Luke Cage and Iron Fist are perhaps one of the most iconic duos in the Marvel Universe. Appearing in a slew of versions of the Marvel Universe, Heroes for Hire is an important part of the superhero community in Marvel Comics, but it also allowed the early versions of the character to talk about race in a nuanced manner, the kind that is not always the case with other Black heroes.
Luke Cage’s initial run in the comics had him run under the title, which was Hero for Hire, which then changed to Power Man, which then changed to Power Man and Iron Fist. The latest of these completely changed how Power Man approached the concept of race in a comic book, something that was a novel idea in the industry.
Iron Fist and Luke Cage started sharing a title thanks to a decline in sales a
Iron Fist and Luke Cage were series that were contemporaneous to each other but were losing sales as well. Bringing them together under one banner allowed both the series to run a little longer, and allowed for a more nuanced look at the issues that Luke Cage engaged with within his own comics.
While Luke Cage dealt with issues like poverty, pairing him with the wealthy Danny Rand completely changed the dynamic that the character had with his community, which was an important part of Power Man’s stories.
In Issue# 123, the black community that Power Man found himself to be a part of decided to not reach out to him when Black people were being targeted and murdered. The idea was that they felt that he was not a man of the people anymore, given that his circles had changed thanks to Danny Rand’s wealth and status influencing how Heroes for Hire functioned.
This even prompted one character to say, “I remember when you was Black”. This was one of the ways in which the story of Luke Cage evolved in the Marvel universe, something that would look great in the MCU, should Kevin Feige take that route.
Luke Cage and Danny Rand need their own film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
While rendering street-level vigilantes like Daredevil and Moon Knight to streaming services might be a brilliant choice, it is time that the street-level heroes get a chance on the big screen, and not just as cameos. A Heroes for Hire film, with a smaller budget, lower stakes, and a tight script, might be what the MCU needs so that the movie-going audience can get a break from the CGI fests that Marvel films are increasingly becoming.
A Luke Cage/Danny Rand film is not as big a risk, while also allowing the fans of these characters to have a good time at the theatre, rather than having to stick it out with streaming at home. A Heroes for Hire film could also look into bringing other heroes like Daredevil and Moon Knight into the film space, without having to spend narrative capital in other films where they might look out of place.
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