Theo Rossi Will Don ‘Shades’ for ‘Luke Cage’ Season 2 Return

Marvel’s Luke Cage will have part of Season 2’s story told when The Defenders bust him out of prison, but the Harlem hero has plenty more to revisit in his own series. Case in point, Season 2 will once again throw Shade uptown with Theo Rossi’s Luke Cage return.

The former Sons of Anarchy star confirmed reprising his role as Hernan “Shades” Alvarez in an interview with Parade, stating “Luke Cage is going down, [we’re in] season two. We’re pretty excited, it’ll be nice to get back into the swing.” Star Mike Colter previously claimed Luke Cage Season 2 production would begin in June, while showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker has been teasing as much on social media:

Rossi’s presence as Shades also points toward a likely return for Season 1 star Alfre Woodard, given Mariah Dillard and Shades ended Season 1 lording over the Harlem’s Paradise club that once belonged to Cottonmouth (Mahershala Ali). We’d also guess Eric LaRay Harvey will return as Willis “Diamondback” Stryker, given the finale also teased Luke’s half-brother undergoing a similar treatment to the one that gave him bulletproof skin.

In the meantime both Luke Cage and Simone Missick’s Misty Knight will be back for The Defenders on August 18, so get an early look at Season 2’s villains, and stay tuned for the Luke Cage latest.