Since his inception, Luke Cage’s superhero mission has explored themes related to justice, interpersonal relations, and institutional integrity. This paper draws on examples from comics and his television series to explicate these themes through the lens of social and moral development. In doing so, it suggests lessons for improving the recent landscape of American civil discourse. The Overview introduces the character against the backdrop of the social role of superheroes, moral development scholarship, and recent polling data related to civil discourse. The Heroic Journey examines his superhero mission further, highlighting his attempts to promote a sense of mutual trust and shared obligations across varied social interactions. Lastly, the Super Takeaway discusses the potential of Luke Cage narratives to keep disagreeing persons “at the table” long enough to come to some (civil) agreement.
Justin F. Martin (Mon,) studied this question.