Warning: Contains spoilers for Luke Cage season 2.
Luke Cage punched his way back onto our screens on June 22 with the second season of his solo adventures in Harlem.
Season two sees Luke (Mike Colter) deal with becoming a local hero and celebrity in Harlem after clearing his name in season one, only to have to deal with a formidable new threat in Bushmaster (Mustafa Shakir) and a familiar foe in Mariah Dillard (Alfre Woodard).
But could season two be our last visit to Harlem? Here's everything we know about a potential third season of Luke Cage.
Luke Cage season 3 release date: When can we expect it?
Both Daredevil and Jessica Jones have been given third seasons by Netflix, so it's a strong possibility that Luke Cage will get the same.
As for when we can expect it, the first season arrived on September 30, 2016 and the second season will arrive on June 22, 2018. A similar gap would mean that season three could land on Netflix in early 2020, but we reckon we could be looking at late 2019 instead.
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Luke Cage season 3 cast: Who's coming back?
It wouldn't be Luke Cage without Mike Colter returning as the bulletproof superhero and we can't imagine that he wouldn't be joined by Simone Missick as Misty Knight
Shades Alvarez (Theo Rossi) ended season two in jail, but that doesn't rule out a return, even if his boss/lover Mariah Dillard (Alfre Woodard) died in the finale, poisoned by her own daughter Tilda Johnson (Gabrielle Dennis).
We're hoping we haven't seen the last of Mustafa Shakir as Bushmaster either as he just about survived season two, ending it by leaving Harlem and heading for Delaware.
Season two also features cameos from Finn Jones as Iron Fist and Jessica Henwick as Colleen Wing and given their paths cross with Luke and Misty in the comics, we reckon we'll see them in Luke Cage season three as well.
Rosario Dawson has thrown some doubt on her Marvel future as Claire Temple, hinting that Luke Cage season two could be her final outing. "I don't know if I'll be back after this, to be honest, but it's been an amazing few years. I've been on a lot of different shows," she explained.
"I mean, I don't know if maybe they do a third season of Luke Cage potentially, or maybe if they figure out some kind of way for me to be on The Punisher – just so I can feel like I've done every show. But it's been like, my daughter is in high school, so I kinda wanna not be 3,000 miles away for work."
Season two saw Claire fall out with Luke and leave Harlem after an angry outburst by Luke and even though she returned in the finale, he refused to see her as he assumed his new position in Harlem's Paradise.
Sadly, Reg E Cathey – who played Luke's father James Lucas in season two – passed away in February 2018.
Luke Cage season 3 villain: Who will Luke face?
So far, the TV show hasn't tackled the likes of Chemistro, Moses Magnum and Gideon Mace in terms of notable comic-book villains that have faced Luke Cage, with the last two seeming to have the most potential to fit into the adaptation's more grounded world.
Unlike Cottonmouth in the first season, Bushmaster survived so there's a chance he could come back to Harlem to regain what he believes is rightfully his from Luke. And that might not be the only familiar face that Luke is challenged by in season three as we could also see a return for Diamondback (Erik LaRay Harvey) after he ended season one in prison, but set to get given new powers by Noah Burstein (Michael Kostroff).
Mariah might have been killed off in the season two finale, but Shades could be a bigger threat in season three (if he escapes prison) and potentially Mariah's daughter Tilda, having killed her own mother, could become a villain too.
Tilda's comic book counterpart Nightshade has been in battles with Luke and Iron Fist, including using robots to take over Harlem protection rackets, although that might be a step too far for the show.
Luke Cage season 3 plot: How does season 2 set it up?
The season two finale leaves Luke having to do the unthinkable and assume charge as the "sheriff" of Harlem, taking up the position previously occupied by Cottonmouth, Mariah and Bushmaster as the head of Harlem's Paradise.
He does this because after Mariah is arrested (and later killed), a dangerous power vacuum sees rival gangs battle for control of Harlem which threatens to spin out of control, but can Luke avoid the temptation of power?
"That's what DW [Jeremiah Craft] is talking about: if you control crime, you're a crime boss. You have to deal with that," showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker told Bustle. "I don't know if Luke is really dealing with that emotionally the same way that Michael Corleone [Al Pacino], certainly the same way when he first became The Godfather, didn't deal with it."
Coker added: "That I think is one of the things that is so haunting about that ending. When we see Luke at that desk, the weight of the world on his shoulders, you can't wait to see what happens. That's the feeling we want to leave people with."
Luke Cage season two is now available to watch on Netflix.
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
