WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Devil's Reign #2, now on sale
The Marvel Universe has plenty of impressive heroes but there are only a handful who could really translate their power into political leadership. While Iron Man may believe he's perfectly suited for such a position, it turns out the other heroes have a different idea.
Devil's Reign #2 by Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, Marcio Menyz, and Clayton Cowles makes a (pretty compelling case) for Luke Cage to be the hero to run against Kingpin for the mayorship of New York City. On top of being a good counter to Fisk's plans, it's also a great development for Cage going forward.
Wilson Fisk has increasingly spread his power and influence throughout the Marvel Universe as Mayor of New York -- and is trying to spread it even further in Devil's Reign, formally making superheroes illegal in the city and succesfully jailing many of them. The heroes who remain free have been doing their best to unite against this threat, gathering at Avengers Mansion. There, Tony Stark reiterates his plans to formally run for Mayor against Kingpin, giving the heroes an ally in public office. But as the rest of the Avengers explain, that might not be the best idea. Instead, Captain America, Miles Morales, Jessica Jones, and Daredevil argue that it should be Luke Cage who takes on that role.
It's actually a very good point, partly because Tony's history could easily be turned against him and give Fisk an easier path to victory. It's also a very good reminder of how important Luke Cage is -- and should be -- in the Marvel Universe. Luke has long been a fighter for the people, defending the neighborhoods of New York with Heroes For Hire before he ever became an Avenger. As Daredevil notes, he's one of the only major heroes in New York who has never tried to hide his identity -- meaning the public already likes and trusts him far more than almost any other hero currently available in that position. He has the ability to lead with the moral high ground, and has done so succesfully -- both outside the government (as a member of the Avengers) and working alongside it (as the one-time leader of the Thunderbolts).
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Cage has a proven track record when it comes to balancing his private and hero lives: he succesfully grew a family with Jessica Jones while still fighting for what's right, giving him the kind of family and personality that might be good to convince the public to more readily trust him with the safety of the city. Although it's clear Tony doesn't care for the idea -- or the blow to his ego -- he still seems to agree that it makes sense, and volunteers to give him whatever money he needs. It's a solid idea for the heroes to work with, and actually translates to a potentially exciting development for Luke in general -- who's been underutilized as of late.
Ever since the character became a larger fixture in the 21st century Marvel Universe, he's been shifted around and grown both as a hero and a leader -- becoming a fixture and even leader of the Avengers for a period. Luke has largely played a supporting role recently, however, working alongside other heroes in events like Empyre and Contagion while not necessarily taking center stage. Setting Luke up as the Mayor of New York could give him a newly vital role in the universe -- letting him lead the hero community from a unique position of authority and allow him to shift the status quo for the hero community as a whole. It also serves as a fitting development for the character to take going forward, and could cement how important the character really should be in the Marvel Universe.