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'The Hunger Games' player Mahershala Ali will play a villain in Netflix's third Marvel series.
Another villain is coming to Netflix’s next Marvel series, Luke Cage.
House of Cards alum Mahershala Ali has joined the cast as Cottonmouth, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes is a Harlem nightclub owner who will become an unexpected foe in Luke Cage's (Mike Colter) life when Stokes' criminal activities threaten Luke's world.
Ali — whose credits include The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Parts 1 and 2, joins the previously cast Colter as the titular character, Simone Missick as former NYPD officer Misty Knight who has a bionic arm from Tony Stark, and Alfre Woodard and Theo Rossi as villains Black Mariah and Shades (aka Alvarez), respectively. Daredevil's Rosario Dawson will also reprise her role as Claire Temple first in Netflix's Jessica Jones before appearing in Luke Cage as Cage's main love interest.
Luke Cage centers on a wrongly accused man who gets superstrength after a sabotaged experiment and escapes prison to become a superhero for hire. Cage will first show up in Jessica Jones, the second of four Marvel series on Netflix, before toplining his own series. He will then team with Jessica Jones star Krysten Ritter and Daredevil's Charlie Cox along with the currently uncast star of Iron Fist for miniseries The Defenders.
Luke Cage is executive produced by Cheo Hodari Coker, produced by Marvel Television in association with ABC Studios.
Marvel's Luke Cage will premiere in 2016.
