WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Marvel’s Luke Cage Season 2, streaming now on Netflix.


After two seasons of Marvel's Luke Cage, the titular character (played by Mike Colter) is, as expected, a force to be reckoned with in his quest to clean up the gangster-ridden streets of Harlem. In doing so, he's been rigorously tested by a handful of villains who want to their criminal empires to remain untouched by cops or vigilantes.

Whether it be overlords like Black Mariah (Alfre Woodard), Shades (Theo Rossi) and Cottonmouth (Mahershala Ali); Luke's half-brother Diamondback (Erik LaRay Harvey) in his super-powered suit; or his supernatural equivalent in Bushmaster (Mustafa Shakir), Luke really has gone through the motions, physically as well as mentally.

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However, in an action-packed Season 2, we come to find out that Luke's worst enemy actually isn't any of these individuals, it's himself.

Despite his impenetrable skin and super-strength, Luke's weaknesses come from within, thus creating a monster he's in denial about. This inner-beast is something he insists can't be tamed, or worse yet, it's something he doesn't want to tame. And as things progress throughout Season 2, his lack of control allows his temper to more or less become a self-destruct button.

Showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker clearly set out to highlight that as impervious as Luke is, he's still mentally susceptible to failure. A lot of this stems from the anger he's harboring towards his father, the reverend James Lucas (played by the late Reg E. Cathey). They became estranged after Luke was framed and went to prison, and his mother died, as James blamed his son for her suffering and subsequent death. Luke was left feeling abandoned just when he needed a dad the most, and never recovers.

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In Season 2, we witness the effect all this has on a vulnerable Luke as he finds himself in a lawsuit after pummeling a thug by the name of Cockroach for abusing his wife and kids. It's this red flag which makes Luke's girlfriend, Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson), realize he's losing his way, with the incident later sparking a confrontation which irrevocably fractures their relationship; beyond repair it seems.

Claire wants Luke to make amends with his dad and heal, but he won't listen to her, instead feeling incensed at her intrusion. In the middle of the dispute in her apartment, Luke's emotions boil over and he punches a hole in Claire's wall, evoking the trauma of her past which was coincidentally mired by anger and domestic abuse in her own family. She breaks things off and a distraught Luke immediately finds himself ambushed by Bushmaster, who proceeds to beat Luke senseless over the course of a couple fights. That's because Luke's mental state is as fragile as ever, and more so, he's not recognizing threats coming his way. Danny Rand (Finn Jones) even tries to fix this as he realizes his friend is letting rage get the better of him. As the Iron Fist puts it, Luke needs to be centered or "still."

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It's a tough lesson which Harlem's Hero struggles to grasp, partially because his ego is in the way. Sure, he doesn't seem interested in endorsements and celebrity signings, but we get a clear picture that deep down, Luke's humility is waning and he's sadly buying into his own superhero hype. And through this arrogance, Luke believes he's truly infallible, so anyone who thinks his persona and brutish bravado are off-key are simply wrong and offensive.

When his pride is dented and machismo wounded by Bushmaster's beatdowns, he continues his downward spiral, wanting to go headfirst into a rematch without resting, recovering and doing the proper reconnaissance work on his enemy. Instead, he grows angrier and less focused, evidenced by him almost choking Bushmaster to death in a moment of blind fury later on.

luke cage finale

Ultimately, Luke's hubris is his Achilles heel, eventually leading him to isolate key members of his inner-circle in the season finale. When he inherits Mariah's mantle as Harlem's king, or as he says, its "sheriff", he's no longer on speaking terms with Claire, while also brushing off colleagues like Misty Knight (Simone Messick) and D.W. Griffith (Jeremiah Craft) who point out he is indeed a gang leader.

RELATED: How Luke Cage’s Big Finale Twist Sets Up Season 3

Whatever anger he's sacrificed, it's been transformed into pure narcissism. Sure, Power Man is now the messiah of Harlem, but as his father reminded him, power will either hurt or corrupt, thus setting Luke up for his own downfall.

Streaming now on Netflix, Marvel’s Luke Cage Season 2 stars Mike Colter, Simone Missick, Alfre Woodard, Theo Rossi, Mustafa Shakir, Gabrielle Dennis, Rosario Dawson and Reg E. Cathey.