Created by Archie Goodwin, George Tuska, Roy Thomas, and John Romita Sr. in 1972, he was the first African–American superhero by Marvel Comics to be the main character in his own series.

His origin invokes criticism of police brutality and the prison system in the United States, and his 1970s stories focus on his efforts to support himself as a businessman.

The character was intensely masculine and sexualized in his 20th century appearances, but these aspects were tempered as Cage's focus shifted to his life as a husband and father.

Along with Iron Fist and Jessica Jones, Cage's supporting characters include his friend David Griffith and the doctor Claire Temple.

Other recurring villains faced by Cage include Black Mariah, Cockroach Hamilton, Comanche, Cottonmouth, Gideon Mace, and Shades.

[1][2] Marvel Comics publisher Stan Lee wanted to create a character based on the Blaxploitation subgenre of action films popular in the 1970s.

compared Cage's origin to The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, to which Thomas said that the book may have had "a conscious or subconscious effect" on Lee or Goodwin.

[27] To elevate Luke Cage and Iron Fist, Duffy and artist Trevor Von Eeden began with a story in which the characters encountered the X-Men and the Living Monolith before returning them to more mundane environments.

[31] After Marvel canceled Power Man and Iron Fist, Cage spent the remainder of the decade making guest appearances in other comics.

[35] Another attempt was made to revive the character in 1996 with the publication of a new Luke Cage and Iron Fist duo series, Heroes for Hire, but it was canceled after 19 issues.

[36] Created by Brian Azzarello, Richard Corben, and José Villarrubia, this series portrayed the Black community in a more stereotypical way and had Cage work as muscle for hire in less heroic circumstances.

[38] He decided to have Cage shave his head in the second issue, inspired by a similar style change by comedian Damon Wayans, and the new look became standard for the character's appearance.

Cage invokes Black history in order to challenge Iron Man's strict adherence to the law, recalling slavery and the civil rights movement.

[47] The New Avengers: Luke Cage was published in 2010, containing the three-part "Town Without Pity" storyline set in Philadelphia, written by John Arcudi and illustrated by Eric Canete.

It was published alongside a one-shot in which Daredevil and Cage fight for charity, written by Antony Johnston and illustrated by Sean Chen.

[50] A new volume of Power Man and Iron Fist began publication in 2016 as part of the All-New, All-Different Marvel branding, written by David F. Walker and illustrated by Sanford Greene.

[54] Brian Michael Bendis wrote The Defenders with artist David Marquez in 2017, placing Cage in a team alongside Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, and Daredevil to coincide with the television adaptations of these characters.

[56] The three-issue series Luke Cage: Everyman was released in 2018 as the second publication in the Marvel Digital Original line, written by Anthony Del Col and illustrated by Jahnoy Lindsay.

[57] A miniseries titled Luke Cage: City of Fire began production, written by Ho Che Anderson, with an expected release date in 2021.

The series would have featured a story about police brutality based on the murder of George Floyd, but Marvel canceled it shortly before its release out of fear that it would provoke retaliation.

[67] He refuses to register after the Superhero Registration Act is passed and he aligns with Captain America's resistance, separating him from his family and making him a fugitive.

[68] After Osborn's rule ends, Cage becomes the leader of another group of New Avengers and takes command of the reformed supervillain team the Thunderbolts.

After moving his operations to Times Square, he retains his previous office over a grindhouse theater in a poorer part of the city to ensure that he is still accessible to the working class.

[39] As Cage's character evolved, more nuanced traits were allowed to develop as he became husband and father and as he balanced his superheroism between street crime and more traditional supervillains.

His characterization underwent a major shift in The New Avengers, which reframes him as a paternal figure who cares for his infant daughter while serving as a mentor for younger superheroes who are racial minorities.

[81] This leads to further conflict with Cage's split roles as a father and a superhero, as the dangerous nature of his work puts his daughter at risk and causes his wife to doubt his sincerity about prioritizing the family.

[101] Other recurring villains introduced in Cage's original series include Gideon Mace, Black Mariah, Chemistro, Stiletto, Steeplejack, Cockroach Hamilton, Mr.

[106] Luke Cage was created as African-American heroes were first becoming acceptable to the American public, and the writers at Marvel developed the character to support this movement.

[14] The 2016 television adaptation of Luke Cage similarly debuted during a period of renewed interest in how police brutality in the United States affects Black men.

[120] Producer Edward R. Pressman worked with Stan Lee on a possible Luke Cage film in 1995 starring Fishburne as the titular character.