WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Season 2 of Marvel's Luke Cage, streaming on Netflix now.
Netflix first plunged fans into its own corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Daredevil in. From there, the streaming service's partnership with Marvel quickly grew, first with the introduction of Luke Cage and Jessica Jones, then the arrival of Elektra and the Punisher, and finally Danny Rand, who was the last big Marvel hero to get his own show before the Defenders would assemble to save New York City in a massive event series. These characters quickly came to realize that there were others like themselves out there, street-level heroes barely scraping by, dedicating their lives to helping people. Once the city was saved in Defenders' final act, they went their separate ways, but their world had fundamentally changed. It had gotten bigger, with friends and allies patrolling the same neighborhoods, just a phone call or chance meeting at a local bodega away.
Coming out of The Defenders, The Punisher featured a starring role for Daredevil's Karen Page, but that was as far as that series went when it came to connecting with the greater MCU. For all intents and purposes, The Punisher was its own standalone story. Then came the second season of Jessica Jones, which continued Jessica's story with barely any acknowledgement of the shared universe the private investigator was a part of, save for a few forced mentions.
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But then came Season 2 of Luke Cage, which took advantage of the bigger world the show is a part of. The new season not only features special guest appearances and numerous name-drops, it does so in a manner that feels organic to the story unfolding on screen.
Season 2 of Luke Cage didn't shy away from using the large cast of Netflix's corner of the MCU. Not only do we get appearances from Claire Temple, Foggy Nelson and career criminal Turk Barrett, we also get visits from Iron Fist's fan-favorite Colleen Wing as well as a full episode guest-starring Finn Jones' Danny Rand.
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Each of these characters' appearances served a very specific and important purpose. Claire was partly responsible for fueling Luke's rage and anger that would drive him for the better part of the season. Foggy is brought in as Luke's lawyer when he's sued by a criminal Luke beat to a pulp; Colleen helps Misty Knight cope with the loss of her arm, and Danny Rand visits Harlem to support his friend Luke in his time of need -- not to mention fight by his side as Luke takes on Bushmaster's army of soldiers.
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But Luke Cage takes things far further than those examples. As the story of Bushmaster, Mariah Dillard Stokes and Shades unfolds, the series finds the time to organically weave in nods to the larger universe Luke is a part of. Misty's prosthetic arm arrives courtesy of Rand Enterprises, and Claire invoked Matt Murdock's own inner demons and sacrifice when trying to get through to Luke. Turk Barrett recognized Danny's reputation in fighting Madame Gao, and Karen Page was mentioned by the police and fellow reporters. None of these moments ever felt forced because they carried the story forward. As a result Netflix's corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe grew deeper and stronger roots.
All of this, combined with a strong narrative, makes Luke Cage's sophomore effort something that feels like pure, old school Marvel Comics. Seeing Danny and Luke talk in the barbershop, or having Colleen share a drink with Misty made the show feel like a street-level Marvel comic book, in the best way possible. Since these heroes all inhabit the same neighborhoods, and since the actors are all under , it only makes sense for the various television series to use that to their advantage.
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Since Luke had such a big presence in the first season of Jessica Jones, it was a bit disappointing not to see him (or anyone else, really) make at least a brief appearance in Season 2. The same could be said for The Punisher, which could have found a way to add in a least a couple of familiar faces. With Daredevil Season 3, Iron Fist Season 2, The Punisher Season 2 and Jessica Jones Season 3 all currently in production, one can only hope that the next crop of Netflix's Marvel series will follow in Luke Cage's footsteps and make the best use possible of the impressive superhero world at their disposal.
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.