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'Luke Cage' premiere news, spoilers: First look at villanous kingpin Cottonmouth; hip-hop to be an important element in series

Sheanne Aguila September 13, 2016 11:08 PM EST

Promotional banner for the upcoming Netflix series, \"Marvel\'s Luke Cage.\" | Facebook/MarvelsLukeCage

Netflix's latest Marvel superhero series "Luke Cage" is set to premiere later this month, and a new clip introducing villain Cottonmouth has been recently released.

Titled "Be King," the latest teaser for season 1 gives viewers a first look at the villainous kingpin Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes, portrayed by "The Hunger Games" star Mahershala Ali, who Luke Cage (Mike Colter) will be squaring off against. In the newest promo, Cottonmouth appears to be having a conversation with a man about how everyone wants to be "the king." He later mentions a giant poster of the late rapper Biggie Smalls hanging behind him, referencing how the rapper's legacy in New York City is somewhat similar to his own rise from the underground world.

In the comics, Cottonmouth was depicted as a notorious drug lord in Harlem who also had a direct involvement in the events that led Luke to possess superpowers. He initially tried to bring Luke into his illegal business but after many fights, he ended up being arrested thanks to the reluctant hero.

It remains to be seen how much the small screen version of Cottonmouth will be similar to his comic book counterpart. Aside from being a pretty straightforward criminal, the on-paper version of Cottonmouth is gifted with superhuman strength which makes him a physical match for Luke. In addition to the changes in the character, the show also modified his name by adding "Stokes" as his surname and making Cottonmouth just a nickname.

Showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker previously explained that hip-hop will be an important element in the show as it includes music from icons like Adrian Younge from A Tribe Called Quest and Method Man of Wu-Tang Clan. Every episode of season 1 is named after a song by Gang Starr, a rap duo who had a huge influence on the East Coast hip-hop scene during the late '80s and early '90s.

"Luke Cage" season 1 will be released in its entirety on Friday, Sept. 30 on Netflix.

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