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Luke Cage Reading Order, Marvel’s Power Man

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At the beginning of the 1970s, Blaxploitation movies became quite popular and Marvel Comics wanted to cash in on the trend–as well as with other trends, see Ghost Rider or Werewolf by Night. Luke Cage was then introduced as an urban African-American hero like no other.

Described at the time as “a combination of Superman and Shaft,” Luke Cage was created by Archie Goodwin, George Tuska, Roy Thomas, and John Romita Sr. He made his first appearance in Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1 (June 1972). He was the first black American superhero to have his own book at Marvel (Black Panther is not an American!).

Introduced as a prisoner in “Little Alcatraz,” the Seagate Prison, Carl Lucas is recruited by research scientist Dr. Noah Burstein to be a test subject in a cellular regeneration experiment based on a variant of the Super-Soldier process. Lucas gains superstrength and escapes. He ends up in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood where he grew up where he reinvents himself. Now call Luke Cage, the “Power Man,” he becomes a freelance “hero for hire.”

Hero for Hire was not a hit, but Luke Cage rapidly found his place in the Marvel universe. He befriended the Fantastic Four, fought next to the super-team the Defenders, developed a relationship with Dr. Claire Temple, and teamed up with Iron Fist and Misty Knight…

Luke Cage Reading Order

Power Man, The Hero for Hire

Originally titled Luke Cage, Hero for Hire, Luke Cage’s series was renamed Power Man with #17. As blaxploitation and martial arts genres lost their appeal, Marvel decided to save Power Man and Iron Fist (see reading order) by combining the two series in one. The duo became the stars of Power Man and Iron Fist–being published in the continuation of the Power Man series, the numbering remained the same.

Luke Cage made his first appearance in Defenders in issue #17 of the series, set around Luke Cage, Power Man #21.

  • Luke Cage Omnibus
    Collects Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1-16; Luke Cage, Power Man #17-47, Annual #1.

Also collected in Epic Collection:

And in Marvel Masterworks:

For now, as the series goes from “Power Man” to “Power Man & Iron Fist,” we are going from the Marvel Masterworks collection to the Epic Collection.

Luke Cage came back in the 1990s

For half a decade, Luke Cage mostly disappeared. In the early 1990s, Marvel Comics decided to bring him back for a new ongoing series simply called Cage, written by Marcus McLaurin and penciled by Dwayne Turner.

After that, Luke appeared in Marvel Comics Presents #131-136 before joining the Secret Defenders in Secret Defenders #15-17.

With The Avengers and the Fantastic Four disappearance (see the Heroes Reborn storylines), Power Man and Iron Fist reformed the Heroes for Hire, but with some new players under the guidance of writer John Ostrander:

Luke Cage and Danny Rand reunite in team-ups with Spider-Man and …Sabretooth?! And they’re just in time to relaunch the expanded HeroesFor Hire! A supervillain prison break inspires Iron Fist to fill the void left by the Avengers and Fantastic Four — but his ex-partner Luke will take some convincing. Hercules and White Tiger are eager recruits, but is the Hulk a joiner? Maybe She-Hulk would be a better fit. A transformed Black Knight rides in, and Luke has his arm twisted by the master of the World. But will he stay after Power Man battles Iron Fist? The team will face Deviants, Punisher, and the Thunderbolts — there must be a little room left for Ant-Man to help out.

After that, Marvel organized the Contest of Champions II, and Luke Cage appeared in two issues (#3 & 5), before joining Black Panther, also in two issues (Vol. 3 #16-17). And then, once again, he helped his friend Danny Rand in:

  • Iron Fist: Return of K’Un Lun
    Collects Iron Fist & Wolverine #1-4, Iron Fist (1996) #1-2, Iron Fist (1998) #1-3, Iron Fist (2004) #1-6, Uncanny Origins #14.

Luke Cage, the Marvel Knight in the 2000s

As we entered the 2000s, Luke Cage found a new place in the Marvel Universe, within the Marvel Knights imprint and the MAX line, comics designed for an adult audience. Most notably, his appearances in the Alias series by Brian Michael Bendis were crucial for establishing his future with Jessica Jones.

  • Marvel Knights: Defenders Of The Streets
    Collects Marvel Knights #1-15.

    • Luke Cage guest-starred in #11-15
  • Jessica Jones: Alias Omnibus
    Collects Alias (2001) #1-28, What If Jessica Jones Had Joined the Avengers? (2005) #1

    • Luke Cage only appeared in #1-2, 15, 25-26, 28.
    • Also, in the middle of that, Luke Cage also appeared in Bendis’s Daredevil (#38-40 in Daredevil Vol.5: Out)
  • Cage
    Collects Cage #1-5

    • This series by Brian Azzarello is not in continuity as part of the MAX lines.

When Alias evolved into The Pulse, Luke Cage became a recurring character.

Luke Cage: The New Avengers

Bendis likes Luke Cage and he used him in his Avengers. In fact, this happened during the Pulse.

During that period of time, Luke Cage started to appear in a lot of series as a guest star (it comes with being an Avengers). It’s hard to track every appearance. We are focusing here on his major contribution, mostly the New Avengers.

Being part of the Avengers implied taking part in all the major events. For Luke Cage, it started here with House of M. The Avengers and the X-Men are faced with a common foe that becomes their greatest threat: Wanda Maximoff! The Scarlet Witch is out of control, and the fate of the entire world is in her hands. It’s House of M, and for more information and tie-ins, go to the reading order.

It’s The Civil War! The U.S. Government proposed the Superhuman Registration Act, intending to register all super-powered beings as living weapons of mass destruction and requiring all costumed heroes to unmask themselves before the government and subject themselves to federally mandated standards. Heroes had to choose between rallying behind either Iron Man’s pro-registration forces or Captain America’s opposition. The Civil War began., go to the reading order.

Post-Civil War, Luke Cage joined his friend Danny Rand as a supporting character in Immortal Iron Fist.

  • Immortal Iron Fist & The Immortal Weapons Omnibus
    Collects Immortal Iron Fist (2006) #1-27, Immortal Iron Fist Annual (2007) #1, The Immortal Iron Fist: Orson Randall and the Green Mist of Death One-Shot (2008), Immortal Iron Fist: The Origin of Danny Rand One-Shot (2008), Civil War: Choosing Sides (2006) # (Iron Fist story), Immortal Iron Fist: Orson Randall and the Death Queen of California One-Shot (2008), Immortal Weapons (2009) #1-5, I Am an Avenger (2010) #1 (Iron Fist story), Immortal Weapons Sketchbook (2008)
  • New Avengers vol. 6: Revolution
    Collects The New Avengers #26-31.

The Secret Invasion begins with a brutal battle between the New Avengers and the Hand—one that claims the life of Elektra and reveals that she was a Skrull! What does this mean for Tony Stark and his Mighty Avengers? How about the Illuminati? go to the Reading Order!

Post-Secret Invasion, we are entering the Dark Reign Era of Marvel. Go here to learn more about that.

Marvel Siege LogoAnd now, Siege! It’s the end of the Dark Reign Era. Coerced by Loki and on the brink of madness, Osborn, in his final bid to take total control, targets the final obstacle in his mission…Asgard. More with the reading order of the event.

  • Siege
    Collects Siege: The Cabal, Siege #1-4, and Avengers: The Way Things are.
  • Siege: New Avengers
    Collects New Avengers Annual 3, Dark Reign: The List – Avengers, New Avengers #61-64 & New Avengers Finale.
  • Siege: Thunderbolts
    Collects Thunderbolts #138-143.

    • Luke Cage joined the Thunderbolts in #143.

Luke Cage: Avengers and Thunderbolts

Following the events of Siege, the Marvel Universe entered the Heroic Aga. Sill in the New Avengers team, Luke Cage takes also on a new role with the Thunderbolts.

Shadowland! Matt Murdock dared evil … and lost! The battle for the soul of a hero begins! Pushed beyond his limits, Daredevil faces off for a final time against his deadliest foe–Bullseye–in their most brutal battle ever with more than just Hell’s Kitchen at stake. Spider-Man, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Punisher, and more join forces to stop a war that is breaking out throughout New York, with Daredevil at the center. See the Shadowland Reading Order for more information.

Be afraid of Fear Itself! A 2011 crossover Marvel Comics event written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by Stuart Immonen. It’s not from Bendis, but it affected all of the Marvel Universe, including the Avengers of course. The entire planet has been seized by Fear and only chaos reigns. The Serpent, Asgard’s most ancient evil, has awakened and is feeding off the fear of Earth’s populace. Don’t be afraid, the Reading Order is here.

Welcome to Spider-Island, where a million New Yorkers suddenly possess Spider-Man’s powers – but none of the responsibility! Can Spidey play world-saving superhero while the Big Apple gets eaten alive from the inside out when he’s suddenly not quite so special? See Spider-Island reading order to learn more.

The Avengers and the X-Men go to war in Avengers vs. X-Men! This 2012 crossover event involved the return of the Phoenix Force and the subsequent war between the Avengers and the X-Men. For a more comprehensive look at the event, go to the reading order.

Luke Cage: Dark & Mighty Avengers in the Marvel Now!

If you read Thunderbolts up to that point, you know that, with the team lost in time, a new group stepped in to replace them: the Dark Avengers! The title was renamed to reflect this reality, with the same numbering and still Luke Cage as a leader. Then, he joined the Mighty Avengers!

Original Sin! The story began when Uatu, the mysterious space god who’s been watching mankind from the moon for as long as we can remember … is found dead. But who shot the Watcher? More information in the reading order of the event.

AXIS Reading OrderThe Red Onslaught is broadcasting waves of telepathic hate across the globe, and Marvel’s greatest heroes have turned on their moral axis! And with the heroes “inverted” to evil, who will stand against them? For the Answer, follow the AXIS reading order.

The 2015 Secret Wars! The interdimensional Incursions have eliminated each and every alternate universe one by one. And now, the Marvel Universe and Ultimate Universe have collided…and been destroyed! All that exists in the vast empty cosmos is a single, titanic patchwork planet made of the fragmented remains of hundreds of devastated dimensions: Battleworld! Go here to find the full reading order of the event.

  • Secret Wars
    Collects Secret Wars #0,#1-9, Free Comic Book Day 2015.

Luke Cage is mostly absent during The Secret Wars, but the event marked the end of the era. In fact, it partially rebooted the Marvel Universe!

Luke Cage in the All-New, All-Different Marvel

Luke Cage’s time with the Avengers is over and, once again, he teams up with his friend Danny Rand in the new Power Man and Iron Fist series.

Civil War 2! When a new Inhuman emerges, with the ability to profile the future, Captain Marvel wanted him to work with the Ultimates, in order to preemptively tackle disasters before they happen, but Iron Man opposed the idea, suggesting it was dangerous to take his visions for granted for several reasons. For more, go to the Civil War II Reading Order.

We are entering the Netflix era. The streaming platform launched its version of the Marvel universe and the comics tried to reflect that.

Secret Empire! Captain America is living a lie! The Cosmic Cube has remade him into a secret true believer in the cause of Hydra! Now, Steve Rogers makes Hydra’s ideals a reality—and changes the landscape of the world dramatically! For more, go to the Secret Empire Reading Order.

  • Secret Empire
    Collects Secret Empire #0-9, Free Comic Book Day 2017 Defenders #1.

The Secret Empire event was used to launch the new Defenders series (the same team composition as the Netflix show).

Luke Cage Takes a Fresh Start

In 2018, after the All-New, All-Different Marvel and the Legacy era, Marvel entered the Fresh Start! era. Luke Cage is not as visible as he was before. He was part of the Digital Comic line launch at that time, first in his own short series, then as a recurring character in Jessica Jones and Iron Fist, as always.

Daredevil Reading OrderDevil’s Reign! Daredevil and other Marvel superheroes go face to face with the mayor of the biggest city in America, Wilson Fisk during Devil’s reign. To know more about it, go check out our Devil’s Reign reading order. In the aftermath of this event, Luke Cage rebuilt the Thunderbolts.

More to come as the story continues!

Last Updated on February 9, 2024.

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