25 Best Superhero Television Shows Of All Time

Photo Credit: Netflix

7. Luke Cage (Netflix) 

Introduced in the first season of Jessica Jones, Luke Cage easily won over fans’ hearts with his impenetrable skin. Mike Colter brought a lot of warmth to the role of damaged ex-convict just trying to make a living. Working at Pop’s (Frankie Faison) Barber Shop, Luke tries to live a quiet life in Harlem after the events of Kilgrave with Jessica.

Unfortunately, he’s dragged into a gang war with Cottonmouth (Mahershala Ali) a notorious criminal who uses his cousin’s (Alfre Woodard) political collections to keep himself out of jail. With the help of a talented detective, Misty Knight (Simone Missick) and Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson), the first half of Luke Cage is an exciting thrill ride due to Ali’s winning performance. Unfortunately, once he exits the series, Luke Cage crumbles into a convoluted mess.

A superhero show is only as good as its villain and Diamondback (Erik LaRay Harvey) is such a disappointment compared to Cottonmouth. His ridiculous desire to kill Luke because of their familial relation is pretty contrived and sadly Luke Cage drags itself to the finish line.

Even though the series wasn’t able to end on a strong note, Luke Cage plays an important part in genre history. The first superhero series led by a black man (and first comic book to feature a black lead), Luke Cage brought up an interesting discussion on race as well as the violence that plagues Harlem. Like Supergirl, it never shoves ideas down a viewer’s throat but it does successfully start a bigger discussion about current societal problems.