Luke Cage star Mike Colter has revealed what it would take for him to return to the MCU.
The actor, who fronted two seasons of Luke Cage, as well as making appearances in Jessica Jones and The Defenders miniseries, told ComicBook.com in a recent interview that he is open to reprising his role in the MCU, but only if it doesn't affect his schedule in a way that he "can't do another season of Evil."
Evil is a supernatural drama created by Robert and Michelle King that premiered its first season on CBS before moving to Paramount+. The fourth season will debut on May 23, with four bonus episodes wrapping up the series for good, potentially freeing up Colter's schedule — though he is starring in a sequel to Plane.
Colter seemingly has the same motto as Luke Cage fan-favorite Pop when thinking about the future (that the only direction in life that matters is forward), as he told the outlet he doesn't actively think about his Marvel role or about making a comeback. However, he would consider it if the circumstances were right.
"I would totally entertain a good script and idea that made sense," he said of a future superhero stint, though he added: "I don't stay up at night thinking about it, nor do I recall it unless someone brings it up. But I enjoyed my time. I don't look in the past. If something comes up, great, we'll talk about it. But right now, I'm [past it]."
Luke Cage ran for two seasons between 2016 and 2018, but Netflix cancelled the series one week after pulling the plug on Iron Fist. Other shows in the Defenders saga followed suit and were removed from Netflix in 2022 as Disney regained the license and added them to the Disney+ library and, subsequently, the MCU timeline.
Some of the characters from these shows have already returned to the MCU post-Netflix series cancellations. Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock/Daredevil has appeared in Spider-Man: No Way Home, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and Echo, while Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk/Kingpin showed up in Hawkeye and Echo.
More familiar faces from the Defenders-verse will be back for Daredevil: Born Again when it premieres in March 2025, including Wilson Bethel's Benjamin Poindexter/Bullseye, Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle/The Punisher, Elden Henson's Foggy Nelson and Deborah Ann Woll's Karen Page, in addition to Cox and D'Onofrio.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on X/Twitter here.
