History YMMV / LukeCage2016

** With the release of ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse'', this series is now no longer the last time Mahershala Ali played a Marvel villain [[spoiler:who was killed by another villain.]]
** Mahershala Ali ended up getting the last laugh over Alfre Woodard when she moved to the MCU movies as a minor single scene character, while he became Blade!
** Mahershala Ali voiced Titan in ''WesternAnimation/{{Invincible|2021}}'' who can best be described as an evil version of Luke Cage, being a black man with nigh invulnerable skin who cares for his community.

** Another instance occurs in the season 1 finale with Misty. Inspector Ridley [[NiceJobBreakingItHero slams her for not trusting her fellow officers enough]] to [[spoiler: protect Candace]], and the show seems to paint Misty's poor judgement as the reason [[spoiler: Mariah]] goes free. However, this admonishment of Misty ignores that this was the same police department recently revealed to have been mired with {{Dirty Cop}}s, one of whom was ''Misty's own partner''. Couple this with the fact that it's only been a matter of months since it was discovered that [[Series/Daredevil2015 large parts of the 15th Precinct were on Wilson Fisk's payroll]] and it's not hard to see why Misty would've had reservations trusting her colleagues. [[spoiler:Season 2 also shows that the 29th Precinct is by no means free of corruption, making Misty's decision in season 1 look even more justified.]]

* StrawmanHasAPoint: Scarfe is a DirtyCop, but when he makes remarks in episode 3 about why he celebrates [[CopsNeedTheVigilante a vigilante helping cops out]], after years of investigation with no payoff, his argument makes a lot of sense. ''Especially'' when corruption is InherentInTheSystem and DifferentlyPoweredIndividuals exist everywhere. It helps that there were no deaths, so even if he wasn't trained like Misty complained, he was able to go in a place full of armed gangsters without any real danger. Sure, he's corrupt, and he basically advocates giving up and HoldingOutForAHero, but until they find a way of evening the playing field, it's not like they can do anything about it.
** Another instance occurs in the season 1 finale with Misty. Inspector Ridley [[NiceJobBreakingItHero slams her for not trusting her fellow officers enough]] to [[spoiler: protect Candace]], and the show seems to paint Misty's poor judgement as the reason [[spoiler: Mariah]] goes free. However, this seems to ignore the fact that this was the same police department recently revealed to be mired with {{Dirty Cop}}s, one of whom was ''Misty's own partner''. Coupled on with the fact that it's only been a matter of months since it was uncovered that [[Series/Daredevil2015 large parts of the 15th Precinct were on Wilson Fisk's payroll]], it's not hard to see why Misty would've had reservations trusting her colleagues.

* RootingForTheEmpire: Bushmaster in season 2 has a huge [[EvilIsCool Cool factor]], a sympathetic backstory, [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes genuinely cares about his friends and relatives]], and his entire motivation is a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against [[KickTheSonOfABitch one of the most despicable characters in the show]]. You'd be forgiven for sympathizing with him when he goes against Mariah Dillard.

** Some fans are split if whatever or not it was an good idea to have Alfre Woodard play two different roles in the MCU, since she appeared previously in the MCU as Miriam Sharpe in ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' before her appearance as Mariah Dillard, there are some fans that are fine with this, since it's unlikely that Mariah and Miriam would ever have met anyway, and this isn't the first time an actor in the MCU has ever played more than one role,[[note]]Creator/TonyCurran played Bor in ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'', and later appeared in season 2 of ''Series/Daredevil2015'' as Finn Cooley, Matt Gerald played White Power Dave in ''Film/AllHailTheKing'' and Melvin Potter in ''Series/Daredevil2015'', Laura Haddock played a fan of Captain America in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'' and Meredith Quill in ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014'' and Enver Gjokaj played a cop in ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' and Daniel Sousa on ''Series/AgentCarter''[[/note]] while others see this as an wasted opportunity, feeling that this would've been the perfect way to connect the Netflix shows with the movies, and that by having her be the same character from ''Civil War'' could have been a factor in her villany after losing her son in the aftermath of the battle against Ultron (though the show actually takes place before the film).

* MoralEventHorizon: Mariah's killing of [[spoiler:Cottonmouth]], while brutal, was in retaliation for a ''very'' ugly and uncalled-for remark. The list of villains who ''haven't'' killed for less can be counted on one hand, and it's questionable whether the act was intentional. But personally ordering the completely innocent Candace's assassination showed that she had inherited the role Mama Mabel had held years ago.
** Mariah pretty much crosses the line with ''everyone'' in season 2 after she [[spoiler:orders a restaurant full of innocent people killed and personally kills Anansi by ''burning him alive''. Even Shades is completely taken aback by the brutality and that's when the heroes and other villains come to the realization that she needs to be stopped at all costs.]]

* AuthorsSavingThrow:
** For Season 2, Cheo Hodari Coker [[https://www.comicbookmovie.com/tv/marvel/luke_cage/luke-cage-season-2-major-new-details-revealed-about-the-villains-a-heroes-for-hire-spinoff-and-more-a159405 went to great lengths]] to avoid the sorts of issues that season 1 had. Pretty much everything about Bushmaster is a response to these criticisms, namely, giving us a villain that can fight Luke one-on-one without mechanical aids.
** After many fans were just plain confused at the show bending over backwards to try to make [[DirtyCop Scarfe]] sympathetic in his dying hours, Season 2 digs a lot deeper into the problems the exposure of his corruption caused, with his name being mud in the station.
** The second season also tones down the show's moralizing and gives Luke actual character flaws, namely arrogance when the fame goes to his head and a temper [[spoiler: that causes Claire to leave him]].
* BaseBreakingCharacter: Diamondback. Some fans love the LargeHam performance and [[spoiler:his personal connection to Luke that makes for a more emotional climax]], while others just find him silly and wish [[spoiler:Cottonmouth had stayed for the whole season.]] And others still think [[spoiler:his character wasn't really foreshadowed beyond his name, with Luke making no reference to him]], and as such, this makes the show's writing [[spoiler:clumsily try to catch the audience up on who he is.]] Others would've preferred the focus instead shifted to Mariah and/or Shades, [[spoiler:though that thankfully is what ends up happening in season 2]].

** Some fans are split if whatever or not it was an good idea to have Alfre Woodard play two different roles in the MCU, since she appeared previously in the MCU as Miriam Sharpe in ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' before her appearance as Mariah Dillard, there are some fans that are fine with this, since it's unlikely that Mariah and Miriam would ever have met anyway, and this isn't the first time an actor in the MCU has ever played more than one role,[[note]]Creator/TonyCurran played Bor in ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'', and later appeared in season 2 of ''Series/Daredevil2015'' as Finn Cooley, Matt Gerald played White Power Dave in ''Film/AllHailTheKing'' and Melvin Potter in ''Series/Daredevil2015'', Laura Haddock played a fan of Captain America in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'' and Meredith Quill in ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' and Enver Gjokaj played a cop in ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' and Daniel Sousa on ''Series/AgentCarter''[[/note]] while others see this as an wasted opportunity, feeling that this would've been the perfect way to connect the Netflix shows with the movies, and that by having her be the same character from ''Civil War'' could have been a factor in her villany after losing her son in the aftermath of the battle against Ultron (though the show actually takes place before the film).

* WhatAnIdiot:
** When henchmen empty their guns at Luke, bullets bounce off of him. What do they do? [[MoreDakka Light him up like the Fourth of July]]. And it takes a while for gangsters to spread the word or even warn Cottonmouth about the bulletproof issue. Case in point: when Luke turns up at Harlem's Paradise, right after surviving a building falling on him, and has a fight on the floor with some of Cottonmouth's henchmen, some of whom try using guns to shoot him.
--->'''Luke:''' [[SarcasmMode It's called deductive reasoning.]] If a rocket launcher couldn't stop me, what's a little pea shooter gonna do?
*** For season 2, an explanation is given for why gangbangers continue to try shooting Luke when they know it won't work. The season opens with Luke storming a drug lab making Arturo Rey's "Luke Cage" branded heroin. The men there point guns at Luke, who says, "[[HereWeGoAgain Really, guys?]]" One of the thugs replies, "[[VillainousValor We gotta know we tried, man!]]" suggesting that they believe it to be a badge of honor to be beaten up by Luke. At the end of season 2, when Rosalie Carbone's head of security tries shooting him, Luke quips "[[ShroudedInMyth People always want to see if the myth is true]]."
** Zip trying too hard to play the tough guy ends up with [[spoiler: him trying to strangle Shades while his henchmen stand by and do nothing, only for Shades to take one of their guns, kill the two muscle, then kill Zip himself after getting a confession out of him.]]
** Tone happily telling his violent and impulsive boss that he disobeyed direct orders to make sure that Chico exited [[spoiler: Pop's Barber Shop]] before shooting, excitedly mentioning how he lit the place up rather than just shoot his target, not to mention admitting that he killed [[spoiler: Pop]], the much beloved cornerstone of the community and someone that Cottonmouth respected due to their past friendship. [[YouHaveFailedMe After that, it was really only a matter of]] ''[[YouHaveFailedMe how]]'' [[YouHaveFailedMe badly this was going to end for him, not if or when.]]
** When Amos first meets Luke, he shatters his wrist punching him. Fastforward a few episodes and Amos is one of Cottonmouth's men who is there to corner Luke when he comes to Harlem's Paradise to confront Cottonmouth. Amos has his entire right arm wrapped in a cast, knows full well what would happen if he punched Luke again, but still tries to fight him anyway.
** Misty doesn't lock her phone with a password. Beyond that, she apparently uses the ''real'' names of her informants when she stores contacts. [[spoiler: So, when her phone is stolen by Shades in the ruckus of the fight between Luke and Diamondback, he has a direct line to Candace and can call her out of hiding to get killed.]]
** Diamondback's plan to frame Luke hinges a lot on the police really hating Luke. While killing a cop with a single punch screaming "I'M LUKE CAGE!" might pass if the cops go on the assumption Luke had snapped, he then improvises a hostage takeover with a lot of contradicting statements from the witnesses, which causes Shades and Mariah to turn against him, and eventually, he just starts brawling with Luke in the streets.
** Piranha [[spoiler: just ups and leaves the church just so that he can call his mom and tries to leave town. Predictably, Bushmaster and his men capture and kill him.]]

** [[spoiler: Diamondback, who's over the top personality and air of danger always let's you know something crazy is gonna happen almost every minute he's onscreen.]]

* MinorityShowGhetto: Averted. The show has a black lead and an almost entirely black or Latino cast, and it went on to become the fifth most-watched original show in Netflix's history, beating out ''Series/JessicaJones2015'' and a number of other Netflix originals.

* PortmanteauCoupleName: [=ShadyMariah=] for Mariah and Shades. Taken UpToEleven when Theo Rossi was using this hashtag pretty heavily during season 2's promotional tour.

* FoeYay:
** Most obvious between Misty and Luke, even if they're technically on the same side - just have different approaches on tackling crime. Hell, they had a one-night stand on the first episode, which Luke gleefully references as he tells her that she "knows where his apartment is" when attempting to take him in for questioning.
** Also very apparent in Luke's face-to-face interactions with Mariah. In season 1, when he crosses paths with her outside her brownstone while on his morning jog, and she tells him "Who you' callin a spinster? I'd wear your narrow ass out", and later remarks that he must have a woman with "his fine ass". In season 2 she acts seductively at times when trying to get Luke to squirm.

* StrawmanHasAPoint: Scarfe is a DirtyCop, but when he makes remarks in episode 3 about why he celebrates [[CopsNeedTheVigilante a vigilante helping cops out]], after years of investigation with no payoff, his argument makes a lot of sense. ''Especially'' when corruption is InherentInTheSystem and DifferentlyPoweredIndividuals exist everywhere. It helps that there were no deaths, so even if he wasn't trained like Misty complained, he was able to go in a place full of armed gangsters without any real danger. Sure, he's corrupt, and he basically advocates giving up and HoldingOutForAHero, but until they find a secret MugglePower, it's not like they can do anything about it.

** In the first season, not an episode goes by without the characters launching into at least one lengthy and highly philosophical discussion about the ideal of Harlem and the roots and nature of African-American culture, such as the scene in Pop's where Luke and Pop just happen to be discussing Harlem Renaissance authors rather than, say, how the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation Knicks]] are doing. Also, if you didn't know a black man in a hoodie can be a hero before watching the show, well, the show is more than happy to tell. There are some subtle exchanges to bring the point home further. When [[Music/WuTangClan Method Man]] exchanges his hoodie for Luke's bullet-ridden one, he remarks (about being saved by Luke), "You ever see anything like that?" Another hostage remarks, "Harlem, baby, Harlem," as the camera focuses on the bullet holes in the hoodie. The second season dialed it back a great deal. Racial issues are still discussed, but not nearly as on-the-nose.
** The show makes no attempt to steer away from relevant issues that the black community faces, especially considering the increased awareness and discussions of racism within the US when the show debuted, and it actually received [[http://io9.gizmodo.com/marvel-s-luke-cage-is-the-unapologetically-black-superh-1786315815 high praise]] for its willingness to engage such issues head-on. Furthermore, Luke's character has [[http://www.jstor.org/stable/4241520?seq=2#page_scan_tab_contents been connected to the struggles of African-Americans against systematic racism]] so ''not'' engaging with those issues would simply be untrue to the character.
** Some have complained that the show's frequent messages about black pride and the importance of a bulletproof black man are on the nose, but considering that the black community's struggles are so prominent in the political scene of TheNewTens, a more reserved example would surely have fallen short of the mark.
** Season 2 comes with a pretty heavy-handed theme: crime does not pay. Even rising to the top of the criminal underworld comes with misery, from destroyed personal relationships and constantly looking over your shoulder. [[spoiler:''All'' of the major villains are worse off by the end of the second season; Mariah falls from grace both as a politician and crime lord, and is sent to prison and then later fatally poisoned by her own daughter. Bushmaster never gets his revenge on Mariah and almost all of his family is dead and his body is broken beyond repair, and he's forced to flee the country because he's wanted by the cops. Shades finally faces the music for his crimes after he sticks by Mariah's side and kills Comanche, someone whom he actually loved and was working to get them both out the gangster lifestyle. Not to mention the countless underlings killed and shady businessmen ruined by their shady dealings or killed themselves.]]

** Season 2 comes with a pretty heavy-handed theme: crime does not pay. Even rising to the top of the criminal underworld comes with misery, from destroyed personal relationships and constantly looking over your shoulder. [[spoiler:''All'' of the major villains are worse off by the end of the second and final season; Mariah falls from grace both as a politician and crime lord, and is sent to prison and then later fatally poisoned by her own daughter. Bushmaster never gets his revenge on Mariah and almost all of his family is dead and his body is broken beyond repair, and he's forced to flee the country because he's wanted by the cops. Shades finally faces the music for his crimes after he sticks by Mariah's side and kills Comanche, someone whom he actually loved and was working to get them both out the gangster lifestyle. Not to mention the countless underlings killed and shady businessmen ruined by their shady dealings or killed themselves.]]

** Season 2 comes with a pretty heavy-handed theme: crime does not pay. Even rising to the top of the criminal underworld comes with misery, from destroyed personal relationships and constantly looking over your shoulder. [[spoiler:''All'' of the major villains are worse off by the end of the season; Mariah falls from grace both as a politician and crime lord, and is sent to prison and then later fatally poisoned by her own daughter. Bushmaster never gets his revenge on Mariah and almost all of his family is dead and his body is broken beyond repair, and he's forced to flee the country because he's wanted by the cops. Shades finally faces the music for his crimes after he sticks by Mariah's side and kills Comanche, someone whom he actually loved and was working to get them both out the gangster lifestyle. Not to mention the countless underlings killed and shady businessmen ruined by their shady dealings or killed themselves.]]

** Black viewers are split on the show's politics. There's a contingent who feel that the show strongly represents historic black heroes and African American culture and is also a good integration of modern black politics into the MCU. Others have criticized the show for "[[StopBeingStereotypical respectability politics]]", which can be summarized as criticizing other black people for behaving in ways other ethnicities don't respect. Still others argue that the show's message is agreeable but [[DontShootTheMessage painfully overdone]], while others see that as the AnvilOfTheStory.

** The second season also tones down the shows moralizing and gives Luke actual character flaws, namely arrogance when the fame goes to his head and a temper [[spoiler: that causes Claire to leave him]].

* {{Anvilicious}}: I
** In the first season, not an episode goes by without the characters launching into at least one lengthy and highly philosophical discussion about the ideal of Harlem and the roots and nature of African-American culture, such as the scene in Pop's where Luke and Pop just happen to be discussing Harlem Renaissance authors rather than, say, how the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation Knicks]] are doing. Also, if you didn't know a black man in a hoodie can be a hero before watching the show, well, the show is more than happy to tell. There are some subtle exchanges to bring the point home further. When [[Music/WuTangClan Method Man]] exchanges his hoodie for Luke's bullet-ridden one, he remarks (about being saved by Luke), "You ever see anything like that?" Another hostage remarks, "Harlem, baby, Harlem," as the camera focuses on the bullet holes in the hoodie. The second season dialed it back a great deal. Racial issues are still discussed, but not nearly as on-the-nose.

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: Notable for being the first Netflix Marvel series to ''avert'' this. Luke spends the first half of season one utterly gutting Cottonmouth's criminal operations, and the latter's victories ultimately prove ineffectual and fleeting [[spoiler: before he's ultimately killed by Episode 7]]. When [[KnightOfCerebus Diamondback]] ultimately steps up to the plate and proves a real threat to Luke, the odds aren't stacked against him nearly as badly as [[Series/Daredevil2015 Wilson Fisk]] or [[Series/JessicaJones2015 Kilgrave]]. [[spoiler: Which makes the SuddenDownerEnding of Candace's death hit that much harder. Even then, Bobby Fish is able to find the files proving Luke's innocence, and he makes his introduction in ''The Defenders'' being released from prison thanks to Foggy Nelson's lawyering]].

* {{Anvilicious}}: In the first season, not an episode goes by without the characters launching into at least one lengthy and highly philosophical discussion about the ideal of Harlem and the roots and nature of African-American culture, such as the scene in Pop's where Luke and Pop just happen to be discussing Harlem Renaissance authors rather than, say, how the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation Knicks]] are doing. Also, if you didn't know a black man in a hoodie can be a hero before watching the show, well, the show is more than happy to tell. There are some subtle exchanges to bring the point home further. When [[Music/WuTangClan Method Man]] exchanges his hoodie for Luke's bullet-ridden one, he remarks (about being saved by Luke), "You ever see anything like that?" Another hostage remarks, "Harlem, baby, Harlem," as the camera focuses on the bullet holes in the hoodie. The second season dialed it back a great deal. Racial issues are still discussed, but not nearly as on-the-nose.

** Black viewers are split on the show's politics. There's a contingent who feel that the show strongly represents historic black heroes and African American culture and is also a good integration of modern black politics into the MCU. Others have criticized the show for "[[StopBeingStereotypical respectability politics]]", which can be summarized as criticizing other black people for behaving in ways other ethnicities don't respect. Still others argue that the show's message is agreeable but [[DontShootTheMessage painfully overdone]], while others see that as SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped.

* SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped:
** The show makes no attempt to steer away from relevant issues that the black community faces, especially considering the increased awareness and discussions of racism within the US when the show debuted, and it actually received [[http://io9.gizmodo.com/marvel-s-luke-cage-is-the-unapologetically-black-superh-1786315815 high praise]] for its willingness to engage such issues head-on. Furthermore, Luke's character has [[http://www.jstor.org/stable/4241520?seq=2#page_scan_tab_contents been connected to the struggles of African-Americans against systematic racism]] so ''not'' engaging with those issues would simply be untrue to the character.
** Some have complained that the show's frequent messages about black pride and the importance of a bulletproof black man are on the nose, but considering that the black community's struggles are so prominent in the political scene of TheNewTens, a more reserved example would surely have fallen short of the mark.
** Season 2 comes with a pretty heavy-handed theme that's nonetheless relevant and necessary: crime does not pay. Even rising to the top of the criminal underworld comes with misery, from destroyed personal relationships and constantly looking over your shoulder. [[spoiler: ''All'' of the major villains are worse off by the end of the season; Mariah falls from grace both as a politician and crime lord, and is sent to prison and then later fatally poisoned by her own daughter. Bushmaster never gets his revenge on Mariah and almost all of his family is dead and his body is broken beyond repair, and he's forced to flee the country because he's wanted by the cops. Shades finally faces the music for his crimes after he sticks by Mariah's side and kills Comanche, someone whom he actually loved and was working to get them both out the gangster lifestyle. Not to mention the countless underlings killed and shady businessmen ruined by their shady dealings or killed themselves.]]