Tilda Johnson

Tilda Johnson, born Matilda Maybelline Dillard, is a brilliant holistic doctor and the daughter of Mariah Dillard.

Early Life
Tilda Dillard was the daughter of Mariah Dillard, from an assault committed by Peter Stokes. She was largely raised by Mamie Johnson. Eventually, Mariah was married off to a man named Jackson Dillard, partly to appease Jackson's homophobic parents since they refused to accept the fact Jackson was gay, and primarily to obscure Tilda's true parentage. Mariah left Tilda when she was eight and would never see her again for years.

Tilda had decided to pursue in the career of a doctor like her adopted father and earned her credentials in her earlier years but decided that the best way to help people as a doctor was to have a more herbal, remedial approach to it and set up a shop named Mother's Touch.

Reunion with Mariah
During Mariah Dillard's campaign of public programs to clean her name, her supporters thought a good way to gain the public's trust back was to reunite with Johnson and while Johnson was hesitant at first, she accepted.

Johnson was present in Bushmaster's attempts to discredit and destroy Dillard, leading her to question her involvement in criminal activity and the people her family has hurt in the past.

The Stylers eventually decided to directly hunt Johnson's mother, Luke Cage and those closest to him, and decided to hide in a Rand Enterprises building under construction. There, Dillard coldly admitted to her daughter the truth on how she was conceived by Dillard being raped by Pistol Pete, and said that she did not love her; Dillard had tried, but always sees Pete in her. When the conflict subsided, she was forced to heal Bushmaster after he got caught in an explosion.

After the "Rum Punch Massacre" incident, Johnson gave her condolences to the Stylers and even wanted to get back at Dillard by giving them a map of Harlem's Paradise with the location of the bunker she would be hiding in along with a large injection of Nightshade. These attempts did not hold up and even caused the Stylers to retreat back into Jamaica, with them thanking Johnson and asserting her that Dillard must die.

Final Visit
"Goodbye, Mother. I hope you find peace, even if you don't deserve it."

- Tilda's last words to Mariah Dillard before her death Before visiting her mother one last time in prison, Tilda had concocted a deadly poison named Beso de la Araña and spread it across her lips. When she did visit Mariah, the latter stated that she no longer sees Pete in her, she now sees herself. Mariah had said that when she got out of prison, she and Tilda could start over again, but Tilda quickly refused that offer. Before she left, Tilda gave Mariah a gentle kiss on the lips, with Mariah unaware that her own daughter poisoned her. Mariah found out too late during her final encounter with Luke Cage when she began coughing out blood.

Her Will
Dillard met with Benjamin Donovan and Luke Cage at Harlem's Paradise and sat, as she listened to him read Black Mariah's will and testament. Though she smiled to hear that she was left with Cornell Stokes's piano, Dillard changed demeanor when Donovan informed the two that Cage was given Harlem's Paradise; upset, she grabbed her coat and left the building.

Personality
Tilda is the polar opposite of her mother, Mariah Stokes; she is a caring person who does show empathy and is willing to make amends to anyone who is hurt from what the Stokes family has caused them. She felt abandoned by her mother and was willing to give her another chance.

However, as she began to be more involved in her mother's criminal activity and knew more about the Stokes, she resented her bloodline as she rejected the use of that last name. And she had even called Mariah a monster, no longer showing sympathy toward her. Tilda was saddened though by how her uncle, Cornell, turned out to be under Mama Mabel's influence and the former's untimely death. She was very insistent to end the Stokes bloodline that she helped Bushmaster into killing her, but ultimately did it herself.

While she shows no tolerance for her mother's side of the family, she is proud to be raised by Jackson Dillard and Mamie Johnson.

Abilities

 * Expert Physician: to be added

Equipment

 * Nightshade: Working as a holistic doctor at Mother's Touch, Dillard was in possession of a variety of herbs and other earthly resources, including nightshade. She attempts to understand its properties further in an effort to stop Bushmaster; coerced by Sheldon, she tried to heal Bushmaster using a mix of nightshade and other herbal mixes. Dillard also managed to produce one syringe of liquid nightshade that, in an all-one dosage, could do worsening harm to Bushmaster's mind and body. When visiting Black Mariah for one last time, she laced her lips with a nightshade poison that became fatal to Mariah when ingested.

Family

 * Samuel 'Buggy' Stokes † - Maternal Great-Grandfather and Paternal Uncle
 * 'Mama' Mabel Stokes † - Maternal Great-Grandmother and Paternal Aunt
 * Mariah Dillard † - Mother and Victim
 * Peter 'Pistol Pete' Stokes † - Biological Father and Great-Grand Uncle
 * Cornell Stokes † - Maternal Uncle and Paternal Cousin
 * Jackson Dillard † - Legal Father
 * Mamie Johnson - Adoptive Mother and Cousin

Allies

 * Stylers
 * John McIver/Bushmaster - Customer and Patient
 * Sheldon
 * New York City Police Department
 * Misty Knight
 * Nandi Tyler
 * James Lucas
 * Ingrid Mackintosh
 * Alex Wesley †
 * Joel Spurlock

Enemies

 * Luke Cage - Savior and Ally turned Enemy

Appearances
In chronological order:
 * Luke Cage
 * Season Two
 * Straighten It Out
 * Wig Out'
 * I Get Physical
 * All Souled Out
 * The Basement (mentioned)
 * On and On
 * If it Ain't Rough, it Ain't Right
 * For Pete's Sake
 * The Main Ingredient (mentioned)
 * The Creator
 * Can't Front on Me
 * They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)

Trivia

 * In the comics, Tilda Johnson is a scientific genius who grew up in the poor area of Harlem. She became a powerful crimelord under the alias of Nightshade (or Dr. Nightshade) and gained enemies in heroes like Captain America, Luke Cage and Black Panther. She later turned her life around and became the heroine Nighthawk.

Behind the Scenes

 * Nabiyah Be announced on Twitter on June 1, 2017 that she would be portraying Tilda Johnson in Black Panther. However, she deleted this tweet when it was announced that Gabrielle Dennis would portray the character in the second season of Luke Cage. Nabiyah Be's character was renamed Linda.
 * Valisa Tate was a stunt double for Gabrielle Dennis in the role of Tilda Johnson.