Mike Colter's towering, impenetrably-skinned Luke Cage will be back on our screens in The Defenders later this year, but Cage executive producer Cheo Hodari Coker is already putting the cast together for his solo show's second run. Mustafa Shakir and Gabrielle Dennis will be among the new arrivals.
Whatever happens in The Defenders, Colter's Luke will be back in Harlem trying to bring justice to the streets and protecting those who can't protect themselves. And from the sound of it, neither Shakir nor Dennis' characters will give him an easy life if they truly channel their Marvel comics counterparts (potential spoilers below should that be the case).
Shakir's character is John McIver, described as "a natural leader, brimming with charisma, whose mission is focused on Harlem and vengeance." In the comics, he's also known as a crime boss called Bushmaster and boasts superhuman strength.
Dennis, meanwhile, will be Tilda Johnson, "a brilliant, holistic doctor with a complicated history in Harlem where, as much as she tries to stay far from trouble, it seems to always find her." She's also Nightshade, who builds robots to help her with her schemes and engages in other criminal activity. "I can’t wait for audiences to see the compelling paces we put both Mustafa and Gabrielle through,” says Coker. "I feel they will be powerful additions to the world of Marvel and Harlem’s Luke Cage."
The Defenders is on Netflix from 18 August. Luke Cage will be back in 2018.