Production for the second season of "Marvel's Luke Cage" has been set in motion and Marvel Television has announced two more actors that will be joining the lineup.
Mustafa Shakir from "The Night Of" and "The Deuce" will play John McIver. According to Marvel, he is "a natural leader, brimming with charisma, whose mission is focused on Harlem and vengeance."
Fans, however, may know McIver under another name and that is the villain Bushmaster. He first appeared in the 15th issue of the "Iron Fist" comics back in 1977 as a professional criminal and crime lord. Bushmaster had superhuman strength and endurance. He also underwent a mutation that turned him into a "living molten-like substance."
Meanwhile, Gabrielle Dennis from "Rosewood" and "Insecure" will take on the role of Tilda Johnson. She is described as "a brilliant, holistic doctor with a complicated history in Harlem where, as much as she tries to stay far from trouble, it seems to always find her."
Johnson is another Marvel Comics villain who is more popularly known as Nightshade. She first appeared in the 164th issue of the "Captain America" comics series in 1973 as a scientist and professional criminal. While in prison at one point, she developed a chemical which would allow her to control a man's mind and manipulate his perceptions. She even created chemicals that could transform prison inmates into werewolf-like creatures.
It is not sure whether the new villains, McIver and Johnson, will showcase their powers and abilities like in the comics. Marvel fans will be looking out for signs of that happening.
"Marvel's Luke Cage" is set to release sometime in 2018. In the meantime, "Marvel's The Defenders" will be premiering on Aug. 18 featuring all the heroes besides Luke Cage (Mike Colter) namely Daredevil (Charlie Cox), Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) and Iron Fist (Finn Jones). "Marvel's Daredevil" spin-off "The Punisher" starring Jon Bernthal will arrive later in the year.
