As of recently, there’s been a lot of talk about the new Marvel series on Netflix going around. What’s really monumental is the fact that the main character and the majority of the cast is black. That’s not very common and is typically doomed to fail if it doesn’t appeal to the generic stereotypes that usually portray the black community in modern culture. Not only that, but he’s also a superhero.
Luke Cage is currently streaming on Netflix and has gotten a tremendous amount of feedback. To fully understand what makes him stand out above the rest, here’s a little background information. Carl Lucas, as he was originally called, has a troubled past in Harlem – theft, gang affiliation, and messing around in the wrong crowds. He realizes that his actions were affecting others and seeks to better his life, but his past always follows him. Eventually, he is set up for possession of drugs and is incarcerated. Soon afterward, a scientist seeks him out and as his only other option, he accepts. Lucas is experimented on in inhumane ways and after tests go haywire, Lucas gains superhuman strength, impenetrable skin, and a quick healing factor. After he escapes, he becomes a power man and then finally Luke Cage, a vigilante hero.
So what does this have to do with anything? Although Luke Cage is a fictional character, his role as a walking bullet proof black man is meaningful. Now more than ever the future of black men isn’t looking too bright. It’s gut wrenching to say, but with all of the killings, the more you think about it the more the names blend together. There are just too many. Several had taken to social media and called for a bulletproof black man. There are brothers, mothers, sisters, sons, and daughters wishing that the hits taken by their loved ones just bounced off. They’re wishing the beatings felt like nothing and that those who couldn’t handle their own could have. Now we have a black superhero who fears no cop. A black superhero who can walk the street because he needs no protection. A black superhero who, if he were real, would save us from the war that bears no light at the end of the tunnel. How could you not think about it? How could you not long for something like this? For some of us, this is the only thing that puts our hearts to rest. Luke Cage is our bulletproof black man.