In the modern franchise filmmaking ecosystem, it can be tough for an actor to be known for more than one major role. People see an actor with a long history of interesting roles as the one big name they occupy in whichever massive entertainment empire they've been sucked into. An actor like Mike Colter has a lot going on, including a new action blockbuster with a silly title.
Mike Colter has been in the industry for just over twenty years. His first major film role came in 2004 when he played Big Willie Little in Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby. Plane, his newest project, places him alongside Gerard Butler in a battle for survival after a terrible crash. As that film crashes into theaters, take a look back at Colter's career.
Luke Cage - The Marvel Cinematic Universe
Getting the big one out of the way first, Colter portrays the on-screen version of one of the first black superheroes ever to be a leading character. He first appeared in the role in Jessica Jones, where he was introduced as a well-meaning ally who keeps things close to the chest. When his solo series debuted, Colter's performance changed. He's soulful, wise, pensive, and taciturn. He's a wholly unique character for the franchise, reflecting the maturity of Netflix's collaborations with Marvel in a more nuanced way. Colter is stellar as Cage. Even among Daredevil and Jessica Jones, both of whom are examples of fantastic casting, Colter goes above and beyond. Cage's story in the MCU ended abruptly due to internal business nonsense. It's a pure tragedy that Luke Cage doesn't get the same level of public fervor for an encore because he absolutely deserves more.
David Acosta - Evil
This lesser-known horror series is the underground crown jewel of Paramount's original streaming efforts. In the tradition of shows like The X-Files, Evil is a procedural with supernatural horror elements. Colter's character David Acosta is a former journalist who gave up his career to attend seminary and become a Catholic priest. In his spiritual education, he works as an assessor who seeks out unexplained events to determine whether any real supernatural forces are involved. He hires Dr. Kristen Bouchard, a forensic psychologist to help him differentiate psychosis from possession. They make a compelling double-act, Acosta's devoted belief bounces off of Bouchard's skepticism well. Perhaps more than Luke Cage, Evil lets Colter show off his many talents as an actor. He'll be returning to the role when the fourth season premieres sometime this year.
Daryle Lamont Jenkins - Skin
Guy Nattiv's Skin is a 2018 biopic about Byron Widner, a former white supremacist who founded one of the most violent racist groups in the United States. After 16 years as a skinhead, Widner turned away from the movement and struggled to re-enter polite society. Widner is covered in hateful tattoos that make putting the past behind him basically impossible. Enter Daryle Lamont Jenkins, the founder of One People's Project and prominent political activist. Jenkins' organization developed a reputation for documenting the actions of hate groups, but it also worked to help individuals leave their abusive relationships with racist movements. Colter portrays Jenkins as the lone hand in the darkness, desperately trying to lead Jamie Bell's Widner into the light. It's a bracing performance in a powerful film. The viewer is often asked to question whether Widner deserves redemption for his actions, but the idea of irredeemable evil never seems to cross Colter's Jenkins mind. He's compassionate, even as he's practical. This film and Colter's performance in it deserves a lot more attention.
Agent Jameson Locke - Halo: Nightfall
On top of his on-screen performances, Colter has quite a few solid voice-acting roles. His most notable role is that of Jameson Locke in the Halo franchise. Locke gets something of a backstory in the Halo: Nightfall mini-series. It's not terribly well-received, but Colter's performance in the role is great. He's very frequently cast in the roles of cops or soldiers, often blending a practiced military bearing with his easy charisma. Locke is a compelling character, comparable to Apone from Aliens, and Colter is the ideal person to bring him to life, both on-screen and in the booth.
Brister - Seis Manos
Speaking of Colter's voice-acting skills, he takes a supporting role in this lesser-known Netflix animated series. Brad Graeber and Álvaro Rodríguez's Seis Manos follows a group of orphans trained in martial arts who must avenge the murder of their master. To solve the case, they team up with a cop and a DEA agent who form their own odd-couple pairing. Colter portrays the DEA agent, Brister, who is effectively a slightly more grounded version of Black Dynamite. He's promiscuous, cocky, hypermasculine, and regularly played for laughs as a blaxploitation figure. Colter didn't play Luke Cage with the Shaft vibe he had in the comic books, but he gets to have fun with the idea in this project. Colter is solid in comedic and dramatic roles, and it'll be exciting to see how his career grows from here.