Sweet Christmas! Luke Cage was everything we hoped it’d be and then some. There were so many reasons we fell in love with Marvel’s new Netflix series — from the sick beats to all of the incredible fight scenes, it was a pleasure to watch all the way through. We also loved all of the Easter eggs placed throughout referencing Jessica Jones, Daredevil, and even Iron Fist. If you missed it, the Iron Fist reference came from Claire picking off the phone number for Colleen Wing in the final scenes.
Luke Cage makes us all the more excited about what’s to come with The Defenders and Iron Fist. There were so many incredible moments from the show’s first season, but we’re breaking down some of the most badass ones.
Luke Cage blowing through Crispus Attucks
In episode 3, Luke Cage (Mike Colter) decides enough was enough and he blows through the Crispus Attucks clubhouse like it was nothing. The scene was on par with the hallway fight scene from season 1 of Daredevil, and the Punisher’s prison fight scene in season 2. Cage’s scene was almost comical (in a good way), watching him rip off car doors and snatch pipes out of walls with ease while Cottonmouth’s men stumbled around looking like fools.
This scene might be the most badass of the entire series because it was so well done. It was also just the start of Cage saying “f*ck a lot of this” and bringing down the gangsters strangling Harlem all on his own.
Mariah killing Cottonmouth
In episode 7, Mariah (Alfre Woodard) surprised the hell out of us by killing Cottonmouth (Mahershala Ali). We have to admit, we didn’t see it coming at all. It makes sense, though. They showed us Cottonmouth Cornell’s past and how his evil mother forced him to turn into the killer he became. He was supposed to be a pianist for crying out loud! The second they showed us a bit of humanity in him, BAM!, he’s dead. We can’t be feeling empathetic toward the villain.
This also sets up Mariah as the new force to reckoned with in town. Whether she’s willing to take the role or not, she ends up with a lot of power over the city, and her killing her bro was basically the jumping-off point.
Misty and Claire kick Shades’ ass
The girl power in Luke Cage is EVERYTHING. Getting to see multiple layered, strong women in powerful roles is a breath of fresh air. In episode 11, Misty (Simone Missick) and Claire (Rosario Dawson) are hiding out in the basement of Harlem’s Paradise when Shades (Theo Rossi) finds them down there. The fierce female duo team up to take him down and handcuff him until the police arrive. Misty was bleeding out and still whooped ass. And the best part: it led to Claire stomping on Shades’ sunglasses in front of him. Epic!
The Method Man rap scene
This scene had us yelling “YAS” at our computer screens. In episode 12, Cage is on the run and the city of Harlem is looking to prove they have his back. Method Man raps a song he wrote for the bulletproof vigilante over the airwaves. The music overlaps slow-mo scenes of the cops looking for Cage only to find that people in the city are walking around dressed in hoodies with holes in them to throw them off. It was a truly powerful and beautiful moment in the show.
Listen to the official version of “Bulletproof Love” which will be featured on the show’s soundtrack.
Luke Cage and Diamondback’s street fight
Diamondback (Erik LaRay Harvey) was a wonderful villain, and like all good villains, he had to be taken out. In the final battle between Cage and his half-brother, they duke it out in the streets while the people of Harlem stand around watching. It was perfect to make it public, because Cage was fighting for the people of the city the whole time and they needed to see this. Watching bystanders cheer Cage on, and then eventually seeing Claire come up to encourage him, took the scene to a whole other level.
Of course, now we don’t know Diamondback’s true fate since we saw Dr. Burstein in his hospital room in the final scenes. Possible Defenders mega-villain in the making? Perhaps.
Honorable mentions:
- Cage busting into Domingo’s boxing facility
- Cage refusing to accept someone calling him the N-word
- Cage literally punching his way out of prison in the flashback
Tell us what you loved most about the show and how you think it sets everything up for The Defenders.
Always forward. Forward always.
(Featured image courtesy Netflix)
