Marvel fans are eagerly awaiting the release of the first season of "Marvel's Luke Cage" on Netflix. According to an interview in Complex with actor Mike Colter, those same fans are a big reason we're getting Cage's series so soon.

When "Jessica Jones" debuted on Netflix in 2015, critics praised its diverse points of view, with stories centered around people who aren't always well-represented on television. In particular, Colter’s performance as Luke Cage surprised everyone and put a solo series on the fast track. According to "Luke Cage" showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker, Marvel and Netflix had originally planned to follow-up "Jones" with the martial arts superhero series "Iron Fist." However, Coker said, "Marvel went from, 'We’re gonna take our time' to 'Let’s flip it and do 'Luke Cage' first. We’ve got this great concept and this guy is leaping off the screen, let’s follow the momentum.'"

Besides Cage's performance, Coker had worked up a treatment capturing his vision for the show that impressed the studios. H"I didn’t want to eradicate ['Jessica Jones' showrunner] Melissa Rosenberg’s conception of Luke Cage, I wanted to expand it," said Coker. His treatment changed Cage from a reluctant superhero, emotionally crushed by the death of his wife, to someone who's the center of the hip-hop culture.

"What I like about my character: Luke Cage is a person first and foremost," said Colter. "We do have other black superheroes, but he’s important because he’s touchable. Luke has moments when he has to try to forget his pain, but then unlike the rest of us, he’s also able to channel that frustration into fighting bad guys. Real martyrs aren’t trying to be martyrs. He may never be accepted, but he’s going to walk his own path. That’s what’s heroic to me."

"Luke Cage" is the third in a series of street-level heroes airing on Netflix, along with Daredevil, Jones and Iron Fist, all leading to the "Defenders" team-up mini-series.

Starring Mike Colter, Alfre Woodard, Mahershala Ali, Simone Missick, Rosario Dawson, Theo Rossi and Frank Whaley, “Luke Cage” arrives on Netflix on September 30, 2015.

(via ScreenRant)