Amidst the slew of superhero names that seem to have taken over TV, fans knew from the get-go that, sooner or later, a hero of color will appear. Aptly so, Netflix's Jessica Jones, which aired in November of last year, also introduced Luke Cage (Mike Colter), a man of color with superhuman strength and unbreakable skin. Now, he stars in his own series and has gained praises for "bringing a leading black superhero to the mainstream media."
Bu Colter is not the only black actor in the series. Herald Scotland cited Mahershala Ali (Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes) and Simone Missick (Misty Knight) have been casted to complement the lead actor. Missick's character is also one of the few colored characters of Marvel Comics; her name was first mentioned in Marvel Premier #20 in January 1975, and then made a public appearance in issue #21 two months after.
With their characters slowly breaking barriers, "Luke Cage" is now on the verge of revolutionizing television as a versatile medium and open to accept society without bias. And thanks to Netflix, the idea of black superheroes will jump from mere concepts straight to mainstream TV.
"It's not about African-Americans - it's about people of color. There have been white people in leading positions for a very long time, and that's fine; there just needs to be balance," Ali said. He also added that it needs "to be more diverse", and that there are still other people that belong to other culture whose "points of view need to be embraced and incorporated into the narrative" so that they can see themselves.
As for the "excited" Missick, "Luke Cage" came "in a time where we need to see more humanity of people of color on TV." Aside from the three actors, most of the individuals involved behind the camera are African-Americans. The location itself is leaning towards their culture, too: notoriously known for its history or violence and racial disputes, Harlem is a perfect setting for someone like Luck Cage.
"We need to see them portrayed in a way that shows they are three-dimensional, and that they have the same thoughts and feelings and emotions as everyone; that we are humans," Missick added.
