Luke Cage Casts Bushmaster And Nightshade For Season 2

Luke Cage will encounter a few familiar faces in the second season of Marvel's Netflix series.

According to Shadow and Act, Marvel and Netflix announced that Mustafa Shakir (The Night Of, The Deuce) and Gabrielle Dennis (Rosewood) will play John McIver (aka Bushmaster) and Tilda Johnson (also known as Nightshade) in season 2 opposite Mike Colter as Luke Cage.

Bushmaster has appeared in two different comic book incarnations over the years, and Shakir will reportedly play the first one: John McIver, a powerful crime boss who is "focused on Harlem and vengeance." The later version of Bushmaster has a long, mechanical snake tail grafted to his body, but considering the realistic tone of the Netflix series, we doubt that take will come into play.

Meanwhile, Nightshade is described as a "brilliant holistic doctor with a complicated history in Harlem." The character will reportedly also appear in Black Panther with Nabiyah Be in the role.

Showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker said he's excited to introduce the duo into Marvel's TV universe. "I can't wait for audiences to see the compelling paces we put both Mustafa and Gabrielle through," he said. "From the moment you see each of them on screen, I feel they will be powerful additions to the world of Marvel and Harlem's Luke Cage." 

The report also confirmed that Simone Missick (Misty Knight), Rosario Dawson (Claire Temple), Alfre Woodard (Mariah Dillard), and Theo Rossi (Shades) will all return.

Production for season 2 is underway in New York City. In the meantime, we'll see Luke Cage along with Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Iron Fist later this summer in The Defenders. Watch the action-packed trailer.