Marvel has established a great foundation with "Daredevil" and "Jessica Jones," and now they've got a third great hero story with "Luke Cage." The pilot episode introduces Luke as a barbershop sweeper during the day, and a dishwasher at a local club at night. That life isn't perfect though, as he can hardly afford his rent and deals with a boss who is unreliable when it comes to payment. As an ex convict, he's laying low and trying to live a simple life while dealing with superhuman abilities. Luke is unlike most superheroes we've seen on screen, he's bulletproof and can take a punch like no other. Luke claims that he never asked for these abilities, and just wants to enjoy a normal life.
The main antagonist of the show is also introduced in the first episode. Cornell Stokes, also known as "Cottonmouth," is a Harlem crime boss who owns the nightclub that Luke works at. He viciously murders Shameek, a young thug we meet at the beginning of the episode who disrupts one of Cottonmouth's arms deals. It doesn't take long for Cottonmouth to find him after he makes off with a bag of cash. It's very clear that Cottonmouth will be the driving factor of Luke's hero origin.
Other characters are introduced, including detective Misty Knight, who has a one night stand with Luke before it's revealed that she is investigating into Cottonmouth's dealings. Councilwoman Mariah Dillard emerges as a political figure hell bent on establishing a new reform of black culture and diversity in Harlem. I'm interested to see where this story will go, as the culture and issues of the show seem to be relevant with today's political narrative.
The real comic book moment of the episode is at the very end, when a group of thugs are threatening Luke's landlady and he steps in to scare the thugs off. The largest of the group attempts to sucker-punch Luke, and in slow, graphic detail we see his hand break and his bone breaks skin. Luke easily takes the men down and even takes a bullet to the palm.
Luke says at one point that he's not a hero. He's trying to lead a normal life but it looks as though Cottonmouth will force him into the superhero business. While the episode is a bit try at the beginning, it eventually picks up, and drew me in much more than Jessica Jones' first few episodes.
