Sweet Christmas! Now this is the right way to kick off the holiday season. It has now been officially confirmed that Luke Cage is getting a second season, joining Daredevil and Jessica Jones as the third straight Marvel show to get a renewal from Netflix. Pressure’s on, Iron Fist!

The announcement came as a video on twitter, which revealed that Pop’s Barbershop has apparently been rebuilt, and Luke Cage season 2 is coming “soon.”

Always forward. #LukeCage pic.twitter.com/4pnu52KFKr

— Luke Cage (@LukeCage) December 4, 2016

Although, we would say that it probably won’t be coming that “soon.” Netflix already has Iron Fist, The Defenders, and The Punisher on deck for 2017, with the second season of Jessica Jones and the third season of Daredevil likely to follow in 2018. The superhero landscape is getting crowded at Netflix, but we love it!

There are spoilers ahead for the first season of Luke Cage. If you didn’t make it all the way through the season, you should probably finish it before reading the rest of this post. You’ve been warned!

The first season of Luke Cage ended on a down note, with the title character being returned to jail. However, his friend, Bobby Fish, found the file that could prove Luke’s innocence. We expect that to be the explanation for Luke’s appearance in The Defenders alongside the rest of the heroes. In season 2, we may finally see a Luke who no longer has to worry about his freedom being taken away. He’s been embraced by the people of Harlem in a unique way that the other Netflix heroes can’t match. It should be interesting to explore Luke’s relationship with Harlem in the new season.

Naturally, there are two major lingering threads waiting for Luke, once he gets out of jail. Mariah Dillard now appears to have control over Diamondback’s criminal empire, with Shades as her right-hand man. They outmaneuvered Luke in the first season, and he’s bound to try to take them down once and for all. But the bigger problem for Luke may still be his half-brother, Diamondback. Noah Burstein, the doctor who inadvertently gave Luke his super powers, was last seen getting ready to begin experimenting on Diamondback as well. If it works for Diamondback, what’s to stop Burstein from creating even more super strong criminals for his research?

The good news is that Luke probably won’t be alone this time. The unlikely friendship between Luke Cage and Iron Fist has been a part of the Marvel Universe for decades. Iron Fist‘s alter ego, Danny Rand, is likely to meet Luke for the first time during The Defenders miniseries. But now that Luke Cage is getting a fresh set of episodes, it seems like the ideal time to start establishing that friendship in the MCU. Plus, if the Netflix series continue to emulate the formula of the MCU, it’s entirely possible that Daredevil and Jessica Jones could also make appearances in the new season of Luke Cage.

What do you want to see in Luke Cage season 2? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!

Image: Marvel TV/Netflix

<h4>Now, about Luke Cage’s skin…</h4>