The first season of Marvel’s Luke Cage didn’t lack for stirring performances, but even in a crowded field, Alfre Woodard stood out. The actor portrayed Mariah Dillard, a Harlem politician who moonlit as a crime lord and came to bedevil Mike Colter’s titular hero. Although Mariah just barely managed to survive that season’s narrative, now she’s back and more defiant than ever. In this new trailer for Luke Cage season two, Mariah and her quest to improve Harlem — even if that means destroying it — take center stage. Plus, her daughter Tilda (Gabrielle Dennis) makes an appearance and finds much to criticize in her mother’s dealings. In keeping with the show’s embrace of classic hip-hop, the clip features the Fugees track “Ready or Not†and offers up the notion that “black women have always had superpowers.†Are Mariah’s super enough to take down Luke? Or is he working for her? Watch and start guessing.
