Erik LaRay Harvey's Willis Stryker, AKA
Diamondback, emerged as the villain of the second half of
Luke Cage, which debuted on Netflix this past Friday. Marvel has now revealed a new poster for the malicious villain, along with Harvey speaking about his character in an interview with
Entertainment Weekly.
SPOILER WARNING AHEAD
Harvey elaborated on the dynamic between his character and Luke Cage/Carl Lucas; the series put a twist on their animosity by revealing that Stryker was Cage's half brother.
"Well, in a sense, this is a game to him," said Harvey. "
I think truly deep down, inside, he still loves Carl. That’s the funny thing about family, right? You hate ‘em but you love ‘em. You love ‘em but you hate ‘em. [Laughs] It’s one of those situations. He remembers a loving time they had before they had the mess, so [the thinking] is partly like, 'I really need to hurt him but I don’t want to kill him.' So it becomes this game, and I think the smile is just the mask he wears with everyone. It’s not genuine. He’s not trying to be nice or to befriend anyone. It’s just his way of dealing with his pain. He smiles through his pain."
The season finale sees Diamondback don an outfit reminiscent of the character's classic comic look, something Harvey says Marvel was eager to preserve and rework.
"They were trying to incorporate as much of the original character as they could, so the color scheme is the same. In the comics, it was just, like, his regular clothes. He went out every day in that green jacket, that was just his look! Lookin’ like a pimp daddy. But this suit he wears in the show is more armor. It allows him the ability to go into a fight with Luke and not get hurt. He can be punched, but he can hit as well, you know? Once he’s got that suit on, he gets on equal terms [with Luke], which is something he’s always wanted to be. He’s always wanted to be seen as an equal and he never had a chance. Anytime he does, he really enjoys it, and he’s a happy man."
The season ends with Diamondback in critical condition, with the doctor from Seagate prison secretly gaining access to him, leaving the door just slightly open for a return. Harvey maintains that he doesn't know his future within the MCU, but is interested to find out what it would be.
"Marvel is secretive. They left it open-ended — I’m just so glad they didn’t kill me off! But I think it’s been a challenge to Marvel, because here we are talking about how this story is about family. What should Marvel do with the brother of Luke Cage? That’s a good question, and I don’t know [the answer], they haven’t told me. All I know is I’m in a hospital bed. What is [the doctor] going to do? What’s he there for? I’m really interested to see if any of those questions will be answered."
What did you think of Diamondback's presence in Luke Cage? Sound off below!