… well, frankly, I don’t believe he is. Bendis has invested too much time and effort into building this character up, throughout at least four different books (Daredevil, Alias, Pulse and now New Avengers) only to take all of that away. While Secret Invasion will likely put Luke and many other characters to the test, I believe Bendis has a genuine affection for him.

New Avengers #38 continues themes played out in New Avengers #22, a story beloved by many Avengers readers, but it also draws comparisons to another character-driven done-in-one issue by Bendis: Ultimate Spider-Man #13, the issue where Peter tells Mary Jane he’s Spider-Man, another popular story. He even got his old Alias artist Michael Gaydos to draw it. Clearly, he’s trying to establish a visual and emotional connection here with these characters above and beyond the rest of the New Avengers cast.

When you also factor in Bendis’ use of Luke in Daredevil and Alias, which predates his run on New Avengers - and Bendis has said that the idea for Secret Invasion started around the time he took over the Avengers - then it seems very unlikely that he would suddenly turn around and say it was never really Luke Cage all along. Then again, stranger things have happened…

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