Page - 130 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 03/01

130 | Ken Derry et al. www.jrfm.eu 2017, 3/1, 123–155 corrupt and/or ineffective laws and so becomes a vigilante in order to save the community by destroying the evildoers who threaten it.9 there are some ele- ments of this perspective in Luke Cage (2016), especially regarding problems with the police and Luke’s justification for using violence to make Harlem saf- er.10 But Luke never directly or even inadvertently kills anyone, and even after seeing Cornell let out of jail (E07) he still hands Diamondback over to the au- thorities when their fight is done (E13) – and, again, he gives himself up to the police in the end. in many ways, in fact, Luke Cage (2016) appears to represent the oppos- ing worldview – also biblically rooted – which Jewett and Lawrence refer to as “prophetic realism”. instead of wishing for a solitary hero who ignores the law to save everyone from evil, this perspective recognizes human complexity and valorizes communities working together to improve their situation using due process. this focus on community is evident throughout the series, from the importance of Pop’s barbershop as a refuge and meeting place, to the fact that Luke has no mask or “superhero” identity: he is always Luke Cage and he openly helps, and often needs the help of, the people around him.11 he also tries to understand the people who are hurting harlem, and the series itself slowly peels off the masks of the villains – Cornell Stokes, Mariah Dillard, Willis Stryker – to show us the painful histories that have shaped their current identities and actions.12 9 examples of American cinematic superheroes who embody zealous nationalism include the protago- nists of Batman (tim Burton, Us 1989), Spider-Man (sam raimi, Us 2002), Superman Returns (Bryan singer, Us 2006), Iron Man (Jon favreau, Us 2008), The Dark Knight Rises (Christopher Nolan, GB/Us 2012), and Man of Steel (Zack snyder, GB/Us 2013). 10 in this regard one of the most zealous moments in the series comes after Pop’s funeral (e05), when Misty is upbraiding Luke for antagonizing Cornell and saying that she will get him “the right way”, that “the system will win”. Luke is having none of it: “forget the system. Arrests lead to indictments, and indictments lead to pleas. There’s always a bigger fish. A bigger angle. A slap on the wrist. And boom. right back in business. i ain’t going for that.” this conversation is an example of the wonderfully com- plex, shifting dynamics of Luke Cage (2016), given that Luke as noted below does end up trusting the “system” in several respects, while Misty moves further into vigilante territory: she attacks Claire dur- ing an official interrogation (E08) and circumvents police protocol when trying to protect a key witness against Mariah, which leads to the witness’s death and Mariah’s freedom (e13). 11 In his eulogy for Pop, Luke admits that he used to be “selfish” in his responses to violence, and that Pop taught him a critical lesson: “if we try to protect only ourselves, without looking out for those people closest to us, then we lose” (E05). He concludes the eulogy by affirming, “I don’t believe in Har- lem. i believe in the people who make harlem what it is.” this faith is returned at several points in the series, notably when many of harlem’s people put on hoodies with holes in them to help Luke evade the police, and when they all start chanting “Luke! Luke! Luke!” during his final fight with Diamondback (e13). 12 Pop too worked to understand the value and humanity of all people, regardless of their past. As Luke notes in his eulogy, “Pop saw the shine in everyone that walked into his barbershop. . . . he made them feel better about the world, and themselves. We have to strive on a daily basis to do the same for each other” (e05). the most striking way in which Luke Cage (2016) fails to do this very thing involves Willis stryker, who is portrayed as cartoonishly evil. the attempt to understand his horrifying behavior is weak and unsatisfying; simply having a thoughtless and hypocritical father hardly accounts for Stryker’s murder- ous rampages. And the parental indifference he experienced in no way comes close to the horrors