Mike Colter Talks Kilgrave’s Lingering Influence in ‘Luke Cage’

Even as Jessica Jones began with its titular hero catching an eyeful of Luke Cage, we knew the hero for hire was destined to strike out on his own for the next series. Still, Jones baddie Kilgrave left quite a whammy on Luke, one Mike Colter says will still be felt among the character’s “renaissance” in his own series.

Speaking to Nerdist, Colter acknowledged the unlikelihood that Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones herself would carry over (at least initially), rather picking back up months later with Luke in his native Harlem. Still, as we saw with Jessica, memories of David Tennant‘s Kilgrave can be hard to shake:

I think when you catch up with Luke, you’ll still feel the residue of Kilgrave, and right away you’ll feel that this guy is coming from that world, starting up however many months after that series. It’s going to feel very present and very in the moment.

Given where he came from and how he evolved, it’s going to be a renaissance story. You’ll see Luke Cage in many different phases and ultimately, you’re going to find out a lot more about him as a person and a man. When you find him again, he’s trying to rebuild his life and get it all back together.

[What happened in Jessica Jones] took a lot out of him—a lot happened in a short amount of time and he’s trying to regain his composure and figure out what to do with himself next. Because that was not something he signed up for.

One imagines that showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker wouldn’t elect to portray Kilgrave’s influence as directly as we saw with Jessica Jones, casting further doubt on any rumors of David Tennant filming on the set (that neck might also present a challenge), thought we at least know of one familiar face spotted shooting scenes alongside Colter.

Thus far of Netflix’s Luke Cage, we know that Sons of Anarchy vet Theo Rossi will play “Shades” Alvarez, alongside Mahershala Ali’s Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes, Alfre Woodard’s Mariah Dillard, Frank Whaley’s Detective Rafael Scarfe and Simone Missick’s Misty Knight. Marvel menace “Diamondback” has been rumored to appear, while Rosario Dawson has also been confirmed her reprise her go-between character of Claire Temple, who herself originated in Marvel comics as a love interest of Luke Cage.

We’ll still have Daredevil Season 2 in between (while casting begins on Iron Fist, without word of Jessica Jones Season 2), but how closely tied can we expect Luke Cage with the character’s initial appearance?