The upcoming second season of Luke Cage will explore the character's public identity as one of New York's heroes. Mike Colter made his debut as Luke Cage, aka Power Man, in the first season of Jessica Jones. He then received his own standalone series the following year as part of Netflix's deal with Marvel TV, which, in addition to Jessica Jones, includes shows for Daredevil, Iron Fist, and The Punisher.

Approximately midway through the first season of Luke Cage, the character decided to stop hiding and to take his fight directly to the people who were oppressing the people of Harlem (including himself). Having his past come back to haunt him is something that will likely be explored in future seasons as well. Colter will be reprising his role as Luke Cage in the upcoming crossover series, The Defenders. After that, he will return for the second season of his show, and we now have an idea of what that season will entail.

Colter was on-hand at Houston's Comicpalooza convention earlier this month, where he joined Iron Fist star Finn Jones in promoting the upcoming season of The Defenders. When asked about how being in the public eye will affect his character going forward, Colter said Luke Cage's public identity will be central to his story in not only season two but also in The Defenders (via MCU Exchange).

Luke Cage Mike Colter

"It’s something that we’ll explore in the Defenders and hopefully in season two of [Luke Cage] which I start very soon. It’s very different. He’s out. People know what he looks like. He’s not in any kind of disguise. People know where he lives. They know where to find him so it's something he has to deal with. Most superheroes don’t have to deal with that and can kind of keep it separate."

The upcoming second season of Luke Cage is scheduled to begin filming next month and last all the way through March 2018. That long production shoot will make audiences wonder when the series will premiere, then. Colter recently said that he's hopeful the new season will air sometime early next year. Whether that happens or not depends on a variety of factors, namely how the series fits into Netflix's schedule. The streaming service has previously stated that they don't plan on releasing more than two new seasons per year.

Whenever the new season airs, things will certainly have changed for Luke Cage. His situation shifted rapidly throughout the character's first season, and when he returns for the second season, it will have developed even more. By the time Colter is back in his own standalone series, he will not only be in the public eye, but he will also have fought alongside three of New York's other heroes: Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist. It'll surely be interesting to see how those interactions affect his story arc going forward (if they do at all).

MORE: Luke Cage Season 2 Not Dictated By Defenders

The Defenders arrives on August 18th, with The Punisher coming later this year. Daredevil seasons 1 and 2, Jessica Jones season 1, Luke Cage season 1, and Iron Fist season 1 are now available on Netflix. Premiere dates for the next seasons of Jessica Jones, Daredevil, and Luke Cage have not yet been revealed.

Source: Mike Colter (via MCU Exchange)