Luke Cage Doesn't Just Bring Color to the MCU, it Brings Culture

     Back in 2008, Marvel Entertainment kicked of their new movie franchise, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the critically acclaimed "Iron Man." Since then, the franchise has become the highest grossing movie series of all time. But along the way they decided movies weren't enough, and dabbled in TV. They started off with "Agents of Shield" on ABC, a moderately successful show with some dedicated fans. But back in about 2013/14, Marvel announced that they would be partnering with Netflix; with the online streaming service producing a series of more gritty and R-rated shows. First up was "Daredevil," an action packed, crime-thriller that would be go on to be named one of the year's best shows. Next was "Jessica Jones," a detective, neo-noir mystery series that did a great job tackling some complex and delicate themes, like PTSD and sexual trauma. Which brings us to today, their latest series "Luke Cage." And not only does it live up to the high standards of its predecessors, it brings some things to the table the others didn't. 

     The title character, Luke Cage, was a former soldier and cop who was turned super-human in an experiment while in prison for a crime he didn't commit. He made his MCU debut in "Jessica Jones" as the title character's love interest. His own series takes place a few months, to a year, after the events of "Jessica Jones." Cage is just trying to live in peace, but after a dear friend is gunned down by the lackey of a Harlem mob boss, Cage takes it upon himself to knock the boss down a few pegs.

     I'm going to go ahead and be blunt; the MCU doesn't exactly have the most diverse cast we've ever seen from a franchise. I'm not saying that it doesn’t have diversity, but most of the major characters from its shows and movies are white. So with "Luke Cage," a lot of people were happy to see some color added into the franchise (with the majority of major the characters being black). I agree with all of this, and am perfectly happy to see a black super-hero take the lead; but the most important thing "Luke Cage" brings to the MCU isn't color, it's culture. "Luke Cage" does right by bringing black, Harlem, and NYC culture to a franchise that has none. It shows Harlem not just as a place of crime and corruption, but of hopes and dreams of its proud residents. It highlights some of America's greatest heroes that came out of the Borough; it shows off the music of a race's culture and heritage. The show does highlight race, and the struggles that black people often face in America (but not in a preachy way, but as a fact of life). But what I think it did best was highlight the culture of a race, a people, and a city in a way that the MCU had never seen before. On top of that, the show wass great.

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