'Luke Cage' Clip: Mike Colter Dishes Out Some Serious Hurting

It's September, which means that our focus should be drifting away from comic book superheroes and toward the film festival circuit, where the movies we'll be talking about for the next four or five months will be making their debuts and building their buzz. And while our own Angie Han is currently at the Toronto International Film Festival to bring you reviews of new films from the world's most exciting and eclectic filmmakers, Netflix is doing an excellent job of diverting our attention from the arthouse to the streets of Harlem in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Yes, a new Luke Cage clip is here and yes, this show still looks really, really good.

As someone who writes about film, television, and pop culture for a living, I sometimes look at the impending arrival of a new Netflix series with a certain amount of dread. I know that I'll probably have to watch it for work, and I know that I'll have to dive into it quickly and marathon every single episode in a weekend if I plan on adding my voice to the conversation. As much as I liked Jessica Jones and Daredevil season 2, both of those series would benefit from not being binged. Their pacing can get a little slow, and the wheels start to spin a little too much around episode 8 or so.

But Luke Cage? I am actively excited for Luke Cage and would be planning to devour the whole thing in just a few sittings whether I was planning to write about it or not. This new clip, which doesn't even run a minute, features more personality than many superhero movies:

First of all, I continue to be enraptured by series star Mike Colter, who made a strong impression with his supporting role on Jessica Jones and continues to look fantastic here. He doesn't just look like his comic book counterpart – he embodies the dignity and simmering rage that makes Luke Cage such an engaging hero. While the clip is really about showcasing Cage straightforward powers (a henchmen's wrist literally splinters after he punches him in the face, a bullet fired at point-blank range only elicits a wince, etc.), I was really won over by the soundtrack. As a previously released clip indicated, it seems like Luke Cage will sound nothing like any other superhero show we've seen so far.

The 13-episode first season of Luke Cage is set to drop on September 30, 2016. Colter will then return to MCU as a member of The Defenders, which will team up Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist.