Season 2 of ‘Luke Cage’ is spectacular, unforgettable

Luke Cage had to come correct in 2018.

The previous title holder of the blackest thing Marvel had ever done when it premiered back in 2016, “Luke Cage” enters its second season on Netflix (it begins streaming today) following the hype of the black cultural phenomenon that was “Black Panther.”

The game changed once the world discovered Wakanda — the expectations for comic book-inspired black excellence have been raised.

Marvel’s bulletproof black man is up for the challenge. Season 2 of “Luke Cage” is spectacular, full of unforgettable performances, and has not one but two top-notch villains battling each other and Cage for the heart of Harlem. Season 2 gets off to a slow start, but Netflix was wise to release all 13 episodes to the media, as the second half is where the magic happens.

The things you expect are there: Hot hip-hop tracks over the action, musical performances at Harlem’s Paradise, swooning women continually asking Cage if he’d like to go out for “coffee.” But Season 2’s strength is the deep look it gives into the tortured souls of every major player.

Mike Colter returns to the role of Luke Cage, ever the charismatic protagonist who finally begins to embrace the hero-for-hire mentality of his comic book roots when he realizes invulnerability doesn’t shield him from financial restraints.

Season 2 newcomer Mustafa Shakir brings a little Erik Killmonger/angry son of the African diaspora style to his enjoyable role as Bushmaster, a Jamaican-raised man with special powers that give him the ability to stand toe to toe with Luke Cage.

There’s also tons of Caribbean pride and reggae-fused flavor. Luke Cage is a bad man, but the Jamaicans will tell him quick he’s no Usain Bolt, mon.

In the war for Harlem, you won’t see the final shot coming. Luke Cage won’t see it coming either and it’ll force him to make decisions he didn’t think he’d ever ponder. Those decisions draw news lines in the sand, creating unexpected alliances and rivalries for a Season 3 that already has its work cut out for it if it’s going to top this one.