In late September of this year, Mavel Comics released on Netflix a series starring its first Black superhero and we loved it! Luke Cage, Hero for Hire was thought up 1972 when the Marvel Comic executives were keeping with the times and bringing in ethnic diversity. Besides the fact that it is pretty cool that he was the first Black main character to have his own comics, these are reasons why we love Luke Cage:
Representation. It is everything. Through having conversations with my dad, who is an even bigger comic book/movie fanatic than I, I learned that Luke Cage served as someone for my him to look up to as a kid. Of course there were other Black heroes around but they mostly played the background or the sidekicks. Luke Cage being front and center is an inspiration to people of color. Maybe subliminally, it is showing us that we are more than just aids to the big guys. That we can be front and center. Certainly, overtly, him being Black gives us someone to identify with.
With that being said, Marvel turning this into a series reinforces the notion that Black people are not a monolith. We can and do like any and everything.
The next thing is the cast. It's predominately Black!!! I absolutely love that! I'll be honest, when I first heard that this show was coming out, I was excited but I expected it to be one main Black guy and a sea of mostly White people behind him, but that is not the case! I love that there are big name actors and actresses on this show opposed to others I've seen with, for lack of a better phrase, "no name" characters who I am not familiar with. It shows me that Black Hollywood is taking this seriously. Because let's be real, this is a big deal.
Also, Luke's ode to Trayvon Martin by wearing the hoodie is EVERYTHING. It is a great way to bring a difficult discussion into this realm without it being too controversial but still in the forefront of our minds, kudos.
But make no mistake, just because Luke is bulletproof does not mean the rest of us are.
Lastly, the show is filled with great and encouraging lines brought to us by various characters. The story line is also amazing, but I don't want to ruin the show for those who have not seen it. Be sure to check it out to get a glimpse at what I'm talking about!
In the end, this is a big step for Black people and other people of color to better be seen in the comic world. Some people don't like it and don't agree but others of us hope that this is just the beginning!
Let me know what you think about Marvel's Luke Cage, tweet me @ThePiersenElise!
