- Luke Cage
Since the start of its shared universe of films, Marvel has had a diversity problem. Sure, some of the heavy hitters from the older comics happen to be white men, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t have tried harder to incorporate a more diverse cast or characters. With Black Panther and Captain Marvel on the way, things are looking up for greater racial and female representation. In the meantime, we got the impressive Luke Cage satisfying that need and giving up hope that these fictional stories can serve as inspiration in our real world.
Luke Cage wasn’t perfect, but in its imperfection we found lessons that could be applied to the real world. It tackled issues about how an individual can create change in communities controlled by gang violence, how to handle corruption in a legal system that should be protecting its citizens instead of discriminating against them, and it reminds us that inequality for one is inequality for all. Aside from this, the show also introduces powerful characters taking part in positive change, showing that Marvel can create a socially relevant superhero that is also a person of color. – Jon Espino
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