Luke Cage

Wrongly imprisoned under his birth name Carl Lucas, he volunteered for a experimental cell-regeneration procedure — a Super-Soldier variant known as the Burstein Process — which backfired and instead granted him steel-hard, bulletproof skin and superhuman strength. Escaping prison and adopting the name Luke Cage, he set up shop in Harlem as a Hero for Hire.

Few Marvel characters have logged a run as impressive as Luke Cage — debuting in 1972 at the height of the Bronze Age, he's been a vital presence in the House of Ideas for over five decades, racking up more than 800 catalog appearances and 32 key issues that collectors rightly prize. His heaviest footprint falls across New Avengers, Daredevil, and the beloved Power Man and Iron Fist, and the company he keeps tells you everything about his stature: Spider-Man, Captain America, and Danny Rand all share his pages regularly. From a street-level Bronze Age breakthrough to a fixture of Marvel's biggest modern titles, Luke Cage is the rare character who has never stopped mattering — and if you're building a serious Marvel collection, his long, rich history makes him essential reading.