Luke Cage: Why the World Needs a Bulletproof Black Man
The story of a man with unbreakable skin and a will to match is as timely as it is necessary.
A Primer on Luke Cage: Power Man
In many ways Luke Cage’s story is unlike any we’ve heard before. In others, it feels all too familiar. Carl Lucas, wrongfully jailed for a crime he did not commit, “volunteers” for a governmental experiment attempting to re-create the conditions that gave the world Captain America in exchange for a shorter sentence. As happens in comics, things go awry thanks to a brutal and vindictive prison guard. There is an accident, an explosion, and out of the rubble Carl Lucas emerges reborn with incredible physical strength and unbreakable skin.
In the tradition of Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, and others Carl renames himself Lucas “Luke” Cage a no-so-subtle reminder of his past, present, and future. His original (and super 70s costume) even had a chain belt and gauntlets resembling shackles meant to show to everyone watching that he was indeed a free person.
In the mighty Marvel tradition (see also Spider-Man) Luke establishes himself as a “hero for hire” assisting anyone in the community who can meet his price. However, seeing the broader social concerns afflicting his neighbors such as gentrification, drug addiction, and homelessness, he often waives his fee. Of course not everyone is so lucky.
Eventually, as superheroes are wont to do, Cage assumes the moniker of “Power Man” claiming as a part of himself that which has never before been afforded him. After befriending fellow super hero Iron Fist (upcoming Netflix show), Luke marries Jessica Jones (Also, Netflix), has a baby girl and becomes the leader of The Avengers.
Currently starring in David Walker’s and Sandford Greene’s best-selling comic Power Man & Iron Fist, Luke’s story still centers on issues and injustices weighing on communities that are so often ignored. One of the few titles written and illustrated by artists of color, Luke’s story continues to be one that reflects its social, political, and cultural context most recently dealing with issues of police brutality as well as the physical and emotional toll it takes.
Why Luke Cage Matters Now
For decades superhero stories have allowed readers to imagine a better world. These colorful characters embody what we believe and hope to be true about ourselves and each other. Faced with unspeakable tragedy, we hope we can focus our strengths to ensure no one else suffers (Bat-Man). We believe that truth and justice will ultimately prevail (Superman), that we would fight prejudice (X-Men), and that given the opportunity to do so, we would use our great power responsibly for the betterment of humankind (Spider-Man).
But before Bruce, Clark, Peter, or Luke there was John Henry a Black man with superhuman strength and speed determined to stand against continued dehumanization and ostracism of his community even at the cost of his life. It was John Henry who stood against injustice and the threats of unemployment, poverty, and death. As musicologist and folklorist Jeanette Bicknell notes, “John Henry is a symbol of physical strength and endurance, of exploited labor, of the dignity of a human being against the degradation of the machine age, and of racial pride and solidarity.”
John Henry’s legend served to unite, inspire, and comfort those living under the brutal and inhuman social, economic, and cultural conditions of Jim Crow America. The hope provided by the collective sharing of truth through storytelling empowered people terrorized by the brutalities or segregation, racism, and discrimination to claim pride, power, agency, and to say that they would indeed overcome.
In this same tradition, the story and character of Luke Cage offers a mirror to continue to examine ourselves, the nation, and the world around us. When he burst onto the comic book landscape just after the Voting Rights Act was passed, Luke Cage was the first super hero of color not to be a sidekick, cannon fodder, or a so-called Magical Negro. As the years passed though he ditched his silver tiara, belt, gauntlets, and Power Man title, the story remained constant: Luke Cage is an African American man living in the United States despite the best efforts of supernatural and extraterrestrial threats, megalomaniacal super villains, and from his own country. Bullets may bounce off his body, but he feels what it is to be Black in America.
In the comic books, Cage initially wears a length of chain in recognition that he is no longer in bondage, a reflection of the era’s Black Pride sentiments. In the 2016 Netflix series, actor Mike Colter dons a black and yellow hoodie. Yellow as an homage to Cage’s seventies roots, but the hoodie itself an intentional reference to Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis, and hundreds of others killed by police. Says Colter in a recent interview, “We can’t cover our head when it’s cold and raining because God forbid someone sees us and puts our life in danger. We wanted to pay homage to that — it’s not something we were shying away from."
Moreover, given the social and political landscape the current iterations of page and screen find themselves a part of, bullets ricocheting off a Black Man carry an entirely different meaning than when they bounce off a Man of Steel. Seeing Cage break out of Seagate Prison using only his bare hands is laden with an altogether different subtext than when Batman escapes from Arkham Asylum for example.
Luke Cage exists in an unprecedented era of surveillance, disenfranchisement, and political polarization. He lives in a culture of mass incarceration where according to some sources, one in three black males will end up imprisoned. Certainly in a time where big banks, police officers, and politicians seemingly take no responsibility and face no repercussions or justice for their actions, it would be understandable to embrace cynicism. But this is also the era of Black Lives Matter. It is also the time of democratic journalism, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. These instances haven’t become more pervasive, but they have become more instantaneously visible. And it is Luke Cage that continues to be a part of making these stories and issues visible.
Part of the brilliance of Luke Cage’s story is that it has grown, developed, and changed to fit — and perhaps reflect — the surrounding social, political, and cultural context. While this story is not a Black Lives Matter story per se, black lives indeed matter very much and are inseparable from the character and his meaning. Certainly Black Art from Langston Hughes, James Baldwin or Richard Wright has centered the importance of Black life and existence. About demonstrating humanity and spotlighting the significance of an often unheard perspective. Though he may fight foes in garish costumes and spout catchphrases including the infamous “Sweet Christmas”, Luke Cage is a continuation of this artistic and literary tradition and of no less importance. Of course, as Coulter says, “The people who are watching will tell us what having a bulletproof black man means to them”, but the story carries meaning and weight nevertheless.
So as Cage’s profile is on the rise and new viewers and readers begin to engage with A Bulletproof Black Man On his indestructible shoulders Cage carries the legacy of his real-world ancestors, and embodies the spirit of a people that refuses to be crushed, marginalized, and ignored. His story by necessity is political. Through seemingly insurmountable odds and forces he presses onward seeking justice. As 2016 gives way to 2017, Lucas Cage is still standing, perhaps taller than ever before, and as he foils everything from bank heists to interstellar invasions Luke Cage makes an important statement just by existing. We see you Luke.
