Who is Luke Cage?
Here’s something interesting … his real name is Carl Lucas! He and his friend Willis Stryker (Diamondback) grew up in Harlem, NY, and spent their childhood in a gang called the Bloods. They committed petty crimes. During his teen years, Carl would be in and out of juvenile homes. He finally realized how his actions were hurting his family, so he looked to better himself as an adult by finding employment.
Meanwhile, his friend Stryker rose through the ranks of crime, but the two stayed friends. When Stryker’s activities angered the Maggia, he was badly beaten in a mob hit. Lucas got involved and saved Stryker. When Reva Connors, broke up with Stryker, she left him for Carl. Stryker planted stolen (from Cornell Cottonmouth) heroin in Lucas’s apartment and told the police. Lucas was arrested and sent to prison. Contact with his family was sparse and he was believed dead.
In prison, Lucas was upset over Stryker’s betrayal and his father’s supposed death. He would engage in frequent brawls and escape attempts. He would eventually be sent to Seagate prison. He became the favorite target of security guard Albert Rackham.
Research scientist Dr. Noah Burstein used Lucas as a volunteer for experimental cell regeneration. Lucas’s treatment was accelerated past its intent, inducing body-wide enhancement that gave him superhuman strength and durability. He used his new power to escape Seagate and made his way back to New York.
He adopted the alias Luke Cage and started wearing a costume. He would launch a career as a “Hero for Hire,” helping anyone who could meet his price. He befriended D.W. Griffith who knew Dr. Claire Temple. Cage and Claire began dating. Stryker had become a Maggia agent known as Diamondback. He died battling Cage after the Maggia tasked him with killing Luke. Luke would also do battle with Gideon Mace, Discus, Stiletto, Shades, and Comanche.
Although Cage seemed to have little in common with most of New York’s other superhumans, he would befriend the Fantastic Four. He was hired by JJ Jameson to take down Spider Man. Cage became cool with Spider-Man and forcibly returned Jameson’s money, earning a place on the JJ’s naughty list. Cage also befriended and fall in love with Jessica Jones a.k.a. Jewel. Cage would also start associating with the Defenders.
Cage began to complain that his participation in their group was interfering with his paying work, so Nighthawk placed Cage on retainer, giving him a steady paycheck for his activities in the Defenders. For some time thereafter, Cage served as a core member of the Defenders. Luke would also befriend Iron Fist and together the two would restart The Heroes for Hire. Luke was framed for Iron Fist’s apparent murder (he was replaced by a Skrull) and he would go into hiding in Chicago. Thanks to Hogarth, his innocence was proven. He remained in Chicago and remained a hero, he just ditched the costume.
Luke and Jessica Jones would work together as bodyguards for Matt Murdock. He would give emotional support to Jones when she was forced to revisit past abuses by the villainous Purple Man (if you watch “Jessica Jones” on Netflix, you will get an idea), and Cage’s feelings for her grew. When Jones revealed that she was pregnant, she and Cage moved in together and would later get married.
Cage is now in a new incarnation of the Avengers. He and Jessica had daughter and got married. Luke would later on lead the Thunderbolts.
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