If you have Netflix and haven’t seen Luke Cage yet, watch it. If it doesn’t pull you in after the first episode, watch ten minutes of the second episode and you’ll be hooked. I’m up to episode eight now after starting on Friday and I’m trying to pace myself now because the show is that good. Luke Cage is a black superhero, a bulletproof former convict in a hoodie, played expertly by Mike Colter. Cage is trying to clean up Harlem from the criminals and gangs and he’s somewhat invincible, except for certain circumstances and except for the people he lets get close to him. I won’t say anything more because I don’t want to reveal spoilers, but it also stars Alfre Woodard, Mahershala Ali and Rosario Dawson. There are so many other talented character actors that you’ll recognize from other shows. Apparently Cage also appeared on Netflix’s Jessica Jones, which I’ve heard only good things about. (I’m going to finish this series and then watch Jessica Jones when I get a chance.)

Colter has an extensive interview with Bazaar in which he discusses his character, living in Harlem and the meaning of a black superhero at a time when so many black people are being killed and brutalized by police. He gives a circumspect response to the question as if he’s afraid of being controversial, but he answers it in a very thoughtful way as well. You can read the full interview here, but warning there are some spoilers.

I’m seeing all these reactions online, with viewers saying, “I never thought I’d see the day of a black superhero.” What does that mean to you?
MC: It means everything. When we set up to do this, we wanted to make a very entertaining, very well-developed and thought-out superhero story with a black lead at its center. It’s really about the story. So when people can look at it and attach those kind of significant things to it, that’s great, because that means they have their own unique experience. That’s what we want. As long as you have a unique and totally wonderful experience watching it, and you take something from it, we’re happy. It’s hard to articulate what everybody else is feeling, but for me, we did a job and we were hoping that people of all ages and shapes and sizes and colors would enjoy it. If black viewers watch it and they take that from it, and that’s something they hold on to, then we’re happy with that.

Have you had any interesting fan encounters yet, or are you able to lie under the radar?
MC: There’s no way to really lie under the radar. Every time I leave the house or go anywhere, there’s always multiple incidents during the day. I try to stay incognito as much as I can. I don’t go places that people would expect to see me because I’m trying to lay low. I see fans all the time. They’re always very complimentary and they’re always very eager to talk and to share their experiences or get a selfie. They’re really, really loyal. And intense. Lately, because I’ve been doing a lot of press, people have seen me getting into the car, and they’re tapping on the window as the car is driving, trying to get signatures or a selfie as the car is moving. It’s a little strange but I think that’s probably par for the course.

What does it mean to you to play a black man who is—essentially—bulletproof in 2016?
MC: It’s an irony, of course. We come out with a series that was written in 1972 and here we are 40-some-odd years later dealing with the stuff that some people find shocking, while it’s been going on forever and it’s just now getting a light shined on it. I hope [the series] brings about some sort of change. I know it’s not going to be, we make a nice TV series and people will be inspired and all of a sudden we’ll have reform. But people can be inspired by this character and hopefully look at him as someone you want to emulate or at least is morally strong. The character is trying to think that of other people. He’s not just trying to solve everyone’s problems. That’s not possible. But he wants to inspire other people to take action and do what’s right. To be a leader in this community. I think that’s more important than anything. The symbolism of the hoodie and the bullets bouncing off him, that’s one thing. But at a deeper level, who he is as a person and the work in progress and the Renaissance man, that’s what’s more important to take away from this project.

[From Harper’s Bazaar]

That was a good way to explain it, that we’re seeing things that have happened for eons because people now have cameras with them. I also like how he brought the conversation around to his character’s aim to have others in the community work towards the same objective, and how that’s ultimately our goal as a society. As for fans recognizing him, he said on Late Night with Seth Myers that fans regularly yell out “Luke Cage!” when they see him.

When I first started watching Luke Cage I was struck by how diverse it is because that’s still rare sadly, but after that I just got sucked into the show. It’s bingeable because the action is fast, the story is compelling and you really identify with the hero and want to know what happens next. Plus I’ll be honest, Colter is so gorgeous I could watch him all day. Netflix is making some of the best series on television, and some of their shows actually rival movies. There’s also news of another Marvel series coming to Netflix, Iron Fist, which premieres in March of next year. Finn Jones (Game of Thrones) plays the lead and you can see a photo and very brief teaser here. Netflix also has The Punisher coming with Jon Bernthal (Walking Dead) but there’s no premiere date yet. (Photos from the set are here.) The Defenders is also thought to be coming sometime in 2017.

Here’s Colter on Conan. In this clip he tells Conan about the crazy security measures Marvel employs to make sure that the script doesn’t get leaked. Also Conan tells Colter that his brother was a comic fan and that Luke Cage, which came out in 1972, was the coolest superhero. I don’t even follow comics but I agree with that so much.

Here’s Colter on Late Night with Seth Myers explaining how Luke Cage fans were so excited to see them filming in Harlem. He also talks about how they do fight scenes, they just kind of bitch slap each other, but he calls it a “biotch slap,” which cracked me up.

photos credit: WENN