7) Luke Cage vs. Diamondback (Final Round)
After a number of bouts (none of which ended well for Luke Cage), Diamondback and his hated half-brother square off with all of Harlem watching. It’s a scene we’ve all been waiting for. A tipping of the scale, so to speak. An armor-clad Diamondback throws himself at Cage with every vestige of strength he has left, bloodying him to a near-fatal point.
Then, rising from the mangled frame of a nearby van, Cage strikes a blow that knocks Diamondback across the street. The punch incapacitates the belligerent baddie, but fails to kill him. We’ll undoubtedly see him again. The Defenders, maybe?
The fight is intercut with flashbacks involving a young Carl Lucas in a boxing ring, a creative decision that establishes a parallel between the two formative confrontations. It’s a short fight, but it’s absolutely one for the books.