Having already made their mark with movies and television, Marvel continued growing their media empire this year with Daredevil premiering on Netflix. The series proved a huge hit, introducing audiences to the grittier, street-level side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But Daredevil was only the beginning, and soon Marvel's streaming offerings will include Jessica Jones and Luke Cage, followed by a forthcoming Iron Fist series, before the whole Netflix slate culminates in the mini-series event, The Defenders.
Jessica Jones debuts in a only a few months, where Mike Colter will first appear as Luke Cage before starring in his own series. That series begins filming soon and has already begun rounding out its main cast with actors Alfre Woodard and Theo Rossi. Joining them, will be Simone Missick as Missy, a character described as having a "strong sense of justice," but whom comic book fans may recognize as the bionic-armed crime-fighter, Misty Knight.
Marvel Comics first introduced Misty Knight in 1975 and the black woman detective with killer martial arts skills and (eventually) a bionic arm very obviously bares the influence of the era's blatant blaxsploitation and obsession with Kung Fu. Still, Misty's remained a fixture in the Marvel Universe, most recently appearing regularly in the now-canceled Fearless Defenders series opposite Valkyrie, an Asgardian warrior.
Throughout much of her publication history, however, Misty would appear alongside Iron Fist and Luke Cage, making her inclusion in the upcoming Luke Cage series all the more logical. Deadline refers to Missick's character Missy as the younger female lead of the series, which might mean that Luke Cage's version of Misty Knight isn't quite as mature as her comic book iteration, meaning she likely hasn't lost her right arm in the line of duty or even become a police detective for that matter. (Her bionic arm, by the way, is a gift from none other than Tony Stark.)
For her part, Missick is a relatively new actress, having only acted in shorts films and some limited television work - most notably in Showtime's Ray Donovan. Still, Marvel has clearly proven skilled at finding promising new talent before, so there's no reason to doubt their choice of Missick as the young female lead for Luke Cage.
What do you think of Misty Knight (or Missy, as the case may be) joining Marvel's Luke Cage? Will she be the already formed and battle-tested hero of the comics, or a younger, still developing iteration? Let us hear from you in the comments below!
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Daredevil season 1 is currently available on Netflix. Jessica Jones releases in Fall 2015, followed by Luke Cage season 1 and Daredevil season 2 in 2016. Iron Fist and The Defenders will arrive sometime thereafter.
Source: Deadline