Abilene Christian University Digital Commons @ ACU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Electronic Theses and Dissertations 12-2019 A Power Man’s Theology: Marvel’s Luke Cage and Black Liberation Theology DiArron B. Morrison [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd Part of the African American Studies Commons, Africana Studies Commons, Biblical Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, Critical and Cultural Studies Commons, Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication Commons, History of Religion Commons, Latina/o Studies Commons, Other Film and Media Studies Commons, Practical Theology Commons, Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons, Rhetoric Commons, Social Influence and oliticalP Communication Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Morrison, DiArron B., "A Power Man’s Theology: Marvel’s Luke Cage and Black Liberation Theology" (2019). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 191. This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Electronic Theses and Dissertations at Digital Commons @ ACU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ ACU. ABSTRACT Netflix released Marvel’s Luke Cage in 2016 to critical acclaim. Born from a 1970s comic book, the series features Luke Cage, an African-American superhero. Cage is a big, bald, bulletproof black man. Instead of tights and a cape, Cage wears a hoodie calling the audience to remember Trayvon Martin and other victims of white racism. Theologian James Cone created Black Liberation Theology in the 1970s. As a result of Cone’s work, Black Liberation Theology addresses the issue of white racism from a theological standpoint. In this thesis I present a close reading of Marvel’s Luke Cage using Black Liberation Theology as a theory of communication. Here, I explore three questions. First, how does Marvel’s Luke Cage explore Black Liberation Theology’s distinction between blackness and whiteness? Secondly, how does Coker use Marvel's Luke Cage to define liberation and use that definition as a platform to inform liberation initiatives in the United States today? Finally, how does Marvel’s Luke Cage join Cone in critiquing the church and white theology, and what solutions does Coker present to repair the church and white theology’s relationship with blackness? The answers to these three questions work together to affirm the central argument for this thesis: Marvel’s Luke Cage employs Black Liberation Theology to practically reimagine Christian theology and the Christian church as liberating forces in the modern world. A Power Man’s Theology: Marvel’s Luke Cage and Black Liberation Theology A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Department of Communication and Sociology Abilene Christian University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts by DiArron B. Morrison December 2019 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my committee members, Dr. Lauren Lemley, Dr. Jonathan Camp, Dr. Cindy Roper, and Dr. Andre Johnson, for their insights and encouragement during this thesis process. I owe a special thank you to Dr. Lemley. Your dedication to helping us grow as scholars has been one of the most profound blessings of my life. I am additionally indebted to Dr. James Cone, whose theology provides me with a framework to make a meaningless faith meaningful. A very special thank you goes to my parents Sheba and Gregory Morrison Sr. and my brother Gregory Morrison Jr. who were the first voices of liberation in my life. Finally, the biggest thank you goes to my wife, Kacey Ingram-Morrison, whose love, support, motivation, and accountability sustain me. To Nat, Mr. Little, Martin, Malcolm, Fred, Emmett, Trayvon, Tamir, Kendrick, Eric, Sandra, Delrawn, Philando, Kalief and the legions of others victimized by white supremacy since its inception, your blood cries out for justice from this stained soil. To the human beings treated like animals and traumatized by racist policies and agenda on the United States’ southern border during the Trump Administration, liberation is your birthright. To my liberator, Jesus the Christ, Son of YHWH; the God of the Exodus; the Lord of Hosts . This thesis is humbly dedicated TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTROUDCUTION ................................................................................................1 Rhetorical Situation .................................................................................................2 Rhetors .........................................................................................................2 Marvel ..............................................................................................3 Cheo Hadari Coker ..........................................................................5 Audience ......................................................................................................7 Exigence .......................................................................................................8 Marvel’s Luke Cage Plot Summary .........................................................................9 Villain One: Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes .............................................10 Villain Two: Diamondback ........................................................................11 Villain Three: Bushmaster .........................................................................12 Villain Four: Mariah Stokes Dillard ..........................................................14 Close Reading ........................................................................................................15 James Cone ............................................................................................................16 Black Liberation Theology ....................................................................................18 Methodology ..........................................................................................................20 II. BLACK ..................................................................................................................22 The Black in Black Liberation Theology ...............................................................23 Marvel’s Luke Cage Plot Summary .......................................................................25 The Blackness of Marvel’s Luke Cage ..................................................................29 Harlem ........................................................................................................30 Inclusive Blackness ....................................................................................31 Defining Whiteness ....................................................................................33 Cottonmouth ..................................................................................34 Mariah Stokes Dillard ....................................................................38 Black Hypotheses .......................................................................................44 Hypothesis 1: Mariah and Cottonmouth ........................................45 Hypothesis 2: Pop ..........................................................................47 Hypothesis 3: Luke Cage ...............................................................50 Conclusion .................................................................................................51 III. LIBERATION ........................................................................................................53 The Liberation in Black Liberation Theology .......................................................53 Marvel’s Luke Cage Plot Summary .......................................................................57 The Liberation of Marvel’s Luke Cage ..................................................................61 Identification with the Poor .......................................................................61 Police Brutality ..............................................................................62 Luke Cage: A Poor Man’s (Woman’s) Hero .................................64 Marvel’s Luke Cage and the Hegemony Debate .......................................66 Misty’s Trust ..................................................................................68 Misty’s Journey to Distrusting Hegemonic Power ........................69 Luke’s Distrusts .............................................................................75 Luke’s Journey to Trusting the Hegemonic Power ........................78 Conclusion .............................................................................................................80 IV. THEOLOGY ..........................................................................................................84 The Theology in Black Liberation Theology .........................................................85 Marvel’s Luke Cage Plot Summary .......................................................................88 The Theology of Marvel’s Luke Cage ...................................................................91 The Secret: Willis Stryker ..........................................................................92 A Christian Criminal: Diamondback .........................................................95 The Miracle: Carl Lucas ............................................................................96 Representative of White Theology: James