LUKE CAGE

 

LUKE CAGE

Real Name: Carl Lucas (Legally changed to "Luke Cage")

First Appearance: Luke Cage, Hero For Hire (Vol. 1) #1, June 1972

Powers: Luke Cage underwent an experimental process while in prison which involved submerging him in a high-frequency electric field conducted by an organic chemical liquid. The process was designed as a chemical method to promote human cell regeneration as an aid against disease and aging. Cage's treatment was accelerated past its intent, inducing a body-wide mutagenic enhancement. Despite possessing normal height and proportions, Cage now weighs over 400 lbs, as his entire body is now composed of a much denser and sturdier form of carbon matter. Cage has Superhuman Class 25 strength and can punch through barriers as thick as four-inch steel plate. His skin is steel-hard and his muscles and bone tissue super-dense. He can withstand conventional handgun fire at a range of four feet and cannot be cut by the sharpest of blades, although in the event of required surgery his skin can be lacerated by an overpowered medical laser. He can withstand up to one-ton impacts or blasts of 150 pounds of TNT without serious injury, and is impervious to temperature extremes and electrical shocks. His recovery time from injury or trauma is usually one-third that of an ordinary human. His skin is virtually impervious to penetration or damage from anything weaker than Adamantium, and his internal structure is equally resistant to all forms of assault or injury.

Luke Cage is a self-taught combatant with years of street-fighting experience, and a superb athlete despite his great height and weight. He is self-educated in the law and fluent in several languages. He owns a leather jacket which, like his skin, is virtually impervious to damage; however, he wears it infrequently and is customarily left with shredded clothing in the wake of his adventures.