Marvel Television · Series guide
Marvel's Luke Cage
2016–2018 · 2 seasons · 26 episodes
Superhuman strength meets a neighborhood's expectations.
Explore the seasons- Series premiere
- September 30, 2016
- Viewing time
- 24h 27m (estimated)
- Viewing context
- Your route into the series ↗
The story
Why watch Marvel's Luke Cage?
Mike Colter plays Luke Cage, a man whose extraordinary durability puts him in the path of New York crime. His own series gives the hero room to become the center of the story, rather than a supporting presence in someone else's investigation.
Luke's physical resilience creates an interesting limit for the action: defeating an attacker is not the same as resolving the situation around him. Watch what other people expect from a powerful neighbor, and how those expectations shape the choices available to him.
Synopsis source · Marvel ↗Before you begin
A starting point
Begin with season one for Luke's own story. Jessica Jones is optional earlier character context; place The Defenders before season two if following the connected series route.
Story & release
Where it fits
Jessica Jones provides an earlier appearance for Luke, while his first season is the entry to his own series. The Defenders sits between the two Luke Cage seasons. The links here offer that broader route without changing any existing watch-list grades.
Your viewing time
Seasons & episodes
Episode times come from the existing catalog and remain labeled as estimates.
Season 1
13 episodes · 11h 44m (estimated)
Premiered September 30, 2016
Luke takes the lead
Start with the first season to follow Luke as the central character. His earlier appearance in Jessica Jones offers additional context, but this is the beginning of his own series. Watch the responses to his strength as well as the confrontations themselves.
Synopsis source · Marvel ↗View 13 episodes
- 01Moment of Truth55m (estimated)
- 02Code of the Streets59m (estimated)
- 03Who's Gonna Take the Weight?57m (estimated)
- 04Step in the Arena53m (estimated)
- 05Just to Get a Rep52m (estimated)
- 06Suckas Need Bodyguards54m (estimated)
- 07Manifest52m (estimated)
- 08Blowin' Up the Spot49m (estimated)
- 09DWYCK1h 6m (estimated)
- 10Take It Personal48m (estimated)
- 11Now You're Mine51m (estimated)
- 12Soliloquy of Chaos1h 2m (estimated)
- 13You Know My Steez46m (estimated)
Season 2
13 episodes · 12h 43m (estimated)
Premiered June 22, 2018
After the team-up
The second season follows Luke's participation in The Defenders. If you are following the linked New York series, watch that crossover between the two seasons. Keep the episodes here in order to follow the next stage of Luke's story without jumping ahead to its outcome.
Synopsis source · Marvel ↗View 13 episodes
- 01Soul Brother #156m (estimated)
- 02Straighten It Out55m (estimated)
- 03Wig Out1h (estimated)
- 04I Get Physical54m (estimated)
- 05All Souled Out58m (estimated)
- 06The Basement1h 4m (estimated)
- 07On and On56m (estimated)
- 08If It Ain't Rough, It Ain't Right55m (estimated)
- 09For Pete's Sake59m (estimated)
- 10The Main Ingredient59m (estimated)
- 11The Creator56m (estimated)
- 12Can't Front on Me1h 2m (estimated)
- 13They Reminisce Over You1h 9m (estimated)
People to follow
Characters & performers
Select a portrait to explore the character. Where a character guide is unavailable, the portrait opens the credited source page.
Netflix Malaysia
Official trailer
The original promotional trailer from Netflix. This archival promotion does not state current streaming availability. Footage may reveal story details.
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Explore further
Related titles
Explore Marvel's Jessica Jones and Marvel's The Defenders. These are character or thematic browsing choices, not additional required viewing.
Sources & context
About this guide
Sources checked 2026-11-07. Catalog metadata, images and existing grades are from the current catalog. A source link does not imply streaming availability in your region.
How this catalog is put together ↗