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Last month at the San Diego Comic-Con, fans were able to get their first look at Luke Cage in his own Netflix series. It was a hit, turning into one of the showstoppers at the convention.

Yesterday (August 9), the show’s first trailer dropped. Arriving on September 30, the show looks to offer something different from other superhero series. Fans and superhero buffs have been waiting for this, but the show looks to be something that a lot of people can enjoy in a binge marathon.

If you are not excited yet, here’s five reasons why you should be:

The First Trailer Shows A Bulletproof Black Man

When the first Luke Cage trailer dropped, it presented an image that defied what we are used to. Here was a Black superhero protecting people, walking the streets of Harlem like a regular person. He is shot at in the trailer while shielding someone, the bullets merely ricocheting off him. This clearly resonated with a lot of people. At this time when the Black Lives Matter movement is making America reexamine itself again, “the world is ready for a bulletproof Black man,” executive producer Cheo Hodari Coker stated at Comic-Con.

Luke Cage Is Another Black Superhero In The Spotlight

There are many Black superheroes around, but very few have received solo billing on the cinematic screen. Look at the past 20 years for example: Storm mostly works with the X-Men, Spawn’s popularity faded after the unsuccessful film, and the last Blade movie was in 2004, which was also when the Static Shock cartoon ended. For the most part, Black superheroes have been sidekicks in Marvel films, and now this is changing with the Black Panther movie, which will be released in 2018. Luke Cage will beat him to the punch though, so all eyes are on the indestructible hero from Harlem.

The Show Will Not Shy Away From Social Issues

One of the things that separated Luke Cage, who is being played by Mike Colter, from other heroes is how his identity as a Black person is explored. His powers came from an experiment in prison, making the character resonate with issues like incarceration and the Tuskegee Experiments. Topics such as police brutality and drugs will also appear in the show, adding a welcoming level of depth to the crime fighting. Just as the Jessica Jones Netflix series addressed rape, Luke Cage looks to hit upon racial issues like no other superhero shown before.

Hip-Hop Is The Soundtrack 

The trailer starts off with Isaac Hayes‘ “Walk On By,” which was sampled by the Wu-Tang Clan. But things kick in, literally by a Luke Cage kick, with a Run the Jewels remix of “Heart Is Full.” Ol’ Dirty Bastard‘s “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” was heard in the first teaser, and there’s a lot more of that in the show. Showrunner Coker, a journalist hailing from the early days of Vibe magazine, revealed each episode will be named after a Gang Starr track. Each week he has been tweeting out the episode titles, with names like “Step Into The Arena” and “Just To Get A Rep” being used. With Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge doing the score, Luke Cage looks to have its own signature stamp.

At Last, Another Black Woman Superhero Not Named Storm

With the release of the show, people will soon be talking about another Black woman with super powers: Misty Knight. Played by Simone Cook, she will debut in Luke Cage as a fellow crime fighter. While she has existed nearly as long as Luke Cage has, her presence has mainly been limited to Marvel comics. But come September 30, Black girls and women will have someone else to look up to.

Watch the trailer below.

SOURCE: YouTube, Variety | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty

5 Reasons Why Netflix’s Luke Cage Is The Hero We’ve Been Waiting For  was originally published on theurbandaily.com