How 'Luke Cage' Connects to Marvel's Sprawling TV & Movie Universe

Netflix’sLuke Cageis full of Easter egg , if you know where to depend . Die - hard comics fans clean up on deeper - ignore in - jokes , everything from Misty ’s bionic arm and glorious Afro hairdo to Luke ’s original , ridiculous 1970s costume . For those romance by Marvel ’s movie and TV pedigree , there are vestige of the ever - expanding " Cinematic Universe , " crossover potential that tiesLuke Cageto the past and future of the mega - dealership .

Nearly 10 year after the MCU kicked off with 2008’sIron Man , Luke Cagerepresents the most laid - back , lived - in Marvel property to day of the month . The show ’s version of Harlem and the characters that inhabit the neighbourhood sense tangible in ways the big- and belittled - covert version do n’t . This is especially true ofDaredevilandJessica Jones . While they make cursory mentions of other bomber ( although never by name ) , each series treats Hell ’s Kitchen like a coke ball . They share a universe , but not a world .

Luke Cagemakes the large franchise impact of the bunch . Luke ’s quest to binge crime and showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker ’s striking sailing of his hero ’s function in Harlem provoke questions for the future of the MCU , and what happens once the Netflix grinder actually have to interact with one other . To prepare you , here ’s a template to all the connections and Easter egg you may have missed during yourLuke Cagebinge :

luke cage mcu connections

Netflix

Remember that time our lives were forever changed?

Despite the decimating events ofThe Avengers(not to mention the billion - buck box office business ) , it ’s easy to forget that hordes of aliens poured into New York City and play mayhem back in 2012 . Calling it " The Incident " on Netflix - Marvel show make it seem like it was an embarrassing case of food poisoning , not an apocalyptic - point outcome . I ’m not saying that we need everyone constantly talking about it , but it ’s funny how much that feel like an rethink inDaredevilandJessica Jones , consult to by characters like it was a passing tempest .

The cataclysmic case plays a polar role inLuke Cage . We see how The Incident leaves the men and woman of Harlem with a motley of different public opinion on the roles of superheroes . Local pol Mariah Dillard ( Alfre Woodard ) use it to make Luke more terrifying . Cottonmouth mockingly calls Luke " Harlem ’s Captain America . " More important , it ’s the exotic tech left over from The Incident that run to the creation of the Judas fastball , which have the ability to penetrate Luke ’s peel . Without The Incident itself , Luke Cagewouldn’t evenhavea patch . While the series continues the tradition of underplaying the more grotesque aspects of its premise , it ’s nice to finally see the rest of the MCU having a lineal ripple gist on the world of the street - tier heroes .

The only good thing aboutIron Man 2

While we never see Sam Rockwell ’s overly tannedIron humankind 2villain make an appearing , Cottonmouth spend the first one-half of the time of year clamber to retrieve gun for hire made by his company , Hammer Industries . Hammer ’s caller also excogitate the Judas bullet , which hold Diamondback , reveal to be Luke ’s half - blood brother and a life-threatening villain in his own right , the ammo he involve for the final , double - instalment showdown . The reference humanizes a universe with superheroes and supervillains . We can meet a Kyd on the turning point selling footage of superhero conflict , or see the trickle - down effect of serious technology created by evildoers that made their first appearance on the big screen .

Marvel’s own Arkham Asylum

Seagate , the privately possess prison house that made Luke ’s life a last hell , also houses scoundrel we ’ve seen in the MCU , include Justin Hammer and Trevor Slattery , who posed as the Mandarin inIron Man 3 . It ’s at Seagate that Luke gets his ability thanks to an experimentation work wonky mean to make unnecessary his spirit by Dr. Burstein and deals with ridiculously racist cop who squeeze him to crusade other captive . More interesting is how Coker use the prison to flesh out the backstory of an essentialLuke Cagecharacter …

De-fridgingLuke’s wife

When Reva Conners was put in inJessica Jones , she played one of the more odious role in comical books : the lineament solely introduce to be kill and create angst for the lead ( in this font , the grizzled individual detective Jessica Jones ) .

arrive intoLuke Cage , I wondered how would the series rehabilitate Reva as more than a living inciting incident . In the 4th episode , we get to see Luke ’s origination story , which includes how he met and fell in love with Reva , a psychiatrist at Seagate . She proves to be a variety , dedicated , and intelligent figure who bring Bob Hope to Luke . Reva becomes more complicated when Luke learn she was lying to him the entire sentence . She know about the experiment , and even canvass him during his prison stretch . As Netflix ’s appearance continue , I suspect Reva ’s decease and intellect for crossing path with Kilgrave inJessica Joneswill take on young meaning .

Marvel New Yorkers move uptown

Turk , hitman dealer , all - around hustler , and Daredevil ’s preferent punching bagful , becomes an integral supporting player inLuke Cagewhen his eagerness to make a buck leads to the destruction of Pop . count his chemical reaction to Harlem ’s own upheaval , he ’ll probably find himself back inDaredevil ’s dominion by Season 3 . And Turk is n’t the only Daredevil grapheme to cross over : ADA Blake Tower shows up during the final arc , and Punisher gets his get - quick - for - my - spinoff mention . Then there ’s Claire Temple , who is all over the MCU and never in the spotlight – crazy , considering Rosario Dawson is one of the best actors in the Marvel armory . Luke Cagemakes nifty exercise for her ; without Claire , Luke would probably be dead .

The Jessica Jones factor

Though not referred to by name , Jessica comes up when Claire clip Luke ’s memory on how they have a go at it each other . But Jessica ’s serial informs how Luke Cage approaches " real " heroes . It is n’t a coincidence Mariah mentions her shoot Kilgrave ’s neck as a way to storm up the fear the people of Harlem begin to feel about these first-rate - powered existence .

Because fictional New Yorkers still love their radio

Speaking of Jessica Jones , at the root of Episode 6 , there ’s a radio set show in which citizens from Harlem hash out whether Luke is a valuable Heron or a menace . The show happens to beTrish public lecture , whose horde is Jessica ’s best friend and ( hopefully in the future tense ) the hero jazz as Hellcat , Patricia “ Trish ” Walker . It ’s a subtle nod , as well as one of the most cringe - worthy uses of a exhibition - spouting newsperson on the show , which is really say something .

The answer to Marvel’s bad guy problems

Fact : Marvel movies have weak villain . The Netflix shows have make out better withDaredevil ’s fashionable Wilson Fisk andJessica Jones ' Kilgrave , the avatar of toxic masculinity . The best Marvel villain to engagement is Alfre Woodard ’s Mariah Dillard , a 60 - something black woman who use her position as a metropolis councilwoman to cover her questionable dealings . Mariah is more than just complicated : she ’s remorseless , cunning , and not to be underestimated . Cottonmouth and Diamondback have vendettas , while Mariah is a warped reflection of Luke , a true Lex Luthor - Superman moral force for the class structure of Harlem . Luckily , she ’s animated , more threatening than ever , and well - put for aDefendersappearance .

The Devil Advocate of Hell’s Kitchen

On multiple occasions when Luke is in worry , Claire mention " do it a good attorney , " a reference to Matt " Daredevil " Murdock . But support on : is he really a good lawyer ? Luke will sure as shooting need his aid , insure as the show end with the hero heading back to Seagate after his cover is bobble . Is this the room 2017 ’s squad - up series , The Defenders , comes together ? We ’ll ready ourselves for the Foggy storyline .

The Iron Fist connection

At the very end of the season finale , Claire takes a routine off a flyer she finds on a telephone pole . You would n’t think much of it unless you noticed that it ’s an ad for Colleen Wing ’s martial artistic creation class . Colleen is a master samurai who will be played by Jessica Henwick in the upcomingIron Fistseries . Will Claire be the thread that ties all these series together ?

It ’s arduous to imagineIron Fistexisting in the same humans as Luke , let alone becoming good friend with him like they are in the comedian . Iron Fist ’s ability go beyond bare martial art and into the magical – similar tothe upcomingDoctor Strangemovie . Luke Cage , Jessica Jones , andDaredevilall shy away from the fantastic . So where will these Marvel Netflix shows go from here ? As the MCU dictates : together , no matter what .