SPOILERS: LUKE CAGE - 10 Awesome Easter Eggs You May Have Missed
Luke Cage is crammed full of nods to both his history and the corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe belonging to The Defenders, so hit the jump for a look at the ten biggest and most awesome Easter Eggs...
The entire first season of Luke Cage is now on Netflix, and Sweet Christmas, it's f***ing awesome (looks like I'll have to put $1 in Pop's swear jar). As well as providing both an origin story for the titular hero and a satisfying story which sets the stage for him to have a very exciting future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the show is of course also packed full of awesome Easter Eggs for us fans.
From surprise cameo appearances to nods to the comics books and other Netflix shows - including the upcoming Iron Fist - Luke Cage really doesn't hold back when it comes to providing fans with lost of teases to get excited about. What you'll find here then is an in-depth look at the ten biggest and best Easter Eggs from the show along with what some of them might mean for the future and more...
10. Colleen Wing
As the first season of Luke Cage comes to a close, we catch up with each of the main characters and get some big hints at what's to come in the future. Having once again found herself caught in the crossfire of a superhero battle, Rosario Dawson's Claire Temple has clearly decided that the time has come to learn how to defend herself as she can be seen picking up a flyer for martial arts lessons.
The teacher? Colleen Wing. That character will be played by Jessica Henwick in Iron Fist and is a close ally of both Danny Rand and Misty Knight in the comic books. We already known that Dawson is set to appear in that series, and this sheds some light on how the world of Luke Cage will be tied to that of Iron Fist. How those two end up meeting and becoming best friends remains to be seen for now, but it should be fun!
9. Stan Lee's Cameo
Once again, Stan Lee doesn't make a physical appearance in one of Marvel's Netflix shows, but his face still pops up in the penultimate episode of Luke Cage! In a blink and you'll miss it moment, the convenience store where Luke stops the robbery and meets Method Man features a poster outside of Lee as a police officer urging citizens to report any crimes they see. The comic book creator has now been portrayed in this role in each of these shows.
Of course, it's important to note that Lee wasn't responsible for dreaming up Luke Cage. Instead, that credit belongs to Archie Goodwin, John Romita, Sr., and George Tuska. It is of course still fun to see him referenced, though it would have been nice to see that trio also get a nod (if they did and we missed it, feel free to let us know in the comments section below).
8. Coldfire
Luke Cage and Diamondback aren't half-brothers in the comics, but their story plays out in a very similar fashion. While their familial ties makes their battle a lot more personal here, could there be another reason for that? Perhaps so. Luke does actually have a younger sibling called James Lucas Junior, and he ends up becoming a villain known as Coldfire.
He actually gets his powers from one Dr. Noah Burstein, the doctor who gives Luke his abilities in this series and later helps save his life before we learn that he managed to copy all of the data needed to recreate those experiments. It's in the finale that we see the defeated Diamondback in his care, but will he end up with Coldfire's powers? Those were a little out there - his hatred allowed him to leave his body and create burning hot protoplasmic replicas - but it could work, and if not, their stories are playing out in a very similar way.
7. The Classic Costume
Most of you didn't miss this one, right? However, those of you who aren't that familiar with Luke Cage's history can be forgiven for not spotting this nod to the character's earliest adventures. Given a "tiara" and cuffs during the process which gives him his powers, the bulletproof hero makes his escape from Seagate Prison still wearing those until he comes across a washing line and puts on a baggy yellow shirt he finds.
Upon seeing how daft he looks, Luke is pretty taken aback, but he's basically wearing the classic costume from the comic books! Needless to say, this proves that it's one of those looks which just wouldn't work in live-action, but just like Jessica Jones found a way to include her Jewel costume (albeit not actually on her), this was a fantastic nod to Luke Cage's comic book origin.
6. Misty Knight's New Look
In the season finale of Luke Cage, Misty Knight heads back to Harlem's Paradise to keep an eye on Mariah Dillard and Shades, a nice parallel to how things started for her. However, take a closer look and you'll notice that she looks identical to her comic book counterpart thanks to both her hair and the red dress she's wearing (which is very similar to the character's skimpy outfit in the source material).
The episode also drops some hints about her becoming disillusioned with working for the NYPD, so this could be the beginning of the end for her career there as she looks to become a P.I. instead. Will she need to lose her arm to do so? Well, while Misty comes close to that having that happen after getting shot, all seems to be well by the time the last episode rolls around, so that could be a while off yet.
5. Hero For Hire
Several times throughout the series, Luke Cage is referred to as a Hero for Hire. He refuses money each and every time, but could that change somewhere down the line? We'll have to wait and see, but the fact that Pop's is no longer going to be a barber shop makes it a pretty good location for him to set up shop with Iron Fist (especially now that it's become even more well known than before thanks to Luke's battle with Diamondback).
Luke is also called "Power Man" a few times in the series by both Pop and Claire Temple. That's obviously a nod to the name he's sometimes gone by in the comic books, but it's not a moniker he seems particularly keen on. Regardless, Marvel was smart to find a way to pay homage to both of these things during the character's awesome first season on Netflix.
4. Some Familiar Faces
Claire Temple isn't the only character from Daredevil and Jessica Jones to make their presence felt in Luke Cage. Turk ends up playing a key role at a couple of different points in the season, and it's nice to see him once again get his just desserts for playing around on the wrong side of the law. Assistant district attorney Blake Tower also shows up here to help out when the hostage situation is taking place in Harlem's Paradise, and he name drops Frank Castle (it's confirmed a few episodes beforehand that the events of Luke Cage take place concurrently with the second half of Daredevil season two).
The Man Without Fear is mentioned by Claire as being a really good lawyer, while Luke's history with Jessica - and her killing Kilgrave - is also talked about by various characters. Wilson Fisk's shady lawyer also makes his return, this time representing Cottonmouth.
3. Trish Talk
At the beginning of episode six, a radio host can be heard taking calls from Harlem residents asking them for their opinions on Luke Cage and his recent actions. If you weren't paying close attention though, you may have missed the fact that this was an episode of "Trish Talk," a show hosted by Jessica Jones character Trish Walker.
Better known as Hellcat in the comics, this cameo of sorts doesn't take her any closer to taking on that persona, but she's clearly still doing her thing following the events of Jessica's series. It makes sense that she seems to be on Luke's side here too, especially as she's met him and knows he's a good guy. It remains to be seen when these two will see each other again, but Luke will obviously be forced to reunite with old flame Jessica Jones in The Defenders next year.
2. "Night Nurse"
Well, Claire Temple finally has her moniker! While the Night Nurse who patches up New York's vigilantes and ultimately embarks on a romantic relationship with Doctor Strange is Christine Palmer (played by Rachel McAdams in the Sorcerer Supreme's upcoming solo movie), things are clearly going to play out a little differently in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
After telling her mother that she wants to open a clinic where she can help those with abilities, Claire later finds herself tending to one of the hostages in Harlem's Paradise. That's all a ruse of course, but one of Diamondback's goons - and the same guy who hilariously flees from Luke in the premiere - actually refers to her as the "Night Nurse." This may be a tongue in cheek nod to her alter ego in the comics or the start of something big for the fan-favourite supporting character.
1. The Incident
Regardless, it's also alien tech which is used in the weapon that Diamondback creates to wound Luke, and that hails from Hammer Industries. How is that company still afloat? Well, chances are it would have carried on under someone else's control after Justin Hammer was imprisoned in Iron Man 2, but it is kind of disappointing that neither he nor Trevor Slattery are referenced seeing as they were both in Seagate Prison too.
Which of these was your favourite Easter Egg in Luke Cage? Have we missed any other good ones? As always, be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.