Luke Cage leads in ‘Thunderbolts’ but will Hollywood lightning ever hit?

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FIRST LOOK

Here’s a first look at the cover of ‘Thunderbolts’ No. 144 from writer Jeff Parker and artist Kev Walker (cover by Marko Djurdjevic), which goes on sale May 26. Here’s the blurb from Marvel: ‘The most dangerous people on Earth are now all in one hellish prison, and the only way out is through rehabilitation and contribution to society via The Thunderbolts, under the leadership of the steel-hard-skinned Avenger named Luke Cage.’ In this issue, the ‘Dirty Dozen’ approach to a powers group includes Juggernaut. Crossbones and Man-Thing.

Speaking of Luke Cage, a.k.a. Power Man, I hear that there’s more talk underway about putting the urban hero into his own film and that a notable Hollywood star is now having (very) preliminary talks with Marvel Studios about the property and its potential.

I’ve always loved the Luke Cage character, who has been part of some great runs in comics. Brian Michael Bendis did great things with him in his fantastic ‘Alias’ series and clearly feels an affinity for the character, since he used him again and again in the pages of ‘Secret War,’ ‘The Pulse,’ ‘Daredevil’ and ‘New Avengers.’

Going way back, the Power Man and Iron Fist appearance in Frank Miller’s sublime ‘Daredevil’ was one of my favorite moments in that landmark run.

The character, created by Archie Goodwin and John Romita Sr., has been at his best when teamed with Iron Fist, both in their title and as tourists in other books. They always struck me as a mash-up of genre films, the blaxploitation hero with the kung-fu master. I think with the right casting, a Luke Cage and Iron Fist movie would be fantastic.

Here’s voting for Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham in the roles....

-- Geoff Boucher

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ARTWORK: Marvel Comics.