Luke Cage Season 2: Is Luke becoming the next Kingpin?

While a majority of Luke Cage Season 2 focused on Luke fighting the criminal element in Harlem, he wound up taking the crown in the end. Misty warned him of the dangers but will Luke become the next Kingpin, regardless? *Spoilers ahead!

After battling it out with Bushmaster and Mariah, Luke Cage still had a tough task ahead of him, the task of finding a crime boss to control Harlem’s Paradise, as well as the criminal underground. Someone had to fill the shoes left by Mariah and Bushmaster, but the answer was much more shocking than anyone expected.

As it turns out, Luke decided to take the reins himself. He set up shop in Mariah’s old club, organized boundaries with the other crime lords of New York, and even brushed off Misty’s warning about the dangerous world he was becoming involved in.

The thing is, Luke’s decision was made of necessity. At no point did Luke seek the crown of Harlem or set out to dominate the streets. Luke did go out and thwart criminals, but he never used it as a push to consolidate his power. Everything he did was to help the community, he just wound up in control of the criminal element so it wouldn’t fall into the wrongs hands again.

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Now, Luke might not be any better, but he still has some semblance of a conscience. He didn’t allow Mariah to burn to death even though her crimes justified it. And, he used a peaceful method to craft a truce with the New York crime bosses. Keep in mind that Luke did use his power as leverage in his negotiations.

Is Luke heading down the wrong path and will it change him forever?

While there are signs of Luke becoming slightly more corrupt, this could be as far as Luke will go. There is, however, a chance that he’ll let loose as he continues to rule Harlem’s underground. If his prior negotiations fall through, it’ll be up to Luke to rule with an iron fist—no pun intended.

In any case, Luke seems destined to head down the wrong path. Becoming the crime lord of Harlem seems manageable now but when tough decisions begin to crop up, things will change. Everyone who warned Luke knows of what the underground will do to a person’s soul, but Luke doesn’t.

When he does, Luke could start to become just as corrupt. All it’ll take is for one person to go back on their deal to force Luke to act. At that point, his response would have to be brutal enough to send a message. To do so, he’d need to set aside his own reservations and become the crime lord everyone fears he’ll become. Then, Luke will be just like Mariah was.

Next: Luke Cage Season 2: Does Luke Cage need more Jessica Jones?

On the plus side, Luke becoming a crime boss could force other Netflix heroes to respond. Misty already warned him of what would happen if he got out of line, and we know Danny Rand won’t stand for it. And of course, Matt Murdock won’t let Luke Cage go unchecked—that is, once he recovers from his fall in The Defenders. Therefore, it goes to reason that Luke could wind up being why the Defenders reassemble. Except this time around, they’ll be fighting Luke and his gang.

What do you think is in Luke Cage’s future? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Luke Cage Season 2 is currently on Netflix. Daredevil Season 3 is still TBA.