An Exploration of Music in Marvel’s Luke Cage

Luke Cage debuted in 1972, when Blaxploitation took off as a popular genre form. While Cage was one of the earlier black superheroes, he wasn’t the first. That honor would go to Black Panther, who had his debut in 1966. Following on his genre origins, Luke Cage, or Power Man, featured in grittier stories set in the more crime-ridden sections of New York City. As the Blaxploitation genre declined, so did sales in the Luke Cage title. Marvel paired the character up with Iron Fist, a character who rode on the tails of the then-declining martial arts film genre, to boost the popularity of the two characters. Since then, Luke Cage has evolved as a character, eventually ditching the Power Man moniker and costume.

The new Netflix show follows in the path paved by two seasons of Daredevil and one season of Jessica Jones. Along with the upcoming Iron Fist, based on the aforementioned character, the four heroes provide a grounded contrast to more fantastic heroes like Iron Man, Hulk, and Thor. They will eventually come together in The Defenders.

The newest teaser for Luke Cage features various members of production and their thoughts on how music plays an important role for the new series. Such voices include Method Man, A$AP Ferg, Adrian Younge, show runner Cheo Hodari Coker, Ali Shaheed Muhammed, and lead man Mike Colter. If this video is to be believed, it sounds like Luke Cage will feature music that will give the show rhythm and beat, and will also reflect real culture.

All episodes of Marvel’s newest Netflix series debuts worldwide this 30 September for viewers to binge-watch at their leisure.