Mike Colter has given a promising update on the likelihood he'll return as Marvel's unbreakable Harlem hero Luke Cage.
Speaking on Shawn Stockman's On That Note podcast, Colter was asked if there was any chance fans might see him back in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, eight years on from Netflix's controversial cancellation of its Luke Cage series and other popular superhero shows.
Without committing to anything concrete, Colter said that "conversations" had indeed taken place about him coming back as Cage and that the results of these chats could "come into fruition faster than we think."
"Listen, I will say this, I've had conversations… and I'll leave it at that," Colter said.
"I've had conversations," he continued, "which before, I was… 'no.' Because when it wrapped… y'know I loved playing Luke Cage but I love acting and doing different things. So I just was like, 'I'll do something else.' I love the fans and I love that world. And it's been years now. So now, I'm doing other projects, but now I think to myself 'I have some unfinished business there.'
"I talked to Cheo [Hodari Coker] about it, he was the creator and showrunner [on Netflix's Luke Cage series], and now I've reached the point where I'm like, 'I have some unfinished business' and I think Daredevil's back so, c'mon… Jessica's back."
The most obvious place for Colter to return would be in a future episode of Daredevil: Born Again. Fellow Netflix-era star Charlie Cox has already filmed the second season of his Disney+ revival series — which will notably also see the return of Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones, another alumna of Marvel's Netflix era.
Indeed, Colter began his turn as Cage on Netflix's Jessica Jones series, appearing as a regular character during its first season before starring in two seasons of his own show. Colter also appeared in Netflix crossover miniseries The Defenders, which saw him team up with characters from Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist.
Fans have remained keen to see what Cage is up to now, and with Jessica Jones returning in Daredevil Season 2, there are hopes that Mike Colter's character will be given a similar return in Disney's already-greenlit third season that will be filmed this year.
"I'd say we're in a better position to come into fruition faster than we think, so we'll see," Colter teased. "I was giving no one hope before, I am giving hope at least."
IGN previously spoke with Daredevil: Born Again writer Jesse Wigutow on how the series is now embracing its star's Netflix-era roots, after an initial attempt at keeping the show separate. "I feel like some of that worked well, and some of it didn't," Wigutow said. "There were expectations that weren't necessarily being met, and there was a pointed effort and a left turn — to not necessarily return to Netflix, but honor the Netflix origin of the show. It is meant to be more aligned with the Netflix show now."
Image credit: Paras Griffin/Getty Images.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
