| Luke Cage | |
 |
|
| Portrayed By | Michael Jai White |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Place of Birth | Harlem, NYC |
| Date of Birth | 1982 |
| Age | 30 |
| Aliases | Carl Lucas, Power Man |
| Origin | Altered Human |
| Current Location | New York City |
| Occupation | Hero for Hire |
| Team | Solo |
| Alignment | Hero |
| Known Relatives | <> |
| Significant Other | <> |
| Identity | Public |
| Known Abilities | Superhuman durability and strength |
Character Details
A native of Harlem, Carl Lucas was imprisoned after being falsely convicted of a crime. After several escape attempts, he volunteered for an experimental procedure in order to have time shaved off of his sentence. When the experimental chamber he was in overloaded, Carl became endowed with superhuman durability and strength. Using his new powers to break out of jail, he returned to New York, where he began going by the name of Luke Cage and worked for some time as a Hero for Hire. Eventually, he cleared his name, made some friends, started calling himself Power Man and began a partnership with Iron Fist. Events caused Heroes for Hire to disband, leaving Luke on his own and framed for a crime once again. He dropped the Power Man moniker, moved to Chicago, started dressing in plain clothes, and worked with Dakota North.
However, he wasn't able to stay gone forever. Recently cleared of the charges against him yet again, he has returned to his hometown where he once again operates as a Hero for Hire.
Hero: It's not just tacked to the front of Cage's business cards for aliteration purposes. Even though he charges for his services, few doubt that Luke Cage's heart is almost always in the right place. True, he pretty much always gripes whenever he takes a non-paying job. But if the day needs saving bad enough, he'll show up for day-saving duty whether or not he makes a cent. He might take clients who fall somewhere into the gray area morally, but he won't help anyone whose agenda is abjectly evil, regardless of how much they pay him.
…For Hire: But really, all things being equal, he really just wants to get paid.
Everyman: Luke Cage wasn't born to billionaire parents. He didn't spend years training to be a Master of the Mystic arts. He isn't part of any ongoing struggle between good and evil. He's simply an ordinary person who has a history that wouldn't be considered anything special if an accident hadn't made him tougher than steel. Even though he's technically a part of the superhero establishment, Cage fits in far better with normal people than he does with the likes of Reed Richards or Black Panther. He finds the spandex and pageantry of traditional superheroes to be a bit silly, at best.
Confrontational: Cage is always hesitant to back down from a fight. He's not filled with as much 'roid rage as one might think, but he's definitely quick to take an aggressive posture. When you're bulletproof, you can usually afford to talk a bit of smack to bad guys before you start wailing on them. He's also confrontational with people he considers friends. He's not shy about saying what's on his mind, or calling someone on their nonsense. That being said, he's not completely without tact, and he doesn't just blurt out whatever thought pops into his head.
Affable: Luke is a friendly, personable guy. The fact that he's a bit rough around the edges is part of his charm. People always know where they stand with him, and he usually acts friendly enough with strangers, even if he's reserving judgment about them.
Abrupt: Although he's a nice enough guy, Luke has little patience for excessive social niceties or awkward situations. He's not afraid to suddenly cut a conversation short if he feels that it's a waste of time, even at the risk of hurting someone's feelings. This can sometimes be read as rudeness, but his no-nonsense attitude comes from a place of honesty which many people appreciate.
SKIN: Luke Cage's skin is basically indestructible. Bullets flatten against his chest, knives break in the hands of would-be stabbers, explosions leave him with tattered clothes and a cranky disposition. His skin doesn't melt when exposed to fire, nor does it become brittle when exposed to ice. Any weapon used by conventional military will fail to do anything other than irritate Cage. Implements made of more exotic materials such as adamantium are a different story though. His skin can also be cut by very high-powered cutting lasers and other things of that nature. His skin also absorbs a certain degree of impact from physical attacks, which allows him to get hit by some of Marvel's greatest powerhouses without his insides turning into pudding.
DURABILITY: Cage's skin is basically impervious, but the rest of his body isn't so hardy. Still, his bones and muscles are much denser than a normal human's, which is why he weighs 425 lbs. If the effects of his skin were negated, the rest of his body would be capable of absorbing enough damage that many types of bullets would be lodged in his muscular or skeletal tissues before they got to his organs. Traditionally, the most effective way to 'beat up' Cage is to strike him with more force than his skin can absorb, which can effectively injure his insides or knock him unconscious. However, his sensory organs are a much more viable spot for an attack, as they are only slightly more protected than those of an unenhanced human.
STRENGTH: Luke Cage's musculature is enhanced to the point that he can lift over 10 tons of weight or strike with around 10 tons of force behind his punches.
REGENERATION: When Cage is injured, his body is able to repair any injuries that a normal human could heal in approximately one third the time it would take an unenhanced body to heal said injury. If he gets a broken leg, he'll be walking again in five weeks instead of fifteen (or whatever).
BRAWLING: Even before he got superpowers, Luke Cage was good at beating people up. These days he relies heavily on his invulnerability and his strength when fighting, but these attributes can only take him so far. Cage has gone against quite a few opponents who were bigger, stronger and tougher than he is and has come out on top. Years of experience against highly skilled opponents, as well as some occasional sparring with Iron Fist, have made Luke a very competent brawler with a martial arts skill of Incredible. This allows him to put every bit of force he has behind his attacks, utilizing all of his strength for maximum damage.
ATHLETICS: Cage didn't spend his youth hunched in front of a computer screen. He's a naturally gifted athlete, who spent a large portion of his youth, and some of his time in prison, doing things like playing basketball and lifting weights. He'd probably be one of the first ones picked in a pickup game of any conventional sport played in America.
CRIMINOLOGY: Most of the jobs that Luke Cage has taken since becoming a Hero for Hire involve thwarting some sort of criminal. While Cage hasn't gone to law school, he has taught himself basically all the law that a person in his position is likely to need to know. He would probably make an excellent police officer if he felt like it, and could probably also defend himself admirably in a court of law.
PERSUASION: Cage is deceptively persuasive for a hulking brute. When he speaks, he can run the gamut from intimidating to inspirational in a natural, conversational fashion. His lack of pretense makes him a much more effective speaker than many people who actually study communication.
BUSINESS: Being a successful Hero for Hire means that one has to know enough about money and finance to actually be profitable. Luke has managed to make a living using his powers even though he has put restrictions on the type of clients he will take. Spreadsheets might make him angry, but he knows how to balance them well enough that he is able to do some pro bono work without going broke.
AREA KNOWLEDGE: Luke was born in Harlem and has spent the vast majority of his life in New York. Aside from stints in jail, and a short period of residence in Chicago, he's spent almost every day in the city he was born in. New York is a huge place, and it would be impossible for someone to know everything about it, but few have made a better attempt than Luke Cage. He knows which bars the villains hang out at, and he knows which restaurant serves the best fish tacos. He can navigate the public transit systems like it's second nature or drive to wherever he wants to go without needing a GPS or even needing to look at street signs.
MOVIE BUFF: The title says it all. Cage is a huge fan of movies, having seen a lot more than the average person. He knows lots of movie quotes, as well as trivia about the production of films. He can likely tell you who played John Wayne's sidekick in the Searchers, or how old Natalie Wood was when she filmed Rebel without a Cause.
HERO FOR HIRE: Power Man, Luke Cage, and Hero for Hire are all famous enough trademarks that just about anyone who is in the market for the type of service Luke provides can easily get in touch. He has a great reputation for delivering results, and his credibility means that his business will probably always have some sort of demand. It brings in enough money to pay for his expenses, while still giving him enough leftover to buy things like jewelry, nice clothes, and whatever luxury items he feels like buying. Within reason.
CONTACTS: Over the course of his career, Luke Cage has known criminals, policemen, superheroes, politicians, businessmen, doctors, etc., etc. He has a wide range of friends in low to mid level positions and he can call in favors from quite a few people. He has worked with and for the Fantastic Four, and just about every other superhero group in existence. If he needs information, assistance, a loan, or a trip to the moon, he can probably get it from someone if he asks nicely enough, or if he trades the favor for a few free jobs.
ENEMIES: Cage has royally ticked off quite a few people. He's gone after all sorts of small time criminals, but he's also gone up against people like Doctor Doom. For a long time he spent more time fighting off old foes from prison than he did actually superheroing. One never knows when some whacky bad guy with a grudge is going to pop up and make life as miserable as possible for Cage.
PUBLIC: Luke Cage fights crime without any sort of secret identity. Technically, the name he uses isn't his real name, but it's both the name he goes by and his superhero moniker. Anyone with access to the internet can find out where Luke Cage lives in under a minute. That means any turd with a rocket launcher who decides that Luke Cage needs to be taught a lesson could easily blow up all of Luke's stuff. Or they could sick Tombstone on him.
STANDARDS: For a business that's basically a bodyguard/goon service, having a list of clients you won't work for can really hurt your revenue stream. Cage could make a lot more money if he would just relax his standards a bit, but he won't. True, he may have accepted a job from Doctor Doom in the past, and he still might do some jobs that aren't exactly heroic, but if something is too shady he won't touch it. His good reputation has been purchased at the expanse of a much higher standard of living.
CONFRONTATIONAL: There are times when taking challenges head on isn't the smartest move. Cage knows that, but that doesn't always stop him from picking a fight that he can't quite handle. He's still alive, sure, but he would probably have fewer defeats in his record if he weren't so frequently antagonistic.
SQUISHY PARTS: Luke's eyes, and eardrums are both excellent places to attack him, because his imperviousness really just covers his skin. He can be knocked out by the same chemicals as normal people, he can be poisoned with the same types of poison (provided it's airborne, ingested, or they have an adamantium needle). In short, his durability is only a half-blessing. It makes him more of a target, but doesn't protect him enough to make up for the difference.
FORMER CRIMINAL: Even though he's been exonerated of the crime he was originally jailed for, Cage has a criminal record as a juvenile and he has gone before a judge enough times to make anyone suspicious (most recently being tried for murder). No matter how many good deeds he does, there are always going to people who focus on the poor choices he made in the past. And there are those who will use his shady past to besmirch his name and paint all of his actions in a negative light. Luke Cage would almost certainly never win any sort of elected office, or be trusted with any position of authority within the government. He also has to face judgement from people in ordinary social situations.
===========================[ +sheet for Cage (PM) ]===========================
Real Name: Luke Cage Age: 30
Codename: Power Man Gender: Male
Sessions: 0 Approved On: Tue Feb 21 19:22:33 2012
F: Remarkable (30) Health: 130/130
A: Good (10) Karma: 36
S: Incredible (40) Resources: Typical (6)
E: Amazing (50) Popularity: 18
R: Good (10) Experience: 0
I: Excellent (20) Initiative: +1
P: Typical (6) Movement: 3
==================================< POWERS >==================================
Body Resistance…………………………………… Incredible (40)
Regeneration……………………………………… Poor (4)
=================================< TALENTS >==================================
Criminology………………………………………. Good (12)
Law Enforcement…………………………………… Good (12)
Martial Arts A E………………………………….. Incredible (40)
==================================< FLAWS >===================================
=================================< CONTACTS >=================================
Danny Rand Fantastic Four
Nightwing Restorations
ARMOR RATINGS: Energy: 40 Mental: 0 Physical: 40
Relationships
Logs
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