We wish we were kidding, but we’re not.
Just a week after pulling the plug on Iron Fist, and only days after assuring us that the rest of their Marvel series were safe, Netflix has gone ahead and cancelled Luke Cage. Despite a solid first season and a pretty well received second outing, it seems the viewing figures just weren’t there and now, Mike Colter’s Power Man is no more.
Issuing a statement to Deadline earlier tonight, here’s what the streaming site had to say:
Unfortunately, Marvel’s Luke Cage will not return for a third season. Everyone at Marvel Television and Netflix is grateful to the dedicated showrunner, writers, cast and crew who brought Harlem’s Hero to life for the past two seasons, and to all the fans who have supported the series.”
Frankly, this is shocking news. Iron Fist was surprising but let’s be honest, it never stood a great chance of being renewed. With Luke Cage though, people have generally enjoyed it and we fully expected for the hero to get at least one more season. Especially because the last run ended on a major cliffhanger.
If you’ll recall, after a power vacuum appeared in Harlem, Luke made the bold decision to step in and become the town’s new crime boss, with hopes to change the corrupt city for the better from within. The Godfather-inspired final scene suggested that it’ll be Cage that’s the one to change, though.
There’s no word yet on whether Colter’s hero could show up elsewhere, but given that both him and Danny Rand are without series of their own now, maybe it’s finally time for that Heroes for Hire spinoff? We can only hope, but for the immediate future, it looks like Luke Cage‘s days on Netflix are unfortunately at an end.