Part of the fun of having a sprawling cinematic universe is matching up two characters from different franchises and watching them interact. The first season of Jessica Jones paired up the titular heroine with a sidekick/love interest in the bulletproof Luke Cage. But will Luke Cage be in Jessica Jones Season 2? Or is that dynamic duo done with now that Luke has his own Netflix series to call home?
Unfortunately for fans of the character who were hoping to see Mike Colter return to the role before Luke Cage Season 2 premieres in June, it appears that the climactic events of Jessica Jones Season 1 really did break up the band for good. It's understandable when you stop to remember what went down between the two heroes back in 2015. After sleeping with Luke multiple times, Jessica revealed that, while brainwashed under Kilgrave's control, she murdered his wife Reva. Then, after a brush with death, Luke forgave Jessica for her transgression — only for it to turn out that Luke was under Kilgrave's control when he "forgave" her, in order to earn her trust and lure her into a trap. Then, after Kilgrave forced them to fight, Jessica had to put a bullet into Luke's skull to stop him from killing her.
Thankfully, super-nurse Claire Temple was able to save Luke's life… but things are pretty irreparable between Jessica and Luke. Sure, they temporarily joined forces to save New York City from The Hand during the events of The Defenders; but don't expect them to co-star in a buddy comedy anytime soon.
Luke's presence in Jessica Jones Season 1 did what it was intended to do — introduce viewers to Luke and set him up for his own solo spinoff series — and now that the job's done, Season 2 is able to move on without him. "My objective from the beginning was to hand him over," Jessica Jones showrunner Melissa Rosenberg told The Hollywood Reporter in a 2016 interview about Luke's potential future on her show.
"I was just trying to do it in a way that would make me the happiest, that would be the richest for that," Rosenberg continued. "The thing I'm most sad about is to not work with Mike Colter every day. That was a really great collaboration, and Krysten [Ritter] and Mike had a real special bond and chemistry. We'll miss him in that regard. But from the beginning, we were like teachers in an elementary school, getting him ready to pass him on to the next show and making sure we've done all we can to set him up as best as we can."
Now that Luke has moved on from his ill-advised fling with Jessica — falling in love with Rosario Dawson's integral MCU mainstay Claire — maybe it's even time for Jessica to entertain the idea of a new romance of her own. Photos from the set of Season 2 indicate that a new love interest may very well be on the horizon for Jessica, depicting Ritter locking lips with an unidentified male co-star.
But just because Luke won't be back for Season 2 doesn't mean there won't be plenty of familiar faces when the new episodes debut. Rachael Taylor (Trish Walker), Carrie-Anne Moss (Jeri Hogarth), and Eka Darville (Malcolm Ducasse) will all be reprising their Season 1 roles, while David Tennant will — somehow! — be back in a recurring capacity as the villainous Kilgrave.
And what about Wil Traval's victim-turned-hero-turned-villain, Will Simpson? Last seen incapacitated after taking strength-enhancing drugs and battling Jessica, it has yet to be revealed whether Simpson will be back for Season 2. But given that the new episodes will in large part focus on Jessica's investigation into IGH — the shadowy organization that gave both her and Simpson their powers — there's a good chance the character known in the comics as Nuke will pop up for at least one surprise appearance. After all, it can't be a coincidence that Traval travelled to New York City the day after filming for Season 2 began there, can it?
While some fans may miss Colter's solid presence on Season 2, Jessica is more than compelling enough on her own to hold down her own show without another superhero sidekick — and the next round of Luke Cage is only three months away, anyway.
