Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 finally confirmed where Luke Cage has been. Marvel Television is continuing its efforts to revive Netflix's Defenders Saga on Disney+, with Daredevil: Born Again gradually bringing familiar faces back into the fold. That began with Charlie Cox's Daredevil and followed shortly after by Jon Bernthal's Punisher and Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones. Next up, Mike Colter's Luke Cage and Finn Jones' Iron Fist are expected to appear in Season 3.
Warning - This article contains spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again Season 2.
Luke Cage has been name-dropped throughout the season by Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones, with evidence suggesting they're a couple and that he's the father of her daughter, Danielle. Finally, Mike Colter reprised his bulletproof Hero of Harlem with a surprise cameo in the finale, confirming the theories about Luke Cage's whereabouts and setting him up for Season 3.
So What Happened To Luke Cage After 'Jessica Jones' & His Netflix Show?
Mike Colter's Luke Cage left off his two-season Netflix show by taking over Harlem's Paradise, a nightclub at the center of the New York borough's criminal underworld. The bulletproof hero became a sheriff-like figure in Harlem, hoping to regulate crime from within while preventing a power vacuum.
Cage's last Netflix appearance was in Jessica Jones Season 3, when he visited his fellow Defender at Alias Investigations to offer her advice on dealing with her sister, Trish Walker, who had escalated her vigilanteism into brutal murder. That advice led to Jones' sister joining Cage's brother and other MCU villains on The Raft.
That season took place in late 2017 or early 2018 before Thanos' snap and the events of Avengers: Infinity War. As Daredevil: Born Again is set in 2027, there are roughly nine years of blank space in Cage's life, during which he and Jones became romantically involved and had a daughter, Danielle Cage.
Those who were Blipped were gone from 2018 to 2023, meaning only four years passed between their resurrection and Daredevil: Born Again. As Danielle is a young toddler who appears to be four or five years old, her existence strongly indicates that Cage and Jones survived Thanos' snap.
It's unclear whether Cage still holds his position at Harlem's Paradise, but his absence overseas suggests he has relinquished those responsibilities. Of course, that leaves the question of who is now keeping Harlem safe from evildoers.
Where Was Luke Cage Exactly During 'Daredevil: Born Again'?
While Daredevil and Jessica Jones were teaming up to free New York from Wilson Fisk's reign, Luke Cage narrowly missed out on the action, arriving at Alias Investigations shortly after the battle was won. In that time, Luke was overseas working for Mr. Charles, doing his morally ambiguous bidding, until Wilson Bethel's Bullseye was recruited to jet off and replace him.
In Episode 7, "The Hateful Darkness," Jessica Jones confronted Matthew Lillard's Mr. Charles after he sent armed men to her home to scare her off investigating his illegal weapons dealings with Mayor Wilson Fisk.
Previously, Jessica explained that Mr. Charles is a CIA operative who takes a particular interest in vigilantes and seeks to recruit them. While Jessica told him to "f*** off," she admitted that "not everyone [she knows] did" the same.
In their tense face-off in Charles' bedroom, the CIA spook warned Jessica that he is the "only one that can connect [her] with [Luke Cage]." He revealed that he is "overseas, doing the lord's work so [she doesn't] have to."
It appears Charles attempted to blackmail Jessica into performing sketchy operations for him, perhaps with the threat of legal consequences for her crimes under Kilgrave's control, until Luke stepped in and offered to go in her stead.
What Was Luke Cage Doing Overseas? It Sounds Like 'Dirty Works' Abroad
The Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 finale's official podcast included a recap of the episode's events that revealed Wilson Bethel's Bullseye is "heading to do dirty works abroad" with Matthew Lillard's Mr. Charles. As Benjamin Poindexter is succeeding the beloved superhero in these shady international duties, it stands to reason that his actions overseas were equally "dirty."
As part of his sit-down with Entertainment Weekly, Dario Scardapane confirmed that the vigilantes recruited to this cause are called "Mr. Charles' Dark Whispers," which, so far, includes only Luke Cage and Bullseye.
Fans know that Mr. Charles is a close associate of Thunderbolts' villain, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, and her questionable black ops enterprises. The MCU's final Phase 5 movie confirmed that the likes of Yelena Belova, US Agent, Ghost, and Taskmaster had been working for Valentina and OXE, and it seems likely that Mr. Charles' operatives are part of that same organization.
Thunderbolts* opened with an example of the kinds of missions that Yelena was doing, as she was sent to Malaysia to destroy evidence in an OXE facility. One can only assume that Luke Cage's and now Bullseye's assignments are of a similar nature: high-stakes missions off the books and out of US jurisdiction.
What's Next for Luke Cage in Daredevil: Born Again Season 3?
Fortunately for fans, they won't be waiting long to see what comes next for Luke Cage, as he has been confirmed to co-star in a Defenders reunion through Daredevil: Born Again Season 3. The season is already in production and is expected to premiere on Disney+ in March 2027.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly after Cage's surprise return in Born Again, Dario Scardapane hinted that his brief cameo scene "holds an entire seed packet for seasons going forward."
On Daredevil: Born Again Season 2's official podcast, Marvel Television boss Brad Winderbaum admitted that Cage will be a "big part of Season 3." Meanwhile, Scardapane hinted that "if you know these characters' history and you know some of the comic book runs, you'll know what's happening."
While much of Cage's next chapter is bound to center on Mr. Charles and his Dark Whispers, there may also be a promising political career in his sights. In the aftermath of the Devil's Reign comic story on which Born Again is loosely based, it was Luke Cage who succeeded Wilson Fisk as New York mayor.
