- "Rule number one. You will obey every rule I say after rule number one. Rule number two. None but the righteous shall see God. And since we ain't got no righteous people in here, God ain't gonna have to worry about your shitty prayers. So that means I'm his mean, shitty substitute. Rule number three. Ain't no talking when I'm talking."
- ―Albert Rackham[src]
Albert Rackham was a corrupt security guard inside Seagate Prison who had used his position of authority to force some of his prisoners to fight one another and had then streamed the content online for profit, hiring Shades and Comanche to help him. When Rackham recruited Carl Lucas into the scheme, he eventually decided Lucas might expose him so he recruited Comanche and Shades to kill him. Once Rackham discovered that Noah Burstein was experimenting on Lucas however, he tried to sabotage the experiment, causing an explosion which killed Rackham and had left Lucas with superpowers.
Biography[]
Seagate Prison[]
Organizing Prison Fights[]
- "Remember, how you start is how you end in places like this. No one does it alone."
- ―Albert Rackham[src]
Albert Rackham was appointed as a prison guard for Seagate Prison. By using his own position of power over the inmates, Rackham eventually set up a fight club where inmates brutally fought in an underground boxing ring while being filmed on a GoPro, allowing Rackham to profit off the betting and those watching online. Rackham also recruited former Rivals gang members, Shades and Comanche to assist him with recruiting potential fighters in exchange for a cut of the profits.[3]
Carl Lucas' Arrival[]
- "How'd you like to live like a king using them fists of yours? We got some bad boys who're pretty good with their hands. They're making money in here, good ass money. I want you to get in on this. Believe it or not, it benefits the both of us. I get a little extra coin and you, if you survive, get to be your own man. Untouched, extra rations, maybe a conjugal or two."
- ―Albert Rackham to Carl Lucas[src]
Rackham speaking to all his new inmates
While Rackham was greeting all of the new inmates who were just arriving in Seagate Prison, Rackham gave a speech to the inmates, informing them that they no longer had a voice as he advised them to simply follow his rules if they wanted to survive their time within the prison, making it clear that he was in charge. While Rackham was speaking, Carl Lucas, who had been sent to Seagate for a crime that he did not commit, smirked at what Rackham was saying, resulting in Rackham striking him in the gut which knocked all the wind out of Lucas as he fell down onto his knees from the strike.
Rackham giving Carl Lucas a personal threat
As Rackham had begun taunting Lucas who was struggling to catch his breath back, he informed all of the other inmates that Lucas was a former sheriff with the Savannah Police Department, knowing that this would get a reaction from the other inmates who would despise having a former police sheriff in the prison with them, although Lucas insisted that this was him starting up a new life. Taking note of how Lucas had been able to take the hit to the gut and get back onto his feet, Rackham then sent Lucas and the other prisoners back to their cells, while he began considering Lucas to fight his fighters.
Later, Rackham spied on Lucas, who was attempting to work out in the courtyard without being bothered by the other inmates. Speaking with Shades and Comanche, the group discussed just how a former cop was sent to Seagate, as Rackham noted that having seen his record, he guessed that he angered someone and was sent there to rot. That day, Rackham decided to keep tabs on Lucas, wanting to see if he was unbreakable and therefore could indeed be suitable to join their illegal fighting ring, telling Comanche and Shades to see if Lucas would either bend or break when put under pressure.
Rackham watches Carl Lucas get a beating
Later that night, while Lucas was sleeping, Rackham sent Comanche and Shades to attack him with their fists and knives. Despite being taken completely off guard and outnumbered by the pair, Lucas was still able to subdue them, throwing both Shades and Comanche out of his cell while only receiving a minor gash on his arm. The noise of the fight alerted the guards as they handcuffed Lucas while they left Shades and Comanche alone, but Rackham, who was watching the whole time, declared that he found himself a gladiator while he had continued to smugly watch as Lucas was being handcuffed.
Rackham offering Carl Lucas a chance to fight
Rackham later visited Lucas in solitary confinement where he had been placed following his attack from Shades and Comanche, as Rackham began complimenting Lucas on his fighting abilities. He made him an offer that if he fought other convicts, it will benefit the both of them, promising that the result would be cash as well as extra rations of food and visits from women. Despite all Rackham's attempts to sell the concept, Lucas compared the offer to slavery and declined. Rackham just stared and left him in his cell on his own for hours, expecting the solitude would change his mind.[3]
Threatening Lucas[]
Rackham stops Carl Lucas and Reva Connors
- "You must smell a lot of shit having your ass on your shoulders all the time. I make you an easy offer, throw in some perks, and you just shrug 'em off. Well it's lucky I'm a patient man. Smart enough to know you'd say no. Gave me time to build a backup plan."
- ―Albert Rackham to Carl Lucas[src]
Since Carl Lucas was still refusing his offers to join their illegal fight clubs, Rackham had found Lucas as he was speaking with Seagate Prison's psychiatrist, Reva Connors, as he was clearly enjoying her company. Interrupting their conversation, Rackham ordered Lucas to step away from Connors and demanded that Lucas then leave the room, which Lucas reluctantly obeyed as Rackham followed him out of the door.
Rackham makes conversation with Carl Lucas
Rackham took him to the lounge area and offered more benefits in exchange for fighting for him, mocking Lucas' clear affection for Connors while offering to get Lucas women to have sex with and whatever else he wanted in exchange for fighting for him. However once again, Lucas declined the offer and told Rackham that he was not interested in getting involved with anything illegal while he was doing his time inside the prison, but Rackham noted that he was a patient man, and noted that he had given some thought to making a backup plan if Lucas had refused the initial offer from him.
He then gave Comanche the order to suddenly stab another one of the inmates and had the blame put on Squabbles, Lucas' only friend in the prison. What followed was several of the guards then ignoring Comanche and pinning Squabbles down and brutally beating him while Lucas could only watch in horror. Rackham threatened to tear everything apart if he would not fight for him, hitting Lucas in the gut as he promised that if Lucas continued to refuse to fight for him, he would ensure that Squabbles was given twenty more years onto his sentence as a direct result of Lucas' refusal to fight for him.
Rackham blackmails Carl Lucas into fighting
After a moment of hesitation while watching Squabbles still getting brutally beaten down, Lucas finally agreed to get involved with the illegal fights and Rackham then called all the guards to go easy on Squabbles. Lucas then painfully got back onto his feet and called Rackham a son of a bitch, while Rackham simply noted that he was a smart son of a bitch regardless. Making one demand, Lucas had insisted that if he was going to fight then Squabbles would be by his side every step of the way, which Rackham agreed to before walking away smugly, while still continuing to rudely taunt Lucas. Lucas had his first fight a few days later, with Rackham watching how he got on extremely closely with Shades by his side. Despite his first opponent having the upper hand in the early stages of the fight, Lucas eventually won and proved himself to be a skilled fighter while Rackham smiled at this win, as it meant he would continue making considerable money as a direct result of all Lucas' victories. Lucas would go through the next slew of opponents and would knock them out, one by one. After the matches, Rackham took money from the other cops, having bet on Lucas while watching him win.
Rackham makes a threat against Carl Lucas
Fearing that Lucas could soon still chose to drop out of the fighting matches, Rackham later approached Lucas and began taunting him, resulting in Lucas furiously pushing Rackham against the wall. Telling Lucas how foolish that action was, Rackham then threatened Lucas that he would hurt Squabbles and Reva Connors to force Lucas into fighting against his will. However, Lucas eventually decided he would expose the fighting arena to Connors. While going behind Rackham's back, he also warned Connors that Rackham would go after the ones he cares about, her and Squabbles, begging her to leave.[3]
Fatal Mistake[]
Rackham furiously standing over Carl Lucas
- "You son of a bitch! You think you're gonna rat me out? You're gonna die tonight, Carl."
"Albert, please!"
"We had a good system. I made money and you got to live. Now I need to watch you burn." - ―Albert Rackham and Noah Burstein[src]
Seeking to confirm if Carl Lucas was really planning on exposing his illegal operations, Rackham then ordered Shades and Comanche to go and attack Squabbles until he finally revealed the truth, resulting in Squabbles' death. Having also had Lucas beaten almost to death by Shades and Comanche, Rackham entered Noah Burstein's laboratory and demanded the whereabouts of Lucas, before he realized the experiment occurring in order to try and save Lucas' life.
Rackham threatening to murder Noah Burstein
Enraged by seeing that Burstein was attempting to save Lucas' life through his experimentations despite him attempting to expose the illegal fight arenas at Seagate Penitentiary, Rackham pointed a gun at Burstein and threatened to kill him if he dared to stand in his way. Seeking to boil Lucas into a horrifically painful death, Rackham then turned up the heat in the chamber where Lucas was being held, and overloaded it, causing all the lights in the room to burst into sparks. Submersed in the boiling liquid, Lucas screamed out in pain as his injuries turned purple and then vanished from his skin.
Rackham is killed in the resulting explosion
Rackham's final and desperate attempt to murder Lucas by brutally boiling him alive him Burstein's experiment backfired however and the tank exploded from being overloaded, knocking out Burstein and killing Rackham, who was thrown backwards against the wall and cracked his skull upon impact, while also being crushed by all of the debris. When Lucas came out of the ruins of the tank, fully healed, he found Rackham's corpse before also discovering that the experiment had not only healed his wounds but given him superhuman powers, allowing Lucas to finally successfully escape from Seagate.[3]
Personality[]
| This section requires expansion |
To be added
Equipment[]
Weapons[]
- Glock 19: Rackham carried this handgun as his sidearm while inside Seagate Prison. He resorted to use it to threaten Noah Burstein when he discovered that Burstein intended to save Carl Lucas with his experiments, making him step aside while he tampered with Lucas' tank hoping to kill him.
Facilities[]
- Seagate Penitentiary: Rackham worked as a security guard in Seagate Penitentiary and used the prison as the location for his underground fight club. He also ran illegal experiments with Noah Burstein out of the prison, and was killed while defending the prison as Carl Lucas escaped the prison.
Relationships[]
Allies[]
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Enemies[]
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Appearances[]
In chronological order:
- Luke Cage
- Season One
- Step in the Arena (flashback)
- Take It Personal (mentioned)
- Season Two
- Straighten It Out (mentioned)
- Can't Front on Me (mentioned)
- Season One
Trivia[]
- In the comics, Albert "Billy Bob" Rackam continued to work at Seagate after the sabotage of Carl Lucas's experiment, and physically abusing of African-American inmates like Shades and Comanche. After he was fired because of his behavior, he moved to New Jersey and became a foe of Luke Cage.
Behind the Scenes[]
- Christopher Jon Gombos was a stunt double for Chance Kelly in the role of Albert Rackham.
