Luke Cage writer responds to backlash over Black fighting scenes on show
Luke Cage writer Cheo Hodari Coker has addressed a backlash the Marvel show has received over its fight scenes.
Premiering in 2016, the superhero series sees Mike Colter star as Luke Cage, who undergoes an experiment which accidentally gives him superpowers, including unbreakable skin. He uses his powers to fight crime and corruption in the city of Harlem, New York, in a bid to restore the area.
Some fans of the show have hit back against fight scenes within Luke Cage, which have featured predominantly Black characters.
One viewer wrote on X: "Obviously Luke Cage was created in the 1970s, but did y'all peek how the Marvel series depicted him having to fight MORE Black people to SAVE Harlem than white villains? I did."
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Though many agreed with the viewer, among those disagreeing was series writer Coker, who responded saying he welcomes the opportunity to create more opportunities for Black actors on the show: "I was trying to keep Black people gainfully employed. LOL. Just saying..."
Responding to comments on his post, he also addressed another complaint the popular series received: "A white person didn't have a speaking part for 13 minutes and major dialogue until minute 29. People actually complained. [Rafael] Scarfe's scene in the club got cut, so it wasn't even intentional."
He also added in response to complaints regarding the titular hero's fighting style: "With our budget at the time, you're lucky Luke got to fight at all".
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Though many asked about the possibility of the return of the series, which ended in 2018, leading man Colter dashed fans' hopes last year that he would return.
"I quite like doing other things," he told Radio Times. "I appreciate the opportunity Luke Cage presented to me and it's great, and I'm not saying that the doors closed completely because you never know and never say never. But I'm particularly involved in the projects that I'm doing now. I'm looking forward, never looking back."
"Whatever they do with that role, you know, Kevin Feige and the people at Marvel and Disney, they'll do the right thing and fans will be happy about it and I'll cheer for that person, if it's a recast or whatever.
"I never think about it until someone asks me about it to be quite honest, but it's not because I didn't enjoy the opportunity. I'm just always in the moment, not really thinking about the other stuff.”
Luke Cage is streaming on Disney+ in the UK and US.
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