Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Marvel’s Luke Cage might put a bright, shining spotlight on a bulletproof black man with a heart of gold, but the best part of the show might be its deep and diverse cast of female characters. The women of Luke Cage are all glorious and we need to bow down to each of them.
Over the course of Luke Cage, we meet a cavalcade of strong female characters — some heroines, some villains, some a bit of both, some just civilians trying to get by. Each of these characters is allowed to be smart, get angry, be tenacious, and have aspirations. These women have jobs and dreams. And yes, these ladies get love interests. However, none of them is reduced to being the vixen, the virgin, or the damsel in distress. Luke Cage exists in a world where a woman can be as powerful as a man — even more powerful — even if she doesn’t have superpowers.
Misty Knight (played by the ebullient Simone Missick) has as much of a powerful origin story in the series as Luke does. As the 13-episode season unravels, we watch her deal with betrayal and doubt. She conquers sexist adversary (on the basketball court) and gamely moves on from Luke Cage’s romantic rejection — what else would you call her witty slices into Luke and Claire’s flirtations? She does her job well and honorably and only snaps when she loses control. We even discover that her thirst for justice comes from an early childhood trauma. She stands up for the truth and doesn’t back down from a fight. She is a fully-formed, fleshed out woman who gets to save the day. (And on a personal note, I hope that Netflix sticks with a specific comic book love story since I’d love to watch Simone Missick devour Finn Jones whole.)
Rosario Dawson‘s Claire Temple has appeared in every Marvel series so far, but Luke Cage is the first series that gives her character more to chew on than just heeding the hero’s call for help. She pushes Luke to stand up and fight. She gets to use her brains to outwit so-called genius scientists. She comes up with the strategy in Harlem’s Paradise to help save Luke, Misty, and all the other hostages. We meet her mother and start to learn that Claire has as much as a sense of heroic agency as Matt Murdock. She feels the call to stand up for the little guy — and she doesn’t need a costume to do so. She is a hero in her day-to-day life because she devotes her days to saving lives as a nurse.
Even the villainous Mariah Dillard (Alfre Woodard) is allowed a softer, more human side. Mariah starts off as a politician who wants to do everything on the straight and narrow, but she can’t resist the pull of her family’s shady past. The moment when she snaps is as terrifying as it is relatable. Who can bring out the worst in us better than our own family? What can ruin our future more than the demons of our past? She transforms into the most vicious version of herself and her actions never seem melodramatic. She is a villain that we could find in our very own world.
Besides these three leading ladies, we have the morally ambiguous Reva Connors, the torn up Candace, the imperious but kind “Genghis” Connie Lin, Inspector Ridley and Captain Audrey, and the ghostly force of Mama Mabel Stokes. Simply put: Luke Cage is stacked with ferocious women — and none of them are sitting on the sidelines.
Marvel’s Luke Cage is a show specifically about a man, his life, and his worldview. (I mean, it’s in the title.) But his world is one that allows women equal screen time and the same level of respect as its men. Marvel’s Luke Cage is a show that tackles a lot of issues and one of them clearly is the importance of equality. That extends not only to racial equality, but gender equality as well. In a culture overflowing with superhero tales where women get to be the vixen, the damsel, or the rare “magical” hero, it’s refreshing to see a show that lets so many raw and real female voices be heard.
