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The second and final season of the American
streaming television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as films and television series, streamed over the Internet. Standing in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air aerial systems, cable t ...
series ''
Luke Cage Lucas "Luke" Cage, born Carl Lucas and also known as Power Man, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Archie Goodwin, George Tuska, Roy Thomas, and John Romita Sr. in 1972, he was the first Af ...
'', which is based on the
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
character of the same name, sees
Luke Cage Lucas "Luke" Cage, born Carl Lucas and also known as Power Man, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Archie Goodwin, George Tuska, Roy Thomas, and John Romita Sr. in 1972, he was the first Af ...
become a hero and celebrity in
Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...
after clearing his name, only to face a new threat. It is set in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
(MCU), sharing continuity with the films and other television series of the franchise. The season was produced by
Marvel Television Marvel Television was an American television production company responsible for live-action and animated television shows and direct-to-DVD series based on characters from Marvel Comics. Marvel Television was formed as a division of Marvel En ...
in association with
ABC Studios ABC Signature was a production arm of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), which is a subsidiary of Disney Television Studios, a sub-division of the Disney Entertainment business segment and division of The Walt Disney Company. The studio's ...
, with
Cheo Hodari Coker Cheo Hodari Coker is an American former music journalist turned television writer and producer known for such television series as ''Luke Cage (TV series), Luke Cage'', ''NCIS: Los Angeles'', ''Southland (TV series), Southland'' and ''Ray Donovan ...
serving as
showrunner A showrunner is the top-level executive producer of a television series. The position outranks other creative and management personnel, including episode directors, in contrast to feature films, in which the director has creative control over th ...
.
Mike Colter Mike Colter (born August 26, 1976) is an American actor best known for his role as Luke Cage in the Marvel Cinematic Universe television series '' Luke Cage'' (2016–2018), '' The Defenders'' (2017), and '' Jessica Jones'' (2015; 2019). He ha ...
stars as Cage, alongside returning principal cast members
Simone Missick Simone Missick ( Cook; born January 19, 1982) is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Detective Misty Knight in ''Luke Cage'' (2016-2018), a role she also plays in '' The De ...
,
Theo Rossi John Theodore Rossi (born June 4, 1975) is an American actor and producer. He portrayed Juan Carlos "Juice" Ortiz on the FX series '' Sons of Anarchy'' (2008–2014) and Hernan "Shades" Alvarez in '' Luke Cage'' (2016–2018). In 2024, he por ...
, and
Alfre Woodard Alfre Woodard ( ; born November 8, 1952) is an American actress. Known for portraying strong-willed and dignified roles on stage and screen, she has received various accolades, including four Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and three Scree ...
. They are joined by
Gabrielle Dennis Gabrielle Dennis (born October 19, 1978) is an American actress and comedian, best known for starring in the sketch comedy HBO show '' A Black Lady Sketch Show''. Early life and education Dennis was born and raised in Cincinnati. She began stud ...
and
Mustafa Shakir Mustafa Shakir (born August 21, 1976) is an American actor known for his portrayal as Bushmaster in '' Marvel's Luke Cage'', Big Mike in ''The Deuce'' and Jet Black in ''Cowboy Bebop'' (2021). Biography and career Shakir was born in North Ca ...
, with
Jessica Henwick Jessica Yu-Li Henwick ( ;) is a British actress, writer, and director. She began her career in 2010 and is best known for her roles in ''Game of Thrones'' (2015–17), '' Iron Fist'' (2017–18), '' Love and Monsters'' (2020), ''Underwater (film ...
,
Finn Jones Finn Jones (born Terence Jones; 24 March 1988) is an English actor known for his roles as Loras Tyrell in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2016) and Danny Rand / Iron Fist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe television shows '' Iron Fi ...
, and
Stephen Rider Stephen Rider (born September 25, 1979) is an American film and television actor. He is known for playing Admiral Stephen W. Rochon in the film '' The Butler'' (2013), Eric Millworth in the ABC series '' Lucky 7'' (2014) and Blake Tower in th ...
reprising their roles from other Marvel Netflix series;
Rosario Dawson Rosario Isabel Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in the 1995 independent drama '' Kids''. Her subsequent film roles include '' He Got Game'' (1998), '' Josie and the Pussycats'' (2001), ''Men in B ...
also returns in a guest role. The season was ordered in December 2016, and filmed in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
from June to November 2017. Coker again emphasized music in the season:
Adrian Younge Adrian Younge (born May 7, 1978) is an American composer, arranger and music producer based in the Los Angeles area. Background Younge grew up in Fontana, California, United States. His father is a lawyer and Younge himself earned a Juris Doct ...
and
Ali Shaheed Muhammad Ali Shaheed Muhammad (born August 11, 1970) is an American hip hop DJ, record producer, rapper and bass guitarist, best known as a member of A Tribe Called Quest. With Q-Tip (musician), Q-Tip and Phife Dawg (and sometimes Jarobi White), the grou ...
returned to compose the original score, using blues and reggae to represent the conflict between the Stokes family and Shakir's John "Bushmaster" McIver; the season again features performances from various artists; and each episode is named after a
Pete Rock & CL Smooth Pete Rock & CL Smooth were an American hip hop duo from Mount Vernon, New York. They made their debut with their 1991 EP, '' All Souled Out'' and followed that with their 1992 LP ''Mecca and the Soul Brother''. Career 1991–1994: The Golden Ag ...
song. Reg E. Cathey has a recurring role as Cage's father in one of his last performances, and the season is dedicated to his memory. The season premiered on June 21, 2018, before all 13 episodes were released on
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
on June 22. It was widely praised as better than the first season, particularly for its narrative and cast—Woodard's performance especially—though there was again some criticism for its pacing. Netflix canceled the series on October 19, 2018.


Episodes


Cast and characters


Main

*
Mike Colter Mike Colter (born August 26, 1976) is an American actor best known for his role as Luke Cage in the Marvel Cinematic Universe television series '' Luke Cage'' (2016–2018), '' The Defenders'' (2017), and '' Jessica Jones'' (2015; 2019). He ha ...
as
Luke Cage Lucas "Luke" Cage, born Carl Lucas and also known as Power Man, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Archie Goodwin, George Tuska, Roy Thomas, and John Romita Sr. in 1972, he was the first Af ...
*
Simone Missick Simone Missick ( Cook; born January 19, 1982) is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Detective Misty Knight in ''Luke Cage'' (2016-2018), a role she also plays in '' The De ...
as Mercedes "Misty" Knight *
Theo Rossi John Theodore Rossi (born June 4, 1975) is an American actor and producer. He portrayed Juan Carlos "Juice" Ortiz on the FX series '' Sons of Anarchy'' (2008–2014) and Hernan "Shades" Alvarez in '' Luke Cage'' (2016–2018). In 2024, he por ...
as Hernan "Shades" Alvarez *
Gabrielle Dennis Gabrielle Dennis (born October 19, 1978) is an American actress and comedian, best known for starring in the sketch comedy HBO show '' A Black Lady Sketch Show''. Early life and education Dennis was born and raised in Cincinnati. She began stud ...
as
Tilda Johnson Tilda Johnson, introduced as the Queen of the Werewolves and also known as Dr. Nightshade, Deadly Nightshade, or simply Nightshade, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Introduced as a supervillai ...
*
Mustafa Shakir Mustafa Shakir (born August 21, 1976) is an American actor known for his portrayal as Bushmaster in '' Marvel's Luke Cage'', Big Mike in ''The Deuce'' and Jet Black in ''Cowboy Bebop'' (2021). Biography and career Shakir was born in North Ca ...
as John "Bushmaster" McIver *
Alfre Woodard Alfre Woodard ( ; born November 8, 1952) is an American actress. Known for portraying strong-willed and dignified roles on stage and screen, she has received various accolades, including four Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and three Scree ...
as Mariah Stokes-Dillard


Featured

*
Jessica Henwick Jessica Yu-Li Henwick ( ;) is a British actress, writer, and director. She began her career in 2010 and is best known for her roles in ''Game of Thrones'' (2015–17), '' Iron Fist'' (2017–18), '' Love and Monsters'' (2020), ''Underwater (film ...
as
Colleen Wing Colleen Wing is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Descended from a family of samurai, Wing is a Japanese martial artist who avenged her grandfather's death with the help of the superhero Iron Fis ...
*
Finn Jones Finn Jones (born Terence Jones; 24 March 1988) is an English actor known for his roles as Loras Tyrell in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2016) and Danny Rand / Iron Fist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe television shows '' Iron Fi ...
as
Danny Rand / Iron Fist Danny is a masculine given name. It is related to and short for the male name Daniel.🖾🖾 People *Danny Altmann, British immunologist *Danny Antonucci, Canadian animator, director, producer, and writer *Danny Baker (born 1957), English jou ...
*
Stephen Rider Stephen Rider (born September 25, 1979) is an American film and television actor. He is known for playing Admiral Stephen W. Rochon in the film '' The Butler'' (2013), Eric Millworth in the ABC series '' Lucky 7'' (2014) and Blake Tower in th ...
as
Blake Tower Blake Tower is a fictional supporting character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. An attorney who often appears in stories featuring ''Spider-Man'' and ''Daredevil (Marvel Comics character), Daredevil'', he first appear ...


Recurring

* Reg E. Cathey as James Lucas *
Ron Cephas Jones Ron Cephas Jones (; January 8, 1957 – August 19, 2023) was an American actor, best known for his role as William Hill in the drama series ''This Is Us'' (2016–2022), which earned him a Screen Actors Guild Award; along with four consecutive ...
as
Bobby Fish Robert Anthony Fish (born October 27, 1976) is an American professional wrestler performing for Major League Wrestling (MLW). He is best known for his tenure with WWE, where he performed on the NXT brand and was a member of The Undisputed Era. ...
* Peter Jay Fernandez as Tom Ridenhour * Dorian Crossmon Missick as Dontrell "Cockroach" Hamilton *
Kevin Mambo Kevin Mambo (born June 29, 1972) is a Zimbabwean-Canadian actor and musician. He is best known for his role on the CBS Daytime serial ''Guiding Light'' in the role of Marcus Williams, which won him two Daytime Emmys and for his role as Fela An ...
as Sheldon * Thomas Q. Jones as Darius "Comanche" Jones * Jeremiah Richard Craft as
D. W. Griffith David Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948) was an American film director. Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of film editing and expanded the art of the n ...
*
Chaz Lamar Shepherd Chaz Lamar Shepherd is an American actor and singer-songwriter. He is best known for his roles as Artis Tower in ''Me and the Boys (TV series), Me and the Boys'' (1994–1995), John Hamilton on ''7th Heaven (TV series), 7th Heaven'' (1996–2001 ...
as Raymond "Piranha" Jones *
Sean Ringgold Sean Ringgold, (born November 3, 1977) is an American actor and former bodyguard. He is best known for his role as Shaun Evans on the ABC daytime drama ''One Life to Live'', Junior on The Family Business and portraying Suge Knight in the Notori ...
as
Sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...
* Tarah Rodgers as Stephanie / Billie *
Sahr Ngaujah Michael Sahr Ngaujah (born September 7, 1976) is an American theater actor and director. Not long after his parents arrival from Sierra Leone via UK, Sahr was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Within five years his family relocated to Atlanta. He spen ...
as Paul "Anansi" Mackintosh * Danny Johnson as Benjamin "Big Ben" Donovan *
Antonique Smith Antonique Smith (born August 11, 1983) is an American film, television and Broadway actress and Grammy Nominated singer. Life and career Smith was born in East Orange, New Jersey. She attended Eastern Christian High School in North Haledon, New ...
as Nandi Tyler * Justin Swain as Mark Bailey * Heather Alicia Simms as Ingrid Mackintosh * John Clarence Stewart as Alex Wesley * Karen Pittman as Priscilla Ridley


Notable guests

*
Rosario Dawson Rosario Isabel Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in the 1995 independent drama '' Kids''. Her subsequent film roles include '' He Got Game'' (1998), '' Josie and the Pussycats'' (2001), ''Men in B ...
as
Claire Temple Claire Temple is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is a medical doctor primarily affiliated with the superhero Luke Cage and is one of his early love interests. Starting in 2015, a version of the char ...
*
Elden Henson Elden Henson (born Elden Ryan Ratliff, August 30, 1977) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Fulton Reed in '' The Mighty Ducks'' trilogy (1992–1996), Foggy Nelson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and Pollux in '' The Hunge ...
as
Foggy Nelson Franklin Percy "Foggy" Nelson is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has been depicted as part of the supporting cast of Daredevil (Matt Murdock); Foggy is Matt's best friend and, for ...
*
Frank Whaley Frank Joseph Whaley (born July 20, 1963) is an American actor, film director, screenwriter, musician and comedian. His roles include Brett in ''Pulp Fiction'', Robby Krieger in ''The Doors'', Jim Dodge in '' Career Opportunities'', young Archie ...
as Rafael Scarfe * Darius Kaleb as
Lonnie Wilson Lonnie Wilson is an American drummer, songwriter, and record producer, known primarily for his work in country music. Life and career Born in Monroe, Louisiana, Wilson was originally the lead singer of the band Bandana, which charted ten single ...
*
Tijuana Ricks Tijuana Ricks (born in Metairie, Louisiana) is an American actress. Education After graduating from Washington University in St. Louis where she received her degree in psychology and performing arts, she attended the Yale School of Drama and rece ...
as Thembi Wallace * Jade Wu as Connie Lin * Andrew Pang as Donnie Chang * Joniece Abbott-Pratt as Esther "Etta" Lucas * Rob Morgan as
Turk Barrett Turk Barrett is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted in stories featuring Daredevil, in which his inept schemes are played as comic relief. Barrett was a recurring ...
* LaTanya Richardson Jackson as "Mama Mabel" Stokes *
Curtiss Cook Curtiss Cook (born October 2, 1968) is an American character actor known for his roles in ''House of Cards'', ''Manifest'', ''Mayans M.C.'', ''Luke Cage'', '' Narcos'', and others. Early life and education Cook was born in Dayton, Ohio on Octob ...
as "Pistol Pete" Stokes *
Henry Yuk Henry Yuk is an American actor known for his roles on numerous television shows. Yuk has also frequently appeared in Broadway theatre, Broadway plays. The son of immigrants from Guangdong, Yuk was born and raised in Brooklyn. After graduating from ...
as Hai-Qing Yang * Jayden D. Brown as
Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes Cornell University is a private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson White in 1865. Since ...
* Ninja Devoe as Aisha Axton * Cassandra Freeman as
Patricia Wilson Patricia Grace Wilson (17 December 1929 – 2010) was a British writer of 53 romance novels for the Mills & Boon publisher from 1986 to 2004. She placed her novels primarily in England, Spain or France. Wilson died in Yorkshire in 2010. Bibli ...
* Sedly Bloomfield as Joel Spurlock


Production


Development

In January 2015,
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
CCO
Ted Sarandos Theodore Anthony Sarandos Jr. (born July 30, 1964) is an American business executive who has been the co-chief executive officer of Netflix since 2020. Early life and education Sarandos was born on July 30, 1964, at Monmouth Medical Cente ...
stated the series was "eligible to go into multiple seasons for sure" and Netflix would look at "how well heyare addressing both the Marvel fanbase but also the broader fanbase" in terms of determining if additional seasons would be appropriate. In July 2015, Sarandos said some of the Defenders series would "selectively have multiple seasons as they come out of the gate." Regarding a second season, showrunner
Cheo Hodari Coker Cheo Hodari Coker is an American former music journalist turned television writer and producer known for such television series as ''Luke Cage (TV series), Luke Cage'', ''NCIS: Los Angeles'', ''Southland (TV series), Southland'' and ''Ray Donovan ...
stated he had "a few ideas", including possibly exploring the "Hero for Hire" aspect of
Luke Cage Lucas "Luke" Cage, born Carl Lucas and also known as Power Man, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Archie Goodwin, George Tuska, Roy Thomas, and John Romita Sr. in 1972, he was the first Af ...
, though noted he was not taking "any of this for granted" in terms of feeling a second season renewal from Netflix was guaranteed. Actor
Mike Colter Mike Colter (born August 26, 1976) is an American actor best known for his role as Luke Cage in the Marvel Cinematic Universe television series '' Luke Cage'' (2016–2018), '' The Defenders'' (2017), and '' Jessica Jones'' (2015; 2019). He ha ...
also felt "
Heroes for Hire Heroes for Hire are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in ''Power Man and Iron Fist'' #54 (December 1978), and was created by Ed Hannigan and Lee Elias. The team continued to appe ...
" could be explored in future seasons, as well as further exploring Cage's lifestyle change regarding his relationship with
Jessica Jones Jessica Campbell Jones-Cage, professionally known as Jessica Jones, is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Gaydos and first appea ...
and introducing the couple's daughter. In December 2016, Netflix renewed the series for a second season, of 13 episodes. Coker compared the season to
A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American Hip hop music, hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip< ...
's second album ''
The Low End Theory ''The Low End Theory'' is the second studio album by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest, released on September 24, 1991, by Jive Records. Recording sessions for the album were held mostly at Battery Studios in New York City, from 1990 to ...
'' saying, their first album ''
People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm ''People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest, released on April 10, 1990, by Jive Records. After forming the Native Tongues collective and collaborating on s ...
'' "was great, but then ''Low End Theory'' was the record that everyone says ... when they think of A Tribe Called Quest taking it to the next level. That's my hope for season 2, is that we have some of the similar sounds, but we go in a deeper direction." Coker also noted that music would continue to be an important element for the season and that
Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...
would still be "at the heart and its center" for the series.


Writing

In July 2017, Colter said the writing for the season was different from the first, because "we know the show now. We know the world that we're in and we know sort of what works and what doesn't work and we're just gonna double down on that stuff, so look forward to a very exciting and very relevant and pop culture-heavy show." He added that after the first season and the crossover miniseries '' The Defenders'', Cage would have "a whole new outlook on life" and would not be dealing with the judicial system anymore. Coker explained that the storyline for the season did not come from any particular iteration of the comics, and instead was based on the characters that appear: "who is Luke Cage and getting much deeper into that, but also finding out different things about Mariah Dillard, also finding out things about Misty Knight," including getting her mechanical arm "and what that entails from an emotional standpoint." In particular, the new villains introduced for the season and their abilities impacted the story in terms of "what that represents against Luke". Each episode of the season is named after a
Pete Rock & CL Smooth Pete Rock & CL Smooth were an American hip hop duo from Mount Vernon, New York. They made their debut with their 1991 EP, '' All Souled Out'' and followed that with their 1992 LP ''Mecca and the Soul Brother''. Career 1991–1994: The Golden Ag ...
song, just as Coker named each episode of the first season after a
Gang Starr Gang Starr was an American Hip-hop, hip hop duo, consisting of Houston-born record producer DJ Premier and Boston-based rapper Guru (rapper), Guru. Gang Starr was at its height from 1989 to 2003, and is considered a widely influential MC-and-pr ...
song.


Casting

Mike Colter Mike Colter (born August 26, 1976) is an American actor best known for his role as Luke Cage in the Marvel Cinematic Universe television series '' Luke Cage'' (2016–2018), '' The Defenders'' (2017), and '' Jessica Jones'' (2015; 2019). He ha ...
returns to star as
Luke Cage Lucas "Luke" Cage, born Carl Lucas and also known as Power Man, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Archie Goodwin, George Tuska, Roy Thomas, and John Romita Sr. in 1972, he was the first Af ...
, along with
Simone Missick Simone Missick ( Cook; born January 19, 1982) is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Detective Misty Knight in ''Luke Cage'' (2016-2018), a role she also plays in '' The De ...
as Mercedes "Misty" Knight,
Rosario Dawson Rosario Isabel Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in the 1995 independent drama '' Kids''. Her subsequent film roles include '' He Got Game'' (1998), '' Josie and the Pussycats'' (2001), ''Men in B ...
as
Claire Temple Claire Temple is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is a medical doctor primarily affiliated with the superhero Luke Cage and is one of his early love interests. Starting in 2015, a version of the char ...
,
Alfre Woodard Alfre Woodard ( ; born November 8, 1952) is an American actress. Known for portraying strong-willed and dignified roles on stage and screen, she has received various accolades, including four Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and three Scree ...
as Mariah Stokes-Dillard, and
Theo Rossi John Theodore Rossi (born June 4, 1975) is an American actor and producer. He portrayed Juan Carlos "Juice" Ortiz on the FX series '' Sons of Anarchy'' (2008–2014) and Hernan "Shades" Alvarez in '' Luke Cage'' (2016–2018). In 2024, he por ...
as Hernan "Shades" Alvarez. In July 2017, Marvel announced the casting of
Mustafa Shakir Mustafa Shakir (born August 21, 1976) is an American actor known for his portrayal as Bushmaster in '' Marvel's Luke Cage'', Big Mike in ''The Deuce'' and Jet Black in ''Cowboy Bebop'' (2021). Biography and career Shakir was born in North Ca ...
as John "Bushmaster" McIver, and
Gabrielle Dennis Gabrielle Dennis (born October 19, 1978) is an American actress and comedian, best known for starring in the sketch comedy HBO show '' A Black Lady Sketch Show''. Early life and education Dennis was born and raised in Cincinnati. She began stud ...
as
Tilda Johnson Tilda Johnson, introduced as the Queen of the Werewolves and also known as Dr. Nightshade, Deadly Nightshade, or simply Nightshade, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Introduced as a supervillai ...
. Thomas Q. Jones reprises his role as Darius "Comanche" Jones in the season, along with Danny Johnson as Benjamin "Big Ben" Donovan, and Justin Swain as Mark Bailey. In October 2017, it was revealed that
Finn Jones Finn Jones (born Terence Jones; 24 March 1988) is an English actor known for his roles as Loras Tyrell in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2016) and Danny Rand / Iron Fist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe television shows '' Iron Fi ...
would be reprising his role as
Danny Rand / Iron Fist Danny is a masculine given name. It is related to and short for the male name Daniel.🖾🖾 People *Danny Altmann, British immunologist *Danny Antonucci, Canadian animator, director, producer, and writer *Danny Baker (born 1957), English jou ...
in the season. Colter explained that there had been interest from fans to see more of the previously established relationship between Cage and Jessica Jones, but for this season they "went out on a limb" and decided to give to the fans of the "Heroes for Hire" instead by having Cage and Rand team up for part of the season. He added that Finn Jones "will bring some fresh blood in the new season".
Jessica Henwick Jessica Yu-Li Henwick ( ;) is a British actress, writer, and director. She began her career in 2010 and is best known for her roles in ''Game of Thrones'' (2015–17), '' Iron Fist'' (2017–18), '' Love and Monsters'' (2020), ''Underwater (film ...
also reprises her ''Iron Fist'' role, appearing as
Colleen Wing Colleen Wing is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Descended from a family of samurai, Wing is a Japanese martial artist who avenged her grandfather's death with the help of the superhero Iron Fis ...
. Following the death of Reg E. Cathey in February 2018, Marvel revealed that his final performance was as Luke Cage's father James Lucas in this season. The character appeared briefly in the first season portrayed by an unnamed actor. In March 2018,
Annabella Sciorra Annabella Gloria Sciorra ( , ; born March 29, 1960) is an American actress. She came to prominence with her film debut in '' True Love'' (1989) and worked steadily throughout the 1990s in films such as ''Jungle Fever'' (1991), '' The Hard Way'' ...
was announced to have been cast in the "key role" of Rosalie Carbone. The next month,
Antonique Smith Antonique Smith (born August 11, 1983) is an American film, television and Broadway actress and Grammy Nominated singer. Life and career Smith was born in East Orange, New Jersey. She attended Eastern Christian High School in North Haledon, New ...
joined the cast as Detective Nandi Tyler, a longtime rival of Misty Knight. Additionally,
Elden Henson Elden Henson (born Elden Ryan Ratliff, August 30, 1977) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Fulton Reed in '' The Mighty Ducks'' trilogy (1992–1996), Foggy Nelson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and Pollux in '' The Hunge ...
reprises his role as
Foggy Nelson Franklin Percy "Foggy" Nelson is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has been depicted as part of the supporting cast of Daredevil (Matt Murdock); Foggy is Matt's best friend and, for ...
from previous Marvel/Netflix series. The season also features
cameo appearance A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...
s by
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
personalities Michael Smith,
Jemele Hill Jemele Juanita Hill ( ; born December 21, 1975) is an American sports journalist. She worked for the '' Raleigh News & Observer'', the ''Detroit Free Press'', and the ''Orlando Sentinel''. She joined ESPN in 2006 and worked in various roles unt ...
, and Stephen A. Smith, and
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
head coach
Todd Bowles Todd Robert Bowles (born November 18, 1963) is an American professional American football, football coach and former player who is the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously the head coach ...
, doubling as the head coach of the fictional Harlem Jets. As Coker is a sports fan, he decided to include the ESPN personalities and was partially motivated to reach out to Michael Smith and Hill out of "professional admiration". Coker noted the additional difficulty in getting the duo to appear because of Marvel's confidentiality requirements, meaning they could not see the scripts beforehand. Dialogue was written for the personalities, though each improvised some of it to make it sound like their own voice. Before reaching out to Bowles, Coker was going to ask David Shaw, head coach of the
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
Cardinal football team, since Shaw and Coker were college roommates, but the timing did not work out, as Shaw was recruiting students on the other side of the country. Coker then approached former Jets head coach
Herm Edwards Herman Lee Edwards (born April 27, 1954) is an American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players ...
, since Edwards had one of Coker's "favorite coach meltdowns of all time", but Edwards also could not coordinate an appearance, resulting Coker approaching Bowles. Writer, author, and educator
Jelani Cobb William Jelani Cobb (born William Anthony Cobb; August 21, 1969)
''Contemporary Black Biography''. Gale, 2005, updated Ja ...
also cameos in the season, appearing as himself on a talk show speaking to Luke Cage's ability to fix Harlem. Cobb, who has "an ambivalent relationship" to the character of Luke Cage, "went back and forth" on whether he would appear in the season. He noted, "I really like the show and thought it'd be a fun thing to do, but I also think that sometimes it's important for journalists to keep a separate line from what they're actually doing versus the imaginary stuff that they're doing, especially in the era of
fake news Fake news or information disorder is false or misleading information (misinformation, disinformation, propaganda, and hoaxes) claiming the aesthetics and legitimacy of news. Fake news often has the aim of damaging the reputation of a person ...
." Cobb discussed the potential appearances with "some of the people I respect in the field" for their opinion, and after gaining their approval, agreed to appear.


Filming

Principal photography began by June 10, 2017, under the series'
working title A working title is a preliminary name for a product or project. The usage is especially common in film and TV, gaming, music and publishing. It is often styled in trade publications as (wt) and is synonymous with production title and tentative ...
''Tiara''. Production wrapped that November.


Music

In July 2017, Colter said that the second season would have "another feel to it" in terms of the music, praising the season's musical guests and explaining that he and Coker had chosen a "certain type" of music for the season after listening to it at a birthday party and agreeing that there had "not been one bad song" played. Coker later explained that the season would explore the roots of hip-hop with blues and reggae, after the first season introduced hip-hop to the MCU. He added that the season would explore "the entire diaspora of black music" along with different cultures.
Adrian Younge Adrian Younge (born May 7, 1978) is an American composer, arranger and music producer based in the Los Angeles area. Background Younge grew up in Fontana, California, United States. His father is a lawyer and Younge himself earned a Juris Doct ...
and
Ali Shaheed Muhammad Ali Shaheed Muhammad (born August 11, 1970) is an American hip hop DJ, record producer, rapper and bass guitarist, best known as a member of A Tribe Called Quest. With Q-Tip (musician), Q-Tip and Phife Dawg (and sometimes Jarobi White), the grou ...
again composed the score for the season, working out of Younge's studio Linear Labs. Their music for the season included a "50-minute epic" for one of the episodes. Coker described the pair as being as "important to the success of the show as anyone in the cast, anyone directing, anyone writing, producing, period." Coker wanted to have live musical performances in the season again after the first, and hoped that some musicians who had turned him down for the first season would be happy to join the second after getting to see the series. He noted that the idea of performing in the series was not a "home run in terms of the music community" during the first season, and he had to call in a lot of favors from his time as a music journalist to get the performers who did appear. For the second season, he was able to show footage of the first season performances as well as point out where musicians who performed on the show received "immediate streaming bumps" from fans discovering them through the series. With Coker subsequently having his "choice of acts", the season includes live performance from
Faith Evans Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1973) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and actress. Born in Lakeland, Florida, and raised in New Jersey, she relocated to Los Angeles in 1991 in pursuit of a recording career. Evans initially performed as ...
, returning from the first season, along with Joi &
D-Nice Derrick T. Jones (born June 19, 1970), better known by his stage name D-Nice, is an American DJ, record producer, and rapper who began his career in the mid-1980s with the hip hop group Boogie Down Productions. He discovered Kid Rock in 1988, l ...
, Gary Clark Jr.,
Esperanza Spalding Esperanza Emily Spalding (born October 18, 1984), sometimes professionally known with the stylized name of esperanza spalding, is an American bassist, singer, songwriter, and composer. Her accolades include five Grammy Awards, a Boston Music Aw ...
,
Christone "Kingfish" Ingram Christone "Kingfish" Ingram (born January 19, 1999) is an American blues guitarist and singer from Clarksdale, Mississippi, United States, who became a well-known performer as a teenager. His debut album, '' Kingfish,'' was released in May 2019. ...
,
Ghostface Killah Dennis David Coles (born May 9, 1970), better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and a member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of ''Enter the Wu-Tang ...
,
Stephen Marley Stephen Robert Nesta Marley (born April 20, 1972) is a Jamaican-American musician. The son of Bob Marley, Marley is an eight-time Grammy Award winner, three times as a solo artist, twice as a producer of his younger paternal half-brother Damian ...
,
Jadakiss Jason Terrance Phillips (born May 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Jadakiss (, ), is an American rapper who began his career in the 1990s and formed the hip hop trio the Lox alongside Styles P and Sheek Louch in 1994. The group signed w ...
,
KRS-One Lawrence "Kris" Parker (born August 20, 1965), better known by his stage names KRS-One (; an abbreviation of "Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone") and Teacha, is an American rapper from the Bronx. He rose to prominence as part of the ...
, and
Rakim William Michael Griffin Jr. (born January 28, 1968), better known by his stage name Rakim (), is an American rapper. He is one half of Golden age hip-hop, golden age hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, with whom he released four albums: ''Paid in Full ...
. The latter wrote an original song for the series, which he performs in the season finale. The season also includes music from
Nina Simone Nina Simone ( ; born Eunice Kathleen Waymon; February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003) was an American singer, pianist, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and po ...
and
Mobb Deep Mobb Deep was an American Hip-hop, hip hop duo formed in Queens, New York (state), New York in 1990. Consisting of rappers/songwriters/record producers Prodigy (rapper), Prodigy and Havoc (musician), Havoc, they are considered to be among the pr ...
.


Marvel Cinematic Universe tie-ins

Following the death of Captain Ridenhour, high-ranking detective
Brigid O'Reilly M-11 M-11 is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Originally known as the Human Robot, the character was named "M-11" in the 2006 to 2007 ''Agents of Atlas'' miniseries as an allusion to its first ...
is mentioned as having recently moved to New Orleans, in reference to that character's role in the series '' Cloak & Dagger''.


Marketing

An advanced screening of the season was hosted by
Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...
,
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
, and the
Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...
on June 19, followed by an after-party featuring musical performances by KRS-One, Younge and Muhammad, and surprise guests. The season had its red carpet premiere in New York City on June 21, 2018.


Release

The second season of ''Luke Cage'' was released on June 22, 2018, on the
streaming service Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
worldwide, in
Ultra HD Ultra-high-definition television (also known as Ultra HD television, Ultra HD, UHDTV, UHD and Super Hi-Vision) today includes 4K resolution#Resolutions, 4K UHD and 8K resolution#Resolutions, 8K UHD, which are two digital video formats with an ...
4K and
high dynamic range High dynamic range (HDR), also known as wide dynamic range, extended dynamic range, or expanded dynamic range, is a signal with a higher dynamic range than usual. The term is often used in discussing the dynamic ranges of images, videos, audio o ...
. The season, along with the additional ''Luke Cage'' season and the other Marvel Netflix series, was removed from Netflix on March 1, 2022, due to Netflix's license for the series ending and Disney regaining the rights. The season became available on
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand on March 16, ahead of its debut in Disney+'s other markets by the end of 2022.


Reception


Critical response

The review aggregation website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
reported an 85% approval rating, with an average rating of 7.20/10 based on 62 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "''Marvel's Luke Cage'' surpasses the successes of its debut season with a satisfyingly complex narrative and a solid ensemble cast led by Alfre Woodard's standout performance as the archvillainess Black Mariah."
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 64 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. Awarding the "excellent" season four stars out of five, Olly Richards of ''
Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...
'' said, "Most of Marvel's superhero series suffer a mid-season sag, without enough plot to fill their episode quota. This season never succumbs to that because it's not rooted in plot but character. There are episodes where little happens in terms of event, but characters deepen and crack, becoming less who they want to be and more who they have to be, even Luke. ''Luke Cage'' could now remove any superhero elements almost entirely and still function as a series." David Betancourt of ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' felt the season was "spectacular, full of unforgettable performances, and has not one but two top-notch villains". Though he felt the season started slow, the later episodes are "where the magic happens". Alison Keene at ''
Collider A collider is a type of particle accelerator that brings two opposing particle beams together such that the particles collide. Compared to other particle accelerators in which the moving particles collide with a stationary matter target, collid ...
'' felt the "last few episodes are fantastic — it just takes a lot to get there." Keene also felt "There are plenty of things this season does well, really well, but there is so much filler and narrative dragging of feet in between that it's hard to recommend it outright," awarding the season three stars out of four.
CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
's Brian Lowry was more critical of the season, feeling the season was "weaker" than the first, noting it was "not bad, overall, but still experiencing the equivalent of a sophomore slump." Similar to Lowry, Alan Sepinwall at ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' gave the season two stars out of four, noting the 13-episode season had "only three or four episodes' worth of story at best".


Accolades

, - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" , 2017 , rowspan="2" ,
Hollywood Music in Media Awards The Hollywood Music in Media Awards (HMMA) is an award organization honoring original music (Song and Score) in all forms visual media including film, TV, video games, trailers, commercial advertisements, documentaries, music videos and special p ...
, Original Song – TV Show/Limited Series , " Bulletproof Love" for
Method Man Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), known professionally as Method Man, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. He is a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan, and is half of the hip hop duo Method Man & R ...
, , , - , Main Title Theme – TV Show/Limited Series ,
Ali Shaheed Muhammad Ali Shaheed Muhammad (born August 11, 1970) is an American hip hop DJ, record producer, rapper and bass guitarist, best known as a member of A Tribe Called Quest. With Q-Tip (musician), Q-Tip and Phife Dawg (and sometimes Jarobi White), the grou ...
and
Adrian Younge Adrian Younge (born May 7, 1978) is an American composer, arranger and music producer based in the Los Angeles area. Background Younge grew up in Fontana, California, United States. His father is a lawyer and Younge himself earned a Juris Doct ...
, , , - ! scope="row" , 2018 ,
People's Choice Awards The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the fans and general public. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls un ...
, The Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show of 2018 , ''Luke Cage'' , , , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" , 2019 , rowspan="2" , Black Reel TV Awards , Outstanding Guest Actor, Drama Series ,
Ron Cephas Jones Ron Cephas Jones (; January 8, 1957 – August 19, 2023) was an American actor, best known for his role as William Hill in the drama series ''This Is Us'' (2016–2022), which earned him a Screen Actors Guild Award; along with four consecutive ...
, , , - , Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series ,
Alfre Woodard Alfre Woodard ( ; born November 8, 1952) is an American actress. Known for portraying strong-willed and dignified roles on stage and screen, she has received various accolades, including four Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and three Scree ...
, ,


Notes


References


External links

* {{Luke Cage 02 2018 American television seasons