Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Mike Redmond | News | August 26, 2026
As Marvel fans continue to scratch their heads over how Kevin Feige couldn’t make a movie out of Mahershala Ali killing vampires with sick karate, the actor’s stint on Luke Cage has entered the discourse. Even though the show is a decade old because time is the ultimate roundhouse kick, I’ll still drop a SPOILER ALERT.
Ali’s character doesn’t make it all the way through the first season. It was a pretty shocking death both story-wise and quality-wise. Ali was crushing it as Cottonmouth, and the villain that replaced him for the back half… did not.
In light of the Blade debacle, it wouldn’t be out of pocket to suggest that Marvel has fumbled Ali twice now. It sure seems that way on the surface. The MCU is definitely having an optics problem. However, Luke Cage showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker isn’t having any of that talk. According to Coker, everything that happened with Ali was exactly how the actor wanted it. He couldn’t have been happier with how things went down.
Via Twitter:
I didn’t fumble the bag the first time. He took the role because it was a limited appearance. He was always going to die in episode 7, by design. He made Luke Cage, Hidden Figures, and Moonlight simultaneously. He was killing it on Luke Cage and Marvel TV and the other actors begged me to change my mind, which would have locked him into a long term contract (and cost him the Green Book Oscar) but I kept my word to him on a handshake. That’s why we’re friends to this day. Always keep your word.
Not for nothing, Luke Cage wasn’t exactly a dynamite series. I barely made it through the first season after Ali was killed off, and I don’t think I know a single person who watched the second season. There’s a reason these shows got cancelled. (Iron Fist, anyone?) So, it’s not like Ali was robbed here.
The Blade mess? That’s some nonsense. Granted, it would have been made during the MCU’s flop era, but how do you mess up such a simple concept? Cool half-vampire guy stabs vampires while doing cool half-vampire guy things. Is that something only Wesley Snipes can pull off? I’m honestly asking.
