Moment of Truth

"Everyone has a gun. No one has a father." "Ain't that the truth."

- Pop and Luke Cage

Moment of Truth is the first episode of the first season of the Netflix exclusive television series Luke Cage.

Synopsis
With tension building in the streets of Harlem thanks to ruthless club owner Cottonmouth, Luke finds it increasingly difficult to live a quiet life.

Plot
Luke Cage, a fugitive with superhuman strength and unbreakable skin, keeps a low profile as a sweeper at Henry "Pop" Hunter|Pop's barbershop, and as a dishwasher at crime boss Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes' nightclub Harlem's Paradise. Cage spends one night as a bartender for Stokes, filling in for Dante, who calls in sick. Dante is actually shooting up an arms deal between Stokes' men and crew members belonging to gang leader Domingo Colon, along with his friends Shameek Smith and Wilfredo "Chico" Diaz. Dante panics and is killed by Shameek, who escapes with Chico and the money. NYPD detectives Misty Knight and Rafael Scarfe investigate, and impound the Hammer Industries weapons that Stokes was selling. With help from "Shades" Alvarez, who works for Stokes' supplier Diamondback, Stokes tracks and kills Shameek and retrieves his share of the money. Stokes' men also support his cousin Mariah Dillard, a councilwoman, and demand contributions to her cause from Cage's landlords. Cage fights them off, but refuses payment for his actions.

Cast
Main Cast:
 * Mike Colter as Luke Cage
 * Mahershala Ali as Cornell Stokes/Cottonmouth
 * Simone Missick as Misty Knight
 * Theo Rossi as Shades
 * Alfre Woodard as Mariah Dillard

Guest Stars:
 * Frankie Faison as Henry Hunter/Pop
 * Frank Whaley as Detective Rafael Scarfe
 * Parisa Fitz-Henley as Reva Connors
 * Dawn-Lyen Gardner as Megan McLaren
 * Jacob Vargas as Domingo Colon
 * Brian 'Sene' Marc as Wilfredo "Chico" Diaz
 * Cassandra Freeman as Patricia Wilson
 * Ron Cephas Jones as Bobby Fish
 * Darius Kaleb as Lonnie Wilson
 * Jermel Howard as Shameek Smith
 * Jade Wu as Connie Lin
 * Clem Cheung as Jin Lin
 * Warner Miller as Tone
 * Hugues Faustin as Dante Chapman
 * Deborah Ayorinde as Candace Miller
 * Steven Ted Beckler as Nate
 * Arethea Brooks as Sheila
 * Christopher Chirdon as Officer
 * Justin Swain as Bailey
 * S. Robert Morgan as Oliver
 * Jaiden Kaine as Zip
 * Kelvin McGrue as Koko
 * Sean Ringgold as Sugar
 * R. Marcos Taylor as Amos
 * David Chen as Thug
 * LaShonda Reese as Lip Syncer
 * Jeremiah Richard Craft as Dave Griffith
 * Ester Jiron as Girl #1
 * Megan Gabrielle Harris as Girl #2
 * Raphael Saadiq as himself
 * D-Nice as himself
 * Alexandra Santini as Clubgoer (uncredited)
 * Ann Marie Seall as Bartender (uncredited)
 * Craig Walker as Big Al (uncredited)
 * Gina Diaz as Resident (uncredited)
 * Kellen C Wingate as Detective (uncredited)
 * Olivia Rose Eierman as Student #3 (uncredited)
 * Miguelangelo Hexylvania as Passerby (uncredited)
 * Mohammed Hossain as Pedestrian (uncredited)
 * Nancy Cejari as Clubgoer (uncredited)
 * Nick Gifford as Passerby (uncredited)
 * Nora Sommerkamp as Clubgoer (uncredited)
 * Cassandra Jeudi as Clubgoer (uncredited)
 * Phil Oddo as Pedestrian (uncredited)
 * Phil Sarpong as Clubgoer (uncredited)
 * Thomas Q. Jones as Comanche (uncredited)
 * Unknown actress as Marisol (uncredited)
 * Unknown actor as Tony (uncredited)
 * Unknown actress as Passion (uncredited)

Locations

 * New York City, New York
 * Pop's Barber Shop
 * Genghis Connie's
 * Harlem's Paradise
 * Crispus Attucks Complex
 * Colon's Gym (mentioned)
 * (mentioned)
 * (mentioned)
 * (mentioned)
 * Seagate Prison, Georgia (flashback)
 * Miami, Florida (mentioned)
 * Latvia (mentioned)
 * Dominican Republic (mentioned)
 * Cuba (mentioned)
 * Puerto Rico (mentioned)
 * Jamaica (mentioned)

Events

 * Ambush at the Harlem Junkyard
 * Attack on Zip's Gang
 * Battle of New York (mentioned as the "Incident")

Items

 * Mjølnir (mentioned)
 * Captain America's Shield (mentioned)
 * Captain America's Shield (mentioned)

Vehicles
To be added

Organizations

 * New York City Police Department
 * Hammer Industries
 * New York Bulletin
 * WJBP-TV
 * Avengers (mentioned)
 * (mentioned)
 * (mentioned)
 * (mentioned)

Mentioned

 * Bessie
 * Jessica Jones
 * Fredo Diaz
 * Tony Stark
 * Thor
 * Captain America
 * Hulk
 * Mama Mabel
 * Peter Stokes
 * Salvador Colon
 * Wilson Fisk
 * Justin Hammer
 * Diamondback
 * Pop's Free Hair Cut List
 * Pop's Free Hair Cut List
 * Pop's Free Hair Cut List
 * Pop's Free Hair Cut List
 * Pop's Free Hair Cut List
 * Pop's Free Hair Cut List
 * Pop's Free Hair Cut List
 * Pop's Free Hair Cut List
 * Pop's Free Hair Cut List
 * Pop's Free Hair Cut List
 * Pop's Free Hair Cut List
 * Pop's Free Hair Cut List
 * Pop's Free Hair Cut List
 * Pop's Free Hair Cut List
 * Pop's Free Hair Cut List
 * Pop's Free Hair Cut List
 * Pop's Free Hair Cut List
 * Pop's Free Hair Cut List
 * Pop's Free Hair Cut List
 * Pop's Free Hair Cut List
 * Pop's Free Hair Cut List
 * Pop's Free Hair Cut List
 * Pop's Free Hair Cut List
 * Pop's Free Hair Cut List
 * Pop's Free Hair Cut List
 * Pop's Free Hair Cut List
 * Pop's Free Hair Cut List

Trivia

 * Moment of Truth is the name of a song included in the of the hip-pop duo Gang Starr.
 * When Pop calls Luke Cage Power Man, that is a reference to his name in the comics.
 * When Connie Lin says that she and her husband want to hire Luke, an offer which he turns down by saying, "I'm not for hire", it is a subtle reference to the group Luke formed with Danny Rand in the comics: Heroes for Hire.