If the Peabody nomination didn't make it clear, the world is wanting more Luke Cage. Lucky for us, it seems Marvel is already putting their nose to the grindstone, and has put out two casting calls for series regulars in Season 2 of the series. Here's what we know so far about two new series regulars, Byron and Tamara.
According to MCU Exchange, Byron is described as a middle-aged man of African or Caribbean descent. A natural leader, smart, and strong, Byron sounds like someone who is being built up to be a rival to our hero Luke Cage. As for Tamara, she is described as an "earthy" African American female in her 20s or 30s. Tamara is described as someone who always finds trouble, and her casting description made an important note that she must be a good singer. So who are these new characters exactly?
The popular rumor for Byron at the moment is that whoever this character is will probably undergo the same process Cage did to achieve his powers. The foreign emphasis on Byron's character has lead to speculation that he could be the original incarnation of the villain Bushmaster. In Marvel comics, Bushmaster underwent the same experiment as Luke Cage and gained the exact same abilities as Harlem's hero. In later storylines, Bushmaster would be brought back and gain the ability to absorb the energy of others.
The inclusion of Bushmaster in Season 2 of Luke Cage would bring in a nice crossover with Danny Rand in Iron Fist, as the villain has a history with both characters. Before you get too excited, keep in mind that this is still a rumor and it's worth noting that the comic's Bushmaster is named John McIver and not Byron, although casting notices usually change the characters' names to avoid spoilers.
So who is Tamara? That's a tricky question to answer as Tamara's description is a character that appears to be completely unique to the Luke Cage franchise, although there are some additional clues that indicate who she could be. A casting video (which has since been pulled) featured dialogue that gave folks a reason to suspect that Tamara could be the sister of Luke Cage. The thought here is that Tamara would be the gender-changed casting for Cage's brother in the comics, James Lucas. Once again, these are just rumors, but I'm far more skeptical of the speculation surrounding Tamara than Byron.
The only thing we know for sure is that Byron and Tamara are key roles for the upcoming Season 2 of Luke Cage. There's still no release date for that new season, but we'll let you know when Marvel reveals the date. The good news is that the casting process is beginning pretty early, which could mean Season 2 could be coming sooner than we expect.
Speaking of which, we've added a lot of shows to our renewal guide in case you're unsure whether your favorite show will be coming back or not. Check that out and also give our midseason premiere guide and summer premiere schedule a look for all shows on the horizon!
