Luke Cage Star Mike Colter Just Dropped His Biggest Hint Yet About an MCU Return

Sweet Christmas, we are still asking the same question: is Luke Cage ever stepping back into the MCU? With Daredevil officially back in play and Jessica Jones reportedly sliding into Daredevil: Born Again season 2, it feels like the door has to be cracked open for Harlem's hero. Mike Colter knows that, you know that, and yes, he got asked about it again this weekend.

Colter, playing it cool (again)

At an Edmonton Expo panel (via Agents of Fandom), Colter did the usual dance when the Luke Cage question came up. He basically shrugged at the speculation and had a little fun with it.

"I don't know why people keep asking me this. There are no signs. It's not like they've just recently revived one of the Marvel Netflix shows."

Translation: he hears you. He also knows Daredevil is back. And he is very aware that fans would like him to pick up the hoodie again.

If Luke comes back, it is a different MCU now

The Netflix era lived on street corners and in dim hallways. The current MCU lives anywhere from Queens to space. Case in point: Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, is said to be squaring up either against or alongside Spider-Man in something called Spider-Man: Brand New Day. That is a wild sentence to type, and very not-Netflix-vibes. If that is the sandbox now, where does a bulletproof guy from Harlem fit?

Colter has thought about that too, and he is not exactly campaigning for Luke vs. cosmic gods.

"Did you see what they did to Hulk? Come on, man, if they're gonna do that to Hulk, they'd have Thanos absolutely wipe the floor with Luke."

Fair point. Maybe the move is what Daredevil did: start grounded, earn the bigger fights later. And with chatter that Born Again already has a third season on the cards, there is room to re-establish the street-level side before anyone starts punching purple space tyrants.

Where things stand (and what is weird about it)

• Daredevil (Charlie Cox) is back, and Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) is set to join him in Daredevil: Born Again season 2.
• Mike Colter, at Edmonton Expo, says there are "no signs" of a Luke Cage return and jokes about people asking anyway.
• Marvel's world has gotten way more fantastical since the Netflix shows; The Punisher potentially mixing it up with Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a very big swing.
• Colter is skeptical about Luke in a Thanos-level fight, citing how Hulk got humbled.
• There is talk that a third season of Born Again is already on the horizon, which could give space to reintroduce Cage on the streets if it actually happens.

Bottom line: Colter is not confirming anything, he is not closing the door, and he knows exactly how to keep fans on the hook. If Luke Cage pops up, do not be surprised if it starts with knuckles and alleyways, not portals and planets. Honestly, that is where he belongs anyway.