Daredevil and Jessica Jones both set the bar high for Netflix’s roster of Marvel shows, with the latter series laying the groundwork for the next one to arrive: Luke Cage. The beefcake bartender served as a supporting character in Jones’ tale, and is due his own solo show set to debut sometime later this year. While plot details (opens in new tab) are thin on the ground – the series takes place in Harlem, not Hell’s Kitchen and Cage will fight to save New York City – we know it takes place after Jessica Jones (opens in new tab) and it’s going to be another dark outing (opens in new tab), geared toward an adult audience.
Among those adults are hard-core comic fans, who want to know whether Cage’s iconic yellow shirt is making an appearance. Ever the tease, the man himself Mike Colter told ComicBook.com (opens in new tab) this when probed about the costume: “You know when you see something and you know they’re going to do it and you can’t believe its real? I’ll leave it at that.”
It’s hardly a definitive “yes”, and that seems to be Colter’s style when discussing the upcoming show. “Jessica is her series,” Colter told the LA Times (opens in new tab) last year. “Anything that’s primarily Luke Cage we want to save for Luke Cage’s series. I’m not saying that you’re going to see the yellow shirt, but if you’re going to see it, it’ll be in Luke Cage’s series.”
When asked if he’d tried the costume on, “even for Halloween?” Colter responded in a way that makes you wonder how heavy those spoiler penalties are for Marvel’s actors:
“I’ll say it this way. The writers have been very clever and very on point with the way they allowed this to be grounded in realism [while] paying homage to the comic book and what comic book fans know to be their world. We’re trying to bring it to the screen. I think we’re going to satisfy everyone. We’re not going to give them exactly what they want, but I think everyone will be ecstatic about what we’re willing to do for them. We know what side our bread is buttered on. To try and not give the fans what they want would be a mistake;, that being said, it’s going to be a unique way of delivering it. But they’re going to get what they want eventually.”
Daredevil gave fans what they wanted “eventually” when Matt Murdock stepped into the character’s well-worn red ensemble at season’s end. Based on Colter’s comments, it sounds like we’ll be seeing Cage’s signature outfit revealed in a similar fashion.
Co-starring Alfre Woodard, Mahershala Ali, Simone Missick, Theo Rossi, Frank Whaley, Rosario Dawson and Sonia Braga, Luke Cage is expected to debut on Netflix later this year.
Images: Marvel