The late Stan Lee once said, “The success of Blade opened the door for all the Marvel films that followed. It showed Hollywood that our stories could work on the big screen.” Without Blade, there would be no X-Men (2000). No Spider-Man (2002). No Iron Man (2008) and no Avengers (2012). Blade was the spark that lit the fire.

Born in the pages of 1970s comics during the Blaxploitation era, Luke Cage's journey from prisoner to protector reshaped what a superhero could be—an everyday man who rose above injustice to become an icon. Today, we dive deep into his history, legacy, and lasting impact on comics and culture.

When Marvel introduced him in The Amazing Spider‑Man #129, he wasn’t a team‑player or a quip machine; he was a Marine with a mission, hired to kill Spider‑Man by the Jackal, and instantly unforgettable because of that stark white skull burning off his chest. Castle has become the medium’s definitive vigilante: a man with no powers who forces comics, film, television, games, and fandom to wrestle with the ethics of violence, the limits of justice, and the cost of never standin