Mariah Dillard, also known as Black Mariah, is a supervillain and a recurring enemy of Luke Cage in Marvel Comics. She first appeared in Luke Cage, Hero for Hire Vol. 1, #5 (January 1973), and was created by Steve Englehart, Billy Graham, and George Tuska. She is the leader of a gang of New York criminals called the Rat Pack, who use a stolen ambulance to loot the bodies of the recently deceased. She later becomes a drug lord and a crime boss, clashing with Cage and his partner Iron Fist on several occasions. She collaborates with other villains such as Scimitar, Tombstone, and Alex Wilder. Here are some facts and storylines you may not know about this ruthless character.

– Black Mariah is not her real name, but a derogatory nickname given to her by the police and the media because of her dark skin and large size. Her real name is Mariah Dillard, and she is related to another Luke Cage villain, Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes.
– Black Mariah has no superpowers, but she is a cunning and ruthless leader who commands loyalty from her followers. She is also skilled in hand-to-hand combat and uses various weapons and gadgets, such as knives, guns, acid capsules, and a jet pack.
– Black Mariah is responsible for one of the most tragic events in Luke Cage’s life: the death of his wife, Reva Connors. In Luke Cage Vol. 1, #3 (June 2017), it is revealed that Black Mariah hired Willis Stryker, Cage’s childhood friend and rival, to kill him. Stryker planted a bomb in Cage’s apartment, but it exploded when Reva entered instead, killing her instantly. This drove Cage to seek revenge against Stryker and Black Mariah, leading to his origin as a superhero.
– Black Mariah has a complicated relationship with Jennifer “White Jennie” Royce, a former secretary of Heroes for Hire who became a criminal after being framed for murder by Tombstone. In Power Man and Iron Fist Vol. 3 (2016-2017), Black Mariah and White Jennie ally to take down Tombstone’s empire and recover the Supersoul Stone, a mystical artifact that grants its wielder immense power. However, their partnership is not based on trust or friendship but on mutual exploitation and manipulation.
– Black Mariah is one of the members of the new Pride, a group of young villains who are the children or successors of the original Pride, a secret society that ruled Los Angeles with an iron fist. The new Pride is led by Alex Wilder, the son of Geoffrey and Catherine Wilder, who betrayed his friends in the Runaways to join his parents’ legacy. The new Pride’s goal is to resurrect the Gibborim, ancient gods who promised to grant six of their followers eternal life in exchange for sacrificing innocent souls. The new Pride consists of Black Mariah, Alex Wilder, Nana B (the granddaughter of Geoffrey Wilder), Kid Twist (the son of Gene Hayes), Stretch (the son of Dale Yorkes), Victor Stein Jr. (the son of Victor Stein), The Wiz (the son of Robert Minoru) and Molly Hayes (the youngest member of the Runaways who Alex brainwashed). The new Pride first appeared in Runaways Vol. 5 #13 (September 2018).

Black Mariah is a comic book character and a live-action one. She was portrayed by Alfre Woodard in the Netflix series Luke Cage (2016-2018), set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In this version, she is a corrupt politician and the cousin of Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes, who inherits his criminal empire after his death. She also has a romantic relationship with Hernan “Shades” Alvarez, one of Cottonmouth’s henchmen. She is eventually killed by Tilda Johnson, her estranged daughter, who poisoned her with a kiss.