The first time Luke Cage ever appeared was in the comic book, **Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1**. This was the issue that revealed the origin story of Luke Cage. He was once a teenager who wanted to be a criminal but then decided to leave the life of crime behind him. However, he was framed by his former friend Willis Stryker for a drug deal gone wrong and sent to prison for a crime he never committed. There, he was subjected to a cruel experiment by a corrupt prison doctor who wanted to create a super soldier. The experiment gave him superhuman strength and durability but left him with metal bands around his wrists and ankles that he could not remove. He escaped prison and changed his name to Luke Cage, becoming a hero for hire who would help anyone who could afford his fee.

One of the most popular and enduring partnerships in Marvel Comics is the one between Luke Cage and Danny Rand, aka Iron Fist. The two heroes met in **Power Man #48**, when Iron Fist hired Luke Cage to help him clear his name from a murder charge. They soon became friends and decided to form a crime-fighting duo called Power Man and Iron Fist, sharing the title of their comic book series. The series ran for 75 issues until 1986. They featured many adventures that showcased their contrasting personalities and backgrounds: Luke Cage was a streetwise ex-con from Harlem. At the same time, Iron Fist was a mystical martial artist from K’un-Lun, a hidden city in Asia. Together, they fought against various villains, such as the Bushmaster, Sabretooth, Master Khan, and the Heroes for Hire.

Another significant relationship in Luke Cage’s life is with Jessica Jones, a former superhero turned private investigator. The two first met in **Alias #1**, a comic book series by Brian Michael Bendis focused on Jessica’s dark and gritty cases involving the superhero community. Jessica and Luke had a one-night stand that resulted in Jessica becoming pregnant with Luke’s child. They eventually fell in love and decided to raise their daughter together, naming her Danielle after Luke’s best friend, Danny Rand. Their marriage was shown in **The Pulse #14**, a spin-off series from Alias that followed Jessica’s career as a reporter for the Daily Bugle. Their wedding was attended by many superheroes, such as Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man, Daredevil, and more.

Luke Cage’s status as a superhero rose to new heights when he joined the New Avengers, a team of heroes that formed after the original Avengers disbanded following a disastrous event called Avengers Disassembled. Captain America recruited Luke Cage in **New Avengers #3**, along with other heroes such as Spider-Man, Wolverine, Iron Fist, and Spider-Woman. The New Avengers faced many threats, such as the breakout of supervillains from the Raft prison, the Skrull invasion during the Secret Invasion, the Dark Reign of Norman Osborn, and the Siege of Asgard. Luke Cage also became the leader of another team of heroes called the Thunderbolts, which consisted of reformed supervillains who wanted to redeem themselves. Luke Cage also had to deal with personal challenges, such as protecting his family from his enemies, coping with his wife’s trauma after being mind-controlled by the Purple Man, and deciding whether to register or rebel against the Superhuman Registration Act during Civil War.

Luke Cage is still an active and prominent hero in the Marvel Universe today. He has appeared in various media adaptations, such as the Netflix television series **Luke Cage** and **The Defenders**, where Mike Colter portrayed him; the animated series **Ultimate Spider-Man** and **Avengers Assemble**, where Ogie Banks voiced him; and several video games, such as **Marvel: Ultimate Alliance** and **Marvel’s Avengers**, where he was voiced by James C. Mathis III and Ike Amadi, respectively.