Marvel Studios released the first official trailer for Daredevil: Born Again earlier today, and in addition to bringing us up to speed on the Man Without Fear and his various allies and enemies, the teaser included the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first direct nod to Luke Cage.
Along with fellow Netflix Marvel series' Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, Punisher, Defenders and the original Daredevil, Luke Cage was technically set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe at the time of its release, but we'd later learn that Kevin Feige was never fully on board with integrating these projects into the MCU proper, and the advent of Marvel Television and the Disney+ streaming service suggested that the shows were not officially part of the main 616 Universe - or so we thought.
Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) and Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) eventually appeared in MCU film and TV projects, with Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) set to debut in Born Again. There's been talk of Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) being (re)introduced down the line, but we haven't heard a thing about Danny Rand (Finn Jones) or Luke Cage (Mike Colter).
Now, eagle-eyed fans have noticed that a billboard for Harlem's Paradise can be seen about 28 seconds into the trailer during a New Year’s Eve gathering in Times Square, where Mayor Fisk is addressing the crowd.
"Harlem’s Paradise is the place where hip-hop, funk, jazz & rock and roll all come back to the mothership. It’s a party, y’all."
This club was a key location in the two seasons of Luke Cage as the base of operations for the Stokes crime family. In the series finale, ownership of Harlem's Paradise had been passed on to Cage following the death of Mariah Dillard.
This billboard may simply have been included as an Easter egg and doesn't necessarily mean that Colter will reprise the role, but it would seem to confirm that the Power Man is out there - somewhere!
In Marvel Television's Daredevil: Born Again, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), a blind lawyer with heightened abilities is fighting for justice through his bustling law firm, while former mob boss Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) pursues his own political endeavors in New York. When their past identities begin to emerge, both men find themselves on an inevitable collision course.
The show also stars Margarita Levieva, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Zabryna Guevara, Nikki James, Genneya Walton, Arty Froushan, Clark Johnson, Michael Gandolfini, with Ayelet Zurer and Jon Bernthal. Dario Scardapane is on board as showrunner.
Episodes are directed by Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead, Michael Cuesta, Jeffrey Nachmanoff, and David Boyd; and executive producers are Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Sana Amanat, Chris Gary, Dario Scardapane, Christopher Ord & Matthew Corman, and Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead.
Daredevil: Born Again is set to premiere on Disney+ on March 4, 2025.