In Daredevil: Born Again's Season 2 finale, Mike Colter's Luke Cage returns to New York and reunites with his partner and child (Jessica Jones and Danielle) at Alias Investigations.
With that, the stage is set to explore their relationship in the MCU and how it differs from their run-ins on Netflix. A lot has clearly happened since then, including Luke's transition from Harlem crime boss to becoming one of Mr. Charles' pawns.
Colter's cameo was a memorable scene in an episode full of them, but it very nearly didn't happen.
Talking to Entertainment Weekly, Krysten Ritter revealed that the scene "was gonna be a slightly different shape," adding, "We didn't know if it would be Mike or not, but I was so excited because it sets up what's to come and gives us a little bit of a window into where their story could go."
We don't think she's referring to the role being recast here; instead, it seems likely that, had Colter been busy, Jessica might have received a call or text to inform her that Power Man was on his way back to New York.
Ritter concluded, "Jessica and Luke Cage have this amazing history and this amazing chemistry and seeing him walk in the door, it was emotional."
The site also caught up with Daredevil: Born Again showrunner Dario Scardapane, who hinted at the consequences of reuniting Luke and Jessica as we head into the show's third season. It seems they'll have plenty of screentime moving forward, with their story tied closely to whatever it is Mr. Charles is up to.
"There's the story that we worked out in the writers' room about what Charles was doing with people like Luke and Bullseye [Wilson Bethel], and we were able to fold that story together in this reunion of Danielle and Luke and Jessica," he explained. "It's one short scene, but it holds an entire seed packet for seasons going forward."
"We weren't 100 percent sure that Mike was gonna come back for a brief moment in time. Then, as soon as we started talking to him, he was all in. He's just a very, very busy man. He's doing, like, three other shows at this point."
"The relationship between Luke Cage and Jessica Jones, we start that picture of those three people, that family, at the end of episode 8 in this season," Scardapane teased when asked if Luke will have a much bigger role in Daredevil: Born Again next year. "The questions and the story that starts there play into season 3, absolutely."
Based on what we've seen in set photos, the prevailing theory right now is that Luke Cage will run for New York Mayor. It's also possible he'll lead a new team of Thunderbolts, something we saw in the comics with a Suicide Squad-inspired take on the team.
Daredevil: Born Again is now streaming on Disney+.