SPOILER ALERT: Warning, this article contains spoilers for Season 2 of Luke Cage. Proceed at your own risk.
With Season 2 of Luke Cage now streaming on Netflix, we’ve pulled together his best lines from the series. The funny stuff. The dramatic stuff. The sad stuff. And the shocking stuff, as Luke embarks on his darkest journey yet…
To camera, after being blown up and shot: “Yo, I’m Luke Cage. You can’t burn me, you can’t blast me, and you definitely can’t break me. You wanna test me? Step up. I’m right here. I ain’t going nowhere. You know where to find me. I am Harlem. And Harlem is me.”
Regarding racism: “I’m a black man in a hoodie. People have always been afraid of me. You never had anybody clutch a purse on an elevator, or follow you round a store, or cross the street when they see you coming.”
Explaining his anger issues: “I’m a man, OK? Full-fledged. My anger is real. But if I can use that for intimidation and fear, to do work, then so be it. If I have to speak the language of those that would do others harm, to make them stop, then so be it.”
Why he doesn’t wear a costume: “I’m 6’3″, black, and bulletproof. You really think wearing a Lone Ranger mask is going to keep people from figuring out who I am?”
Referencing WWI: “You’re too valuable. You’re the Archduke Franz Ferdinand. You’re a living, breathing, one-man Christmas addict’s ghetto stash house. The best bargaining chip ever. So I guess we’re going to hunker down for the night, and tomorrow morning I’m going to get you to the cops.”
Putting down the villain: “I’ve fought gangsters with powers. Maniacs looking for cheap revenge and immortality. Is that you?”
Coming to terms with his super-powered life: “I ain’t been to church in a long time. I don’t pray much either. But today in that river I think God was trying to tell me something. The world may be my problem. But it’s not always my fault.”
Telling Mariah how it is: “You said you needed me. You still do. Whether either one of us likes it or not. I’m keeping you alive until Harlem is safe from Bushmaster. After that, you’re on your own.”
Threatening Mariah: “Why not? After all she’s done? All the pain she’s caused? The misery. The death. Why shouldn’t I throw her out that window and give Bushmaster exactly what he wants?”
Mocking Danny Rand: “You think I’m crazy? You’re the one seeing dragons, man.”
On love lost: “It’s all those fires you have to put out. Staying ready. Always on edge at every moment. It does something, living that way. It changes you. Claire saw it. She tried to warn me but I couldn’t hear it. So she bounced. I don’t blame her. I chose this life.”
Referencing his quote at the start of this piece, but in Trump-like fashion: “Look, I’m bulletproof. You can’t burn me. You can’t blast me. And you can’t break me, OK? And most importantly, you can’t buy me. I’m the only person that can make Harlem great again.”