History YMMV / LukeCageHeroForHire

* HilariousInHindsight: Doctor Doom [[http://wac.450f.edgecastcdn.net/80450F/comicsalliance.com/files/2010/08/powermandoom02-hfh9.jpg infamously once told Luke Cage]] that he was surprised to see a black man in the ComicBook/FantasticFour. Years later, when Creator/MichaelBJordan was cast in [[Film/FantasticFour2015 the 2015 adaptation]], many [[WTHCastingAgency expressed a similar kind of bewilderment]].

* BrokenBase: ''Cage'', a miniseries by Creator/GenndyTartakovsky that brings the character back to his {{Blaxploitation}} roots which lingered in DevelopmentHell before finally being released in 2016. One group is happy to see Luke "Sweet Christmas" Cage return to his roots in the {{Blaxploitation}} genre, while another group isn't so happy that the comic is reducing Cage back to an outdated stereotype after evolving as character in the years since. It's generally agreed, however, that Tartakovsky applying his personal drawing aesthetic to the character is pretty cool.

* MyRealDaddy: Mary Jo Duffy has probably had the greatest influence on the character, and before his 00s revival by Creator/BrianMichaelBendis. Honorable mentions should probably go to Creator/ChrisClaremont and Fred Van Lente too.

** [[PsychoForHire Hardcore]] is hired by crime boss Cruz Bushmaster to find a way to give him Luke Cage's powers. To learn more about Luke, Hardcore hires [[HavingABlast Nitro]] to kidnap Luke's friend Dakota North, even knowing that Nitro will kill several people in process. Hardcore later kidnaps the scientist who gave Luke Cage his powers, and is forcing him to work in his lab in Colorado that is run like a concentration camp, where Hardcore [[TestedOnHumans will kidnap people with no family and experiment on them]]. These experiments either kill the test subjects immediately, or give the subjects them powers but kills them later. Hardcore reveals that, to distract Luke, he allowed one of his test subjects, a man named Steele, to escape with samples of the Power Man formula, which Steele is planning on using to [[WaterSourceTampering poison the water supply in Colorado]], to force the world to work on a cure. Luke stops Steele, but Hardcore blows up the lab, killing everyone left inside. Later, Hardcore kidnaps Luke again and threatens to kill several of [[IHaveYourWife Luke's loved ones]] if Luke doesn't agree to a dangerous experiment that will give Cruz his powers.

** [[PsychoForHire Hardcore]] is a merc hired by crime boss Cruz Bushmaster to find way to give him Luke Cage's powers. Hardcore wants to kidnap Luke's friend, Dakota North, to learn more about Luke and hires [[PersonOfMassDestruction Nitro]], a psycho with exploding powers, to do it, knowing that Nitro will kill several people in process. Luke saves North, but Hardcore escapes. It is soon revealed that Hardcore has kidnapped the scientist that gave Luke Cage his powers and is forcing him to work in his lab. Hardcore has set up a lab in Colorado that is run like a concentration camp, where Hardcore [[TestedOnHumans will kidnap people with no family and experiments on them]]. Either these experiments will kill the test subjects right away or give them powers, but eventually kill them anyway. Hardcore also kidnaps the brother of a local child Luke has befriended and uses him to lure Luke to his lab. Hardcore wants to experiment on Luke, but he escapes, so Hardcore kills the man Luke was trying to save. As Luke escapes, Hardcore reveals that he allowed one of his test subjects, a man named Steele, to escape with samples of the Power Man formula, which Steele is planning on using to poison the water supply in Colorado, to force the world to work on a cure for this condition. Hardcore allowed that to happen, simply to distract Luke and get a chance to escape. Luke stops Steele, but Hardcore blows up the lab, killing everyone left inside. Later, Hardcore kidnaps Luke again and threatens to kill several of Luke's loved ones that he has kidnapped, if Luke doesn't agree to a dangerous experiment that will give Cruz his powers. Despite being Cruz's [[TheDragon subordinate]], Hardcore [[DragonInChief is in fact]] the true BigBad of that particular StoryArc.

* CrossesTheLineTwice: 4thLetter! once did a countdown of (the writer's) favorite comic books. When Luke Cage came up and the "how much I know about him" section came up, it read, "Enough to know ComicBook/JessicaJones [[BiggerIsBetterInBed has trouble sitting down]]."[[note]] The site also had some very serious and frequent discussions about how [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments Luke might be Marvel's greatest example of the American Dream]] and how he reflects black masculinity in America too. It's not all dick jokes.[[/note]]

* CompleteMonster: [[PsychoForHire Hardcore]] is a merc hired by crime boss Cruz Bushmaster to find way to give him Luke Cage's powers. Hardcore wants to kidnap Luke's friend, Dakota North, to learn more about Luke and hires [[PersonOfMassDestruction Nitro]], a psycho with exploding powers, to do it, knowing that Nitro will kill several people in process. Luke saves North, but Hardcore escapes. It is soon revealed that Hardcore has kidnapped the scientist that gave Luke Cage his powers and is forcing him to work in his lab. Hardcore has set up a lab in Colorado that is run like a concentration camp, where Hardcore [[TestedOnHumans will kidnap people with no family and experiments on them]]. Either these experiments will kill the test subjects right away or give them powers, but eventually kill them anyway. Hardcore also kidnaps the brother of a local child Luke has befriended and uses him to lure Luke to his lab. Hardcore wants to experiment on Luke, but he escapes, so Hardcore kills the man Luke was trying to save. As Luke escapes, Hardcore reveals that he allowed one of his test subjects, a man named Steele, to escape with samples of the Power Man formula, which Steele is planning on using to poison the water supply in Colorado, to force the world to work on a cure for this condition. Hardcore allowed that to happen, simply to distract Luke and get a chance to escape. Luke stops Steele, but Hardcore blows up the lab, killing everyone left inside. Later, Hardcore kidnaps Luke again and threatens to kill several of Luke's loved ones that he has kidnapped, if Luke doesn't agree to a dangerous experiment that will give Cruz his powers. Despite being Cruz's [[TheDragon subordinate]], Hardcore [[DragonInChief is in fact]] the true BigBad of that particular StoryArc.