In 2019, it appeared that the era of MCU shows on Netflix was dead. All of the shows were cancelled, with Jessica Jones and The Punisher streaming their respective final seasons, and it was suggested that the special corner of the franchise was destined to be ignored by all the other various developments. Since then, however, things have changed significantly, with titles ranging from Spider-Man: No Way Home to Hawkeye to She-Hulk: Attorney At Law to Daredevil: Born Again bringing back the canonical heroes and villains. So far, we’ve seen the returns of Charlie Cox’s Daredevil, Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin, Wilson Bethel's Bullseye, and Jon Bernthal’s The Punisher, and Krysten Ritter will soon be back as Jessica Jones in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2. But what about Mike Colter as Luke Cage in an upcoming MCU project?
To date, we haven’t gotten any official word about the Evil star coming back to play Marvel’s indestructible hero from Harlem… but recent comments from the actor suggest that his time playing the role may not be finished. Colter was recently a guest on the podcast Shawn Stockman's On That Note, and when he was asked about “possibilities” of reprising his role as Luke Cage, he didn’t shut down the idea, and instead noted that he has recently been talking with people about it. He told the host
Listen, I will say this… I’ve had conversations… and I’ll leave it at that. I’ve had some conversations.
Conversations with who? We have no idea – but it feels fair to assume he’s not referring to chats he has had with his wife about the return of Luke Cage (it would render the above not to be a lie, but it would most certainly qualify as misleading). This could suggest that there is a plan in place for him to come back, or it could mean that he has simply talked with someone at Marvel about his interest level in returning. It’s not yet breath-holding time.
It would certainly be nice to see the return of Mike Colter’s Luke Cage, if not especially because his show’s second season ended with a bit of a cliffhanger – specifically with the titular hero put in the position of taking over the club Harlem Paradise and taking charge of crime in the New York City borough. Fans have been waiting since June 2018 for some kind of continuation.
Mike Colter is personally very aware that the story of Luke Cage has not been fully told. While he has kept busy in the years since the Netflix show ended (starring in the aforementioned series Evil and movies like 2023’s Plane with Gerard Butler), he still has a personal love of Marvel and a desire to bring back his powerful hero. He added during the podcast appearance,
So I love the fans, and I love that world. And so it’s been years now. So now, like, you know, I’m doing other projects, but now I think to myself, I have some unfinished business there.
In regards to where things stand with the Marvel Netflix characters in the MCU, fans can not only anticipate the next season of Daredevil: Born Again with Jessica Jones, but there are also plans for a Punisher special, and the Jon Bernthal character will be part of the ensemble in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. As for Mike Colter’s potential future as Luke Cage, be sure to stay tuned here on CinemaBlend, as you can expect us to report on it as soon as any official news breaks.
