The Quick History of Luke Cage: Hero for Hire

Only one man in the Marvel Universe has the strength, swagger, and bulletproof skin to withstand the threats thrown at him daily as he defends Harlem, earns his pay, and comes home to a loving and unconventional family- Luke Cage!  Once known as Carl Lucas, Cage emerged from Seagate prison a changed man- Power Man– and Marvel’s heroic landscape was changed forever.

Since his debut in 1972, he’s made the jump from comics to cartoons to television, taking the lead of teams like the Avengers, the Thunderbolts, and the Defenders. Get to know Harlem’s Hero for Hire with our quick and handy guide to the History of Luke Cage!

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In his 1972 origin issue, Luke Cage made his impression on the comics landscape by being a hero who put his newfound powers of super strength and bulletproof skin to use in order to make a little income.  He’s all about helping the little guy, but a hero has to eat too, you know! The first issue of the Hero for Hire series also introduced longtime rivals Diamondback, Shades, and Comanche to the Luke Cage mythos.

Luke Cage debuted in his iconic costume featuring a yellow open-chested shirt, chain belt, silver gauntlets, and a silver “tiara”.  He didn’t utter his signature “Sweet Christmas!” catchphrase until 1975- prior to that, he had used a number of other exclamations, including, “Sweet sister!” and “Mother of–!”.

Two years into the series, Luke’s title officially changed as he took on the heroic alias of Power Man.  He teamed up with other Marvel heroes, most notably his future parter-in-crimefighting, Iron Fist.  Shortly thereafter, the partnership was made official when Marvel changed the comic’s title to Power Man and Iron Fist at issue #50.  The series concluded with the death of Iron Fist in #125, but the partnership has been revived several times over the years.

In 1992, Luke went solo again in his new self-titled series Cage, taking place in a different cultural moment than his original series.  Cover artists Dwayne Turner and Christopher Ivy designed the issue #1 to show Luke tearing up his original costume, signaling a new era for the hero of Harlem.  The first issue was billed as a collector’s item, unleashing the power of “Marvel’s Hottest Action Hero!”

In 2001, Brian Michael Bendis introduced the world to a brand new superhero- the washed-up, alcoholic private investigator named Jessica Jones. Luke Cage featured in Alias #1 in what was supposed to be a quick fling for Jones- until their relationship developed into something more, with a few (baby!) bumps along the way.

Their relationship was given slightly more backstory in a future issue of The Pulse (2004-6), also written by Bendis. Told in flashback to their infant daughter Danielle, this story introduced the first meeting of the two heroes as they fought crime in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. Jones, using the short-lived identity Knightress, met Cage after a bust on the villain The Owl, and the two quickly discovered their chemistry.

As Bendis wrote the New Avengers series, Luke Cage continued to feature prominently on this team of heroes that included Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers), Wolverine, Spider-Man, and more.  The character continued his relationship with Jessica Jones, who became the superhuman consultant at The Daily Bugle.

Cage eventually became the leader of the team, sticking with the team through the Secret War, Civil War, and Secret Invasion events.  In The Pulse #13 from 2006, Jones gave birth to her and Cage’s daughter- named Danielle in honor of their friendship with Danny Rand, the current Iron Fist.  The couple then married in New Avengers Annual #1, which launched later that year.  Danielle was put in danger during the Civil War and Secret Invasion events, but has been an important part of Luke Cage’s life in comics ever since she first appeared.

Continuing to take the lead as a strong and dependable hero, Luke Cage led the Thunderbolts team- a group of reformed villains looking to do some good.  The group included Man-Thing, Juggernaut, and Moonstone.  Cage joined their efforts at the suggestion of Captain America, knowing that the unbreakable hero of Harlem knew the value of being given a second chance.

In 2013, when Sam Wilson took on the mantle of Captain America, Luke joined the Mighty Avengers team alongside White Tiger, Blue Marvel, Monica Rambeau as Spectrum, and She-Hulk.  The team was forced to disband after an evil, morality-warped version of Tony Stark copyrighted the name “Avengers”.

As in the Alias comic series, Luke Cage played a large role in the 2015 debut season of Jessica Jones on Netflix, played by the charismatic Mike Colter opposite a perfectly dour Krysten Ritter as the titular drunk investigator.  Luke Cage then starred in his own self-titled series in 2016, with a second season debuting in summer 2018.

For Luke Cage Seasons 1 and 2, Rosario Dawson returned to her role as Claire Temple, and the show also introduced a live-action cast of Harlem characters including Shades, Comanche, Cottonmouth, and Diamondback, as well as the detective Misty Knight as played by Simone Missick.

In 2017, Marvel announced that their Netflix properties featuring Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Daredevil, and Iron Fist would cross over into a limited 8-episode series called The Defenders.  The first small-screen crossover of all four characters solidified the interconnected nature of the Marvel Netflix Universe, with featuring a whole roster of Marvel characters like Jeri Hogarth, Misty Knight, Colleen Wing, Claire Temple, Patsy Walker, and more.

Apart from the streaming webseries, these characters also teamed up in a 10-issue comic series, also called The Defenders, written by Brian Michael Bendis as one of his final projects as a writer at Marvel.  The characters all have history together, making them a natural team-up;  Jessica Jones and Luke Cage are married, Luke Cage and Iron Fist are on-and-off teammates, Jessica Jones was Matt Murdock’s former bodyguard, Matt Murdock is Jones’s lawyer, and Iron Fist once took over the mantle of Daredevil to protect Murdock.  Got all that?

These Hell’s Kitchen heroes have a fantastic group dynamic, protecting a small subset of Marvel’s New York hub with their street-level abilities and expertise.  Even when they go their separate ways, they remain an important part of Luke Cage’s social circle.

And there you have it!  That was your crash-course on the quick history of Luke Cage, Hero for Hire.

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Sweet Christmas!  The Luke Cage Sixth Scale Figure is now available for pre-order- the Exclusive Edition includes some swap-out swagger with a pair of “LUKE” and “CAGE” brass knuckles.

Don’t miss out on your chance to add the Defender to your lineup of Marvel collectibles, alongside allies like Daredevil and more.