Marvel’s Luke Cage puts Harlem and its hero in an unwavering spotlight. How does Luke stand up to the pressure?

Let’s face it: The link between power unasked for and heroism is familiar territory in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Many of the films, most of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Luke Cage‘s fellow Netflix series in particular have worn a comfortable path through the weeds of Great Power and Great Responsibility.

But Luke Cage, our newest Netflix installment, never feels like the same old story. Instead, Luke bears the weight of Marvel’s established material with remarkable ease, and adds a resonant depth and diversity to New York’s burgeoning heroic stage. The first seven episodes take advantage of Luke’s very particular history to explore a hero without Matt Murdock’s nobility, or Jessica Jones’ stubborn self-punishment.

Rather, Luke is a truly reluctant savior. Showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker breaks new ground by examining everything that makes the man with unbreakable skin unique — far beyond his physical strengths.

Luke Cage, of course, is the first character of color to lead his or her own Marvel property, and the series is eager to step into that vacuum. But while race is a critical element of the series, Coker doesn’t charge his work with collecting all of Marvel’s slack where non-white leads are concerned. Luke Cage (man and series) is less inclined to look outward than gaze inward, studying the stories beneath the skin of heroes, villains, and the world that creates them.

That world, for the most part, is Harlem, and fittingly so. Unlike Daredevil’s Hell’s Kitchen (which bears little resemblance to its real-world counterpart) or Jessica Jones’ generic midtown, Luke’s embattled neighborhood acts as a reflection of genuine struggles and victories.

Here, as in reality, Harlem has history, identity, and very real battles to fight — whether or not they happen to be fought by superheroes. The series’ violence is often heartbreakingly mundane; gunshots and greed are as pervasive as Luke’s spectacular displays of strength.

And like Harlem, Luke himself has a lot going on beneath the surface. Though he has stepped out of Jessica’s spotlight, Luke is in no rush to take a leading role in Harlem’s ongoing problem play — quite the opposite, in fact. As the series opens, the man with unbreakable skin is in survival mode, working menial jobs and dedicated only to avoiding attention. But of course, injustice always calls, and Luke is compelled to answer.

As he was in Jessica Jones, Mike Colter is masterfully subtle as Luke. He guides Harlem’s own superman toward the dreadful necessity of heroism with a grim reluctance that quietly displays his incredible humanity. Flashbacks to Luke’s history reveal a man tragically accustomed to the manipulations of a cruel world; as we learn more about him, it becomes increasingly remarkable how much warmth escapes Luke’s impassive demeanor.

Simone Missick, who plays Detective Misty Knight, deserves similar praise. Like Luke, Misty’s calm surface hides significant depths — though her exhilarating competence is always evident. Like Luke, Misty immediately owns her place in the Marvel Universe, and it only feels like a shame that we haven’t gotten to know her sooner.

Luke Cage’s villains, meanwhile, are something of a game of hot and cold. Local politician Mariah Dillard (Alfre Woodard) and her criminal cousin Cottonmouth Stokes (Mahershala Ali) are intent on writing the script for Harlem’s next act, but their methodologies frequently clash. The pair play as two sides of the same soiled coin, each a vivid example of the price of power in a world where violence is essential currency.

Paradoxically, Cottonmouth’s brutality is coldly physical while Dillard’s psychological orchestrations betray an inner fire. But both are deadly actors in this play, and both sprouted from the subtle alchemy of oppression and opportunity so resonantly evident in Harlem.

Because of Luke Cage‘s subtlety, the story can take some time in finding a consistent rhythm. (That is never the case for the series’ intricate musical palate, which proves as robust and effective as Luke’s own fists.) But Luke’s reluctant heroism tends to hit a few fits and starts, while Cottonmouth and Mariah circle each other like increasingly frustrated sharks. Theo Rossi’s Shades sprinkles cryptic warnings throughout the criminal proceedings, while Misty Knight probes and observes, collecting the pieces of an increasingly bloody puzzle.

But if it is occasionally stolid, Luke Cage is never anything but deliberate. From its slowest moments to its most fantastic explosions, the series presses forward with an unceasing intensity. Luke himself may be avoiding his inevitable destiny, but as the first seven episodes of Luke Cage demonstrate, the show that bears his name has no such qualms.

Marvel’s Luke Cage hits Netflix on Sept. 30.