no more sure thing than Vinyl (ed note: HBO‘s drama was canceled after one season). We’re not treating it as a one-off, and I’m confident people will dig the show, but, trust me, like Season Two, I’ve got a few ideas. But we really won’t get ready until Netflix sees the viewership, and hopefully, the subscriptions that will come from this show, and then they’ll say, “Let’s get into it.””
Honestly, the entire “Heroes for Hire” concept could prove as a jumping point into not only bringing new heroes and villains into the mix but as a solid direction to frame parts of both the ‘Luke Cage’ and ‘Iron First’ series’ around going forward. We could get two acts or simultaneous stories going on with both their personal stories as well as a larger “Heroes for Hire” concept running through each or both seasons.
The possibilities are really exciting as to where Netflix and Marvel could take this series and Coker clearly seems to like the concept.
Now, for those interested in how Coker has written and directed ‘Luke Cage,’ you should appreciate that he is trying to keep the character as realistic as possible for someone who has superhuman strength and whose skin can’t be pierced by minor things like bullets:
“My whole thing is I didn’t want Luke Cage to be a hero who happened to be black. I mean, he’s black the way that I’m black. You know, I wake up black, I go to sleep black. Some people will say, “Oh, I’m a showrunner first and not a black showrunner.” No, [frick] that. (laughs) Like, I’m me. But that doesn’t mean that my experience is so colored by my race that it limits my ability to tell a compelling story that will appeal to everyone. I wanted a show that could be what I call “inclusively black.” And what I mean by that anybody who watches the show could eavesdrop on what it’s like to be part of the Black experience, and all of its nuance and contradictions — and beauty. But at the same time, not feel excluded by that.”
I truly am looking forward to his take on the character. When well written ‘Luke Cage’ has been one of the better superheroes Marvel has put out and the entire Netflix Marvel experience has been a smashing success so far.
Are you looking forward to ‘Luke Cage’ when it premieres later this week? Do you think that bringing in the “Heroes for Hire” is the perfect route to go for the second season? Share your thoughts below True Believers!
‘Luke Cage’ starring Mike Colter, Mahershala Ali, Alfre Woodard, Simone Missick, Theo Rossi, Frank Whaley, and Sônia Braga breaks out on Netflix on September 30, 2016.
Source: Comic Book Movie
Stuart Conover is an author, blogger, and all around geek. When not busy being a father and husband he tries to spend as much time as possible immersed in comic books, science fiction, and horror! Would you like to know more? Follow him on Twitter!
