Netflix's Marvel TV series have gradually been integrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Spider-Man: No Way Home got the ball rolling with the inclusion of Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock as Peter Parker's lawyer. The integration continued with Disney+'s Daredevil: Born Again. The series established the Netflix universe as MCU canon, and featured Jon Bernthal's comeback as Frank Castle. Now, Krysten Ritter will be returning as Jessica Jones in Season 2 of the Man Without Fear's standalone show.
Despite that, there are still two major missing characters from the Defenders saga in the current MCU: Mike Colter's Luke Cage and Finn Jones' Iron Fist. The former was actually referenced in Born Again, with an advertisement for Harlem's Paradise being featured in a scene. Even with that, however, Colter's return has remained uncertain. Now, the actor has sparked speculation he may be in line to make his way into the MCU with a cryptic social media comment.
Krysten Ritter recently posted an image of herself as Jessica Jones alongside Charlie Cox's Daredevil from Born Again's second season:
Colter commented on the post with an "eyes" emoji:
The interaction was quickly flooded with responses from fans, expressing their excitement about seeing the actor donning Cage's signature yellow t-shirt once again. Users on the r/marvelstudios subreddit also shared their hopes of seeing Colter back in the role.
It's worth noting that in August 2025, scoopers Daniel Richtman and MyTimeToShineHello both stated Mike Colter will be the MCU's Luke Cage.
While a rumor, Colter himself has spoken about coming back as Cage a few times in the past. Talking to Comicbook.com in 2024, for example, the actor was asked if he'd like to play the character again, to which he stated: "I would love to explore it, if they found some story, some way, somewhere, to take it. And I'm happy that Charlie Cox and those are getting it rebooted, but I don't have any [idea if Luke Cage is getting rebooted]. I'm not holding anything back."
Speaking at Indiana Comic Con in early 2025 (via Collider), Colter stated that, though he didn't think about it anymore, he still had hopes of embodying the invulnerable hero once again: "I still have hopes for it. I don't think about it anymore. I think there's always time. I don't think it's impossible. Anything can happen."
Then, during an appearance at Edmonton Expo in September 2025, Colter offered perhaps the biggest hint so far that fans would indeed see more from his Power Man in live-action: "I don't know why people keep asking me this. There are no signs. It's not like they've just recently revived one of the Marvel Netflix shows."
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 is expected to release on Disney+ on March 4, 2026.
What do you make of Colter's Instagram comment? Do you think he's teasing a return as Luke Cage? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!