Actor Mike Colter recently sat down with Collider to talk about his role on the supernatural Paramount + seriesEvil,which is currently airing its second season. From the creators ofThe Good Wife,Evilfollows a reluctant psychologist who teams up with a priest-in-training (Colter) to investigate and find logical explanations for supernatural mysteries. In the interview, Colter discusses his role as priest-in-training David Acosta, and what fans can expect from the rest of season two. He also talked about his time playing Marvel hero Luke Cage on the short-lived Netflix series of the same name.
Marvel’sLuke Cageran for two seasons on Netflix, before it was canceled along with Netlfix’x otherMarvel-related original seriesincludingDaredevil, Jessica Jones, The Defenders,andThe Punisher.The series focused on Harlem-based hero-for-hire Luke Cage, who was previously introduced in the first season ofJessica Jones.Cage is a super-strong bulletproof hero who protects the people of Harlem. The character originated in the comics back in the 1970s and was heavily influenced by the blaxploitation movies of the decade such asShaft,which often focused on issues of racism and corruption.Likewise, the series dealt with similar themes, but in a contemporary setting. While Colter played the character for both seasons and reprised the role inThe Defendersand theJessica JonesFinale,he clearly feels that there was more they could have done with the character.
RELATED:This Talented Group Of Cosplayers Perfectly Recreated Netflix’s Marvel Heroes
When asked by Collider whether his appearance in the series finale ofJessica Jonesgave him closure, Colter said: “To be honest, no, it didn’t give me a chance to have any closure. There were so many places we could have taken it. There’s obviously theAliasseries where Jessica and Luke had a child and had this adult life they were trying to live, and there’s this moment where they are working out their blue-collar, making ends meet life together, which is very interesting. There’s the journey that Luke had in his own series with Harlem’s Paradise, where he’s taken over the club, and is he gonna be a bad guy or a guy that is on the other side of the law, and who’s gonna stop him.”
Colter is of course referring to the romantic relationship between hard-drinkingprivate investigator Jessica Jonesand Cage. While the relationship was briefly explored in the first season ofJessica Jonesthe couple never settled down and had kids. In the comics, Luke and Jessica have a daughter named Danielle Cage (In honor of Danny Rand/Iron Fist), and while much of the originalAliascomic series served as inspiration for the first season ofJessica Jones,they never reached a point where they would have children. it definitely would have been interesting to see these two dysfunctional people attempt to raise a child and maintain their hostile vigilante side gigs.
Colter also teases the idea of Cagebecoming a villainafter taking over the Harlem Paradise. At the end of the second season, Cage inherits the famous Harlem nightclub that usually serves as a base of operations for criminals. While Cage declares himself “The Sheriff of Harlem” and claims to be a protector rather than a predatory gangster, his allies become concerned with his willingness to take over the club, even comparing him to Donald Trump after cage says he wants to “Make Harlem great again”. Having Cage become the bad guy certainly would have been an interesting turn, as the character has been proven to basically be unstoppable. Would one of the other Defenders have to take him on? Would he cross paths withJon Berenthal’s vicious Punisher? Sadly it seems like fans will never know.
Thankfully, Colter doesn’t seem too bitter about the end of Netflix’s Luke Cage. When asked whether saying goodbye to the character felt bittersweet, Colter said “Yeah, of course. I think so. The positive thing about something like that is you’ll always have a fond memory of something that didn’t stay too long. It’s like a relationship or anything else that never reached its peak or its descent. You don’t have any negative memories of it because it will live in this place of perfection, or some sense of promise, at all times in our life. It’s a fond, romanticized notion of what could have been.”
While all the Netflix Marvel series were canceled to make way for the current Disney + series,there has been talk recentlyof characters like Luke Cage returning to the MCU, especially since Marvel Studios recently acquired the live-action rights to both Jessica Jones and The Punisher. Whether or not Colter or any of the other actors from these series would reprise their roles, is difficult to say.
you’re able to watch new episodes ofEvilstreaming Sundays, exclusively on Paramount +.
MORE:The Marvel Netflix Shows Were Flawed But Necessary
