Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Culture
CultureEntertainment

‘Luke Cage’ Star Reveals Trayvon Martin Inspired Hero’s Trademark Hoodie

Posted byBy Kiersten Willis | Published on: | Updated on December 5, 2016 CommentsComments (0)
Mike Cotler stars as Luke Cage (Netflix)

Mike Colter stars as Luke Cage (Netflix)

The star of the new Netflix series “Luke Cage” opened up about the Black superhero’s trademark hoodie, a bow to the victim who spurred the Black Lives Matter movement.

Mike Colter revealed Trayvon Martin inspired the black, bullet hole-covered outerwear his character appeared in.

“It’s a nod to Trayvon, no question,” he told The Huffington Post Canada. “Trayvon Martin and people like him. People like Jordan Davis, a kid who was shot because of the perception that he was a danger. When you’re a Black man in a hoodie all of a sudden you’re a criminal.”

George Zimmerman shot and killed 17-year-old Martin when he falsely thought the unarmed teen posed a threat.

In the case of Davis, Michael Dunn fired 10 bullets into a vehicle over loud music. The shooter killed 17-year-old Davis, Atlanta Black Star reported.

“That’s something we shouldn’t have to deal with, but we do,” Cotler continued to HuffPo of Black criminality. “It’s a double standard. We can’t cover our head when it’s cold and raining because God forbid someone sees us and puts our life in danger. We wanted to pay homage to that — it’s not something we were shying away from.”

The series’ filming occurred during the time that a jury acquitted the officers responsible for Eric Garner’s death. Cotler said “Luke Cage” writers did not want to ignore police brutality issues.

“We were watching the news and it was always someone being shot who was unarmed, and there is no justification for it,” the actor shared. “It’s mind-boggling.”

In a conversation with BuzzFeed UK, “Luke Cage” showrunner Cheo Coker said the bullet-proof hero wore the hoodie because it was practical, but it later transforms into Cage’s cape.

“We have a hero that of course is wearing a hood because it’s functional,” Coker said. “It just happened to be what he was wearing at the time that he basically becomes a hero. But then, at the same time, it becomes his cape. And then you have this thing where we are redefining what a Black man in a hoodie means.”

“Luke Cage” so impacted fans that Netflix crashed while supporters watched the premiere.

Deadline reported that many thought the series’ Sept. 30 debut caused the streaming website to crash around 3 p.m. Eastern time the next day. Services were interrupted for more than two hours before Netflix got things back up and running.

Still independent.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top