7) He’s A Hero For Hire
Once he escapes from Seagate, Luke Cage becomes a superhero – but there’s a difference. He sets himself up as a Hero For Hire, meaning he’ll protect the innocent and stop the bad guys like any normal hero, but he’ll only do it for a price.
In this capacity, Cage came up against much more down-to-earth antagonists than his fellow Marvel heroes. Rather than OTT supervillains, Cage’s rogues gallery largely consists of mob bosses and crime lords. Sure, they have a gimmick, but they weren’t the sort to wear costumes and attempt to take over the world.
These include Cottonmouth, the king of Harlem’s criminal underworld with razor-sharp teeth, and Black Mariah, who used a stolen ambulance to pilfer dead bodies. His primary enemy, however, is Diamondback – Luke’s best friend before he had him framed and sent to jail.