For eight years, Marvel fans have wondered how the ending of one of Netflix's Marvel TV shows was going to be paid off and explored further, and now the answer has finally been given in Daredevil: Born Again Season 2. Marvel Television has been working hard to fully connect Netflix's Marvel universe to the MCU and integrate what happened in the former into the established and complex lore of the MCU. Most recently, Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones made her long-awaited return, and Born Again Season 2, Episode 7 revealed some major changes to another Defenders hero.
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2, Episode 7 all but confirmed that Mike Colter's Luke Cage is the father of Jessica Jones' daughter, Danielle. This is not surprising, considering the two get together in the comics and have a daughter, but it marked a major change from the last time fans saw Luke in the Netflix continuity.
Jessica herself said to Matt Murdock after her house was raided by the government that she found out who was behind it and that they wanted "people like [them]" to do some work for them. Jessica essentially told that person to go away and leave her alone in not as polite a way, but she then revealed that "not everyone [she knows] did" the same.
The person she was referring to was revealed to be Luke in Episode 7. Specifically, during an interaction with Matthew Lillard's Mr. Charles, it was revealed that Luke was overseas working directly for Charles. Now, Luke is by no means an evil person, and likely took the job simply to protect Jessica, their daughter, and everyone else he is acquainted with safe, but that doesn't mean fans won't see a much different side of him in the MCU.
It is important to remember that Daredevil: Born Again has connected Mr. Charles with Wilson Fisk through running weapons. To add another layer to the whole story, the weapons are developed by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine's company, OXE Group.
Valentina (or Val, for short) is not a trustworthy person, to say the least. As seen in Thunderbolts*, she was actively searching for superpowered individuals to do the heavy lifting for her. In that case, it didn't exactly work out since that team became the New Avengers, but it appears as though she has still not given up.
Colter has already been confirmed to make his return as Luke Cage in Daredevil: Born Again Season 3, so more answers will likely be given as to what he was up to when those episodes are released. However, Season 2 just confirmed that he is basically carrying out Mr. Charles and Valentina's wishes and working for both of them, so even though he is not a traditional villain, he is still not walking a straight line, despite what his motivations are.
The MCU is Dealing With a Much Different Luke Cage
Luke Cage Season 2 (one of Netflix's Marvel shows) ended on a pretty big cliffhanger. Essentially, that show's big bad, Mariah Dillard, gave Luke a club called Harlem's Paradise before she died. This was not her being nice and burying the hatchet with him, though.
Instead, she knew Luke would have no choice but to take over the club and manage the already existing crime in Harlem to keep things from getting worse. In other words, he was being put in an unwinnable situation.
Luke Cage got cancelled by Netflix before Season 3 could be released, so fans never actually got to see what came of that Season 2 cliffhanger and how Luke would respond to what happened. However, it is safe to say that he would have been a different character and that Season 3 would have explored a darker side of him, which essentially seems to be the route Marvel Television is taking.
As mentioned, Luke is likely working for Mr. Charles for entirely selfless reasons, but taking orders from a sketchy government agent (and possibly Val as well) is hard to push through. When Luke comes back in Daredevil: Born Again Season 3, he will likely be closer to the middle of the morality spectrum than he previously was.
Marvel Television will also need to explain what happened to Harlem's Paradise and Luke's ownership of it. As mentioned, he was essentially going to have to keep it under control so the crime in Harlem didn't get worse than it already was. If he were ripped away from the country altogether and forced to go overseas, that could have meant that he failed in his mission in Harlem.
If that is the case, simply carrying that around on his chest could also factor into him being a darker character than what fans are used to.
It will also be extremely interesting for fans to see how Luke acts and operates as a father, especially after dealing with and being a part of something that, at its core, is rather villainous.
