'Luke Cage' provides some valuable lessons for the Marvel Universe

Luke Cage

The hilarious online critic (and deadpan comedy genius) Mr. Plinkett is back with one of his typical harsh, but insightful, critiques -- this time of blockbuster Star Wars sequel The Force Awakens.


Now, I love that film -- and have written about it far too much probably -- but Plinkett does have some salient points about how the most recent Star Wars film was fun but also, at best, safe, and, at worst, the result of cynical corporate strategy.

The same criticism has been leveled by many people, including me, at Disney's other treasure trove -- the Marvel Universe. It's not that the films aren't good, or sometimes even great, but they often aren't really about anything or certainly not relevant with regards to anything that takes place in the real world that we actually inhabit, even though nearly all of the Marvel movies take place here on modern day planet Earth.

Captain America; Civil War came close. I found its central conflict -- which split the Avengers, albeit temporarily ingenious. And I also thought their positions -- acting unilaterally vs. acting within an organization with checks and balances -- had obvious philosophical parallels with arguments that we are currently having about our military and place in the world as a super power.

But, ultimately the movie was more interested in delivering its fights scenes than substance.

As a great new piece from Vulture points out, the brand's Netflix shows are liberated from that need to satisfy a multiplex audience that expects or demands a bombastic brawl every fifteen minutes.

I must admit I've yet to delve into Daredevil and Jessica Jones, but I have been working my way through the first season of Luke Cage and I've been blown away.

Mike Colter as Luke Cage

The show is helped immensely by the fact that although the Cage character has superhuman strength and is impervious to bullets, his conflict is relatively small-scale and intimate. His Harlem is one that we recognize as realistic, and his antagonists are authentic human villains -- who possess no supernatural elements whatsoever.

Cage is a reluctant hero -- and for a good reason. And not only his arc compelling, thanks to Mike Colter's charismatic performance in the title role, but its incredibly timely because it speaks to the national dialogue we're currently having about race, poverty, profiling and policing.

Yes, our hero wears a hoodie, and the symbolism should be lost on no one. Sorry racists.

Not only are the accolades this riveting crime saga have received well-deserved, they are evidence that Marvel is capable of making projects that are entertaining and fun, but also have some genuine gravitas. The whole series makes me especially hopeful for Ryan Coogler's upcoming Black Panther, since he has shown previously that he can mix commercialism with complexity.

Also, as far Plinkett's take on The Force Awakens is concerned -- I love his comparison of George Lucas to Cam Newton after the last Super Bowl, and like him, I am hopeful that Episode VIII isn't just a remake of The Empire Strikes Back (which can't be improved upon). But I think his take on the new series' diversity is really off the mark,

His argument is that the diversity, while not a bad thing, is really just there to assuage special interest groups and progressive minded Hollywood execs, and that kids don't care what race the characters are. But that overlooks the fact that for children of color this representation does matter, and can be inspirational.

Hence my lifelong admiration for Lando Calrissian and Winston Zeddemore.