With a cover date of (June 1972), Marvel Comics released the first issue of Luke Cage: Hero For Hire on March 21st of that year, introducing the world to Luke Cage. Created during the height of the blaxploitation genre, the character Luke Cage was imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. Cage gained the powers of superhuman strength and unbreakable skin after being subjected voluntarily to an experimental procedure.

Luke Cage was created by Archie Goodwin, George Tuska, Roy Thomas and John Romita Sr.