The cancellation of the Netflix Marvel shows is something that still stings for me because many, if not all of them, had more stories to tell. Losing the likes of Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, The Punisher, and Iron Fist, pretty much back to back, was a tough blow and it was an even tougher blow for Luke Cage star, Mike Colter. The actor recently sat down with “Collider” and he believes that he didn’t get proper closure for the character when Netflix prematurely canceled it.
Colter was discussing his role on the supernatural Paramount+ series Evil, which is entering its second season, and talk soon turned to Luke Cage. Colter played the character for two seasons of his main series and also on The Defenders limited series and the series finale of Jessica Jones. Colter was asked if that finale appearance was enough closure for the character and he certainly didn’t think so:
“To be honest, no it didn’t give me a chance to have any closure. There were so many places we could have taken it. There’s obviously the Alias series where Jessica and Luke had a child and had this adult life they were trying to live, and there’s this moment where they are working out their blue-collar, making ends meet life together, which is very interesting. There’s the journey that Luke had in his own series with Harlem’s Paradise, where he’s taken over the club and is he gonna be a bad guy or a guy that is on the other side of the law, and who’s gonna stop him.”
Colter may feel like he didn’t any closure, but he also addressed not being too bitter about Netflix ending Luke Cage. When asked if saying goodbye was bittersweet, Colter said “Yeah, of course. I think so. The positive thing about something like that is you’ll always have a fond memory of something that didn’t stay too long. It’s like a relationship or anything else that never reached its peak or its descent. You don’t have any negative memories of it because it will live in this place of perfection, or some sense of promise, at all times in our life. It’s a fond, romanticized notion of what could have been.”
Luke Cage focused on the Harlem-based-hero-for-hire played by Colter, who had previously been introduced on the first season of Jessica Jones. The character is a super-strong bulletproof hero that protects the people of Harlem and he originated in the comics back in the 1970s. Luke Cage was heavily influenced by the blaxploitation movies of the era which often focused on issues of racism and corruption. The series dealt with similar issues but it took place in a contemporary setting. I definitely believe Luke Cage had more interesting stories to tell and it’s a shame they didn’t get to.
Do YOU wish Luke Cage lasted longer? Did the character get the closure he deserved?
