A House of Cards alum will be stepping into a villainous role in Netflix’s third Marvel series, Luke Cage.
Mahershala Ali has been cast as Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes. According to Marvel, Stokes is a Harlem nightclub owner, who “will become an unexpected foe in Luke’s life when Stokes’ criminal activities threaten Luke’s world.”
In the comic books, Luke’s life was tied to Cottonmouth when he decided to “work” for the drug dealer in order to find evidence to clear his name.
From Marvel’s Universe Wiki:
When Cornell Cottonmouth ran what he claimed to be the most successful illegal drug trade in the nation, his hired muscle Mike and Ike were sent to procure Luke Cage; who was offered a position in the hierarchy of Cottonmouth’s organization because he felt they were kindred spirits.
Cage pretended to accept the job in order to get proof he was framed years earlier by his supposed friend, Willis Stryker, after Stryker hijacked one of Cottonmouth’s heroin shipments and planted the drugs on Cage.
Yesterday it was also reported that Sons of Anarchy alum Theo Rossi will also be joining Marvel’s Luke Cage as a series regular. The Hollywood Reporter states that Rossi will play “Shades — aka Alvarez — a well-known criminal. He is described as relentless and menacing, smooth and manipulative, street smart and controlling.”
Luke Cage, played by Mike Colter, will make his debut appearance later this year in Marvel’s Jessica Jones. The series will be executive produced by Cheo Hodari Coker, who will also be penning the first two episodes of the series.
