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"My last year in Seagate, me and Comanche got paid by this juiced-in guard, Rackham, to beat the shit out of some guy named Carl Lucas. We broke him down, Billy Batts style. Lucas should've died. But some shady-ass prison doctor did an experiment, and he came out bulletproof. Smashed his way out of jail with his bare hands. And now he calls himself Luke Cage."
Shades[src]

The Escape from Seagate Prison was an attempt by former police officer Carl Lucas, who had been wrongfully convicted and subjected to an experiment that made his skin seemingly unbreakable, to break out of Seagate Prison.

Background

Fight Ring

"Rackham says you don't change your mind, we give you time in the infirmary to think about it."
"See, I'm of the mind that we stomp your ass. And find a new dude to fight for Rackham. Especially since you trying to expose some shit that's going on at Seagate."
Comanche and Shades[src]
ShadesRackhamComanche

Albert Rackham with Shades and Comanche

Lucas was sent into Seagate Prison for a crime that he didn't commit. During his first day, he lined up with other prisoners and were scolded by Albert Rackham. Lucas scoffed at Rackham and got hit in the gut, taunting that he was a former sheriff. He, then, sent Lucas, as well as the other prisoners, back to their cells. He was sent into an intervention with the other prison mates, where he met Reva Connors, their councilor. She tried to get as many inmates to change as possible, by having them tell how they ended up in prison in the first place.

CLucas-PrisonFighting

Carl Lucas becomes a fighter in prison

Lucas was locked in solitary confinement, where he spent hours sitting alone considering why he was being targeted. Once a long period of time had passed, Rackham visited Lucas in solitary confinement, complimenting his fighting abilities. Lucas began being trained in boxing by Squabbles. Lucas asked if he ever boxed, but Squabbles stated that he learned to fight by watching Kung-Fu movies and it helped him through self defense. Lucas and Squabbles entered the arena with Comanche, as he detailed the rewards for winning.[1]

When Lucas entered the room, Connors was shocked by all the bruises and cuts. Lucas admitted that he got into a fight or two. She took note that Lucas has not been to the group in months, but he responded that plans have changed; Conners was heartbroken that Lucas reverted back to the speechless man. Lucas noticed Shades approaching Connors. Rackham approached behind Lucas and taunted him, causing Lucas to grab him by the scruff of the neck and violently slam his against the fall in a rage. However, Rackham threatened him that he now has another person to bargain with other than Squabbles. Lucas let him go and Rackham left, laughing at the situation which he was controlling.

CLucasCorneredByEnemies

Comanche and Shades corner Carl Lucas

While Reva Connors was working at her desk, Lucas snuck up to the door and motioned her to come to him. Lucas exposed to her the fighting arena held by the corrupt cops where inmates fight until they were finally broken; with their bodies never to be found. After getting a haircut, Lucas was surprised when he was then approached by Shades, who complimented Lucas on his fighting in the ring, however, Lucas found his appearance suspicious due to it happening just before his plan would go underway. He was, then, approached by Comanche from behind, demanding to know why Lucas wanted out of the fighting arena, admitting that they got the information through Squabbles by force. Admitting that they were not happy that Lucas planned on exposing Seagate, Comanche noted that Rackham wished him to either be killed or locked in solitary, so they then beat him up until he was severely injured.[1]

Medical Attention

"Yeah, you're probably gonna die. But you're already dying. What you're about to see is different from anything you've ever experienced."
Noah Burstein to Carl Lucas[src]

Lucas was sent to the infirmary, being treated by Noah Burstein, and put under life support. Reva Connors came in to visit him, devastated at the state that Lucas was in. Burstein gave Connors the news that he was dying, she then informed Lucas that Squabbles died trying to keep their information secret.

Burstein put Lucas in a tank, injected his shoulder with a syringe, and attached two cuffs, a tiara and a breathing tube, telling him that he would likely soon die as a result. He closed the tank and went to his computer, starting the procedure and filling the tank with clear liquid. As he began scanning Lucas, Albert Rackham busted in, demanding the whereabouts of Lucas. Burstein tried to stop him, but Rackham pointed a gun at him and threatened to kill Lucas for ratting him out. He turned up the heat in the tan and overloaded it, causing the lights in the room to burst into sparks as the water quickly boiled.

Submersed inside the boiling liquid, Lucas screamed in agony as his injuries turned purple and then vanished, all healing instantaneously. Rackham's attempt to murder Lucas backfired on him however and the entire tank exploded, consuming Lucas in the flames.[1]

Escape

"I still can't believe I punched through that wall."
"No one's survived Seagate's waters either."
Carl Lucas and Reva Connors[src]

Lucas came out of the ruins of the tank and got to his feet, fully healed from all the injuries given to him by Shades and Comanche. He took note of the changes in his body before he moved around and looked at Burstein coughing and the dead body of Rackham.

The alarms went off, reacting to the explosion, in frustration of no way out of the situation and believing that he would be blamed for everything that had happened, including Rackham's death, Lucas punched the wall, causing it to crack severely without any harm to himself or even any pain. Lucas discovered he his strength was enhanced as a result of Burstein's experiment. Desperate to be free at long last, Lucas then proceeded punch a hole through the wall and escaped Seagate Prison, jumping into the sea and swimming back towards the shore.[1]

Lucas finally reached land and into someone's back yard, where he noticed someone's laundry drying. As Lucas was wearing nothing but the underwear he wore for the experiment, he took the bright yellow shirt and blue pants, while tying a chain to it like a belt. As he walked off, he looked at his reflection, stating that he looked foolish, and took off the tiara.[1]

Aftermath

OriginalCageCostume copy

Carl Lucas goes on the run from the law

"Thank you for saving my life."
"Thank you for changing mine. You're gonna need a new name."
Carl Lucas and Reva Connors[src]

Lucas met Reva Connors at the nearest motel, where he began to shave in the bathroom. Connors deleted any records on Lucas as he asked her about the experiments given by Noah Burstein's experiment. She stated that it was a chemical bath that was meant to heal people at an accelerated rate, meaning that Albert Rackham's tampering with the tank and causing the bath to be overheated must have accidentally caused Lucas' new found abilities. Lucas thanked Connors for saving him and she thanked Lucas for changing her before Lucas leaned in and kissed Connors softly. She asked him what his new name would be and he responded with his father's favorite bible verse from the book of Luke and his quote that a free man would never be caged, thus, Luke Cage was born.[1]

Connors took Cage to Pop's Barber Shop in Harlem where he was introduced to Pop. When Cage explained what he was, Pop found the story very shaky, but he simply ignored it.[3]

References

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