Heroes for Hire

 Heroes for Hire is an animated series based on three comics: Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Power Man and Iron Fist: Heroes for Hie. It's the first half of the new Marvel Action Hour .

Plot
(theme from Kung Fu: the Legend Continues starts to play)'' This is the story of two young men, each from a different world, rising from their respective tragadies. ''

''Carl Lucas; framed for a crime by his former friend, he hoped to attain an early parole by volunteering for an experimental nutrient bath. But an evil guard sabotaged the bath, and in the process, Carl gained superhuman strength and skin harder than steel. Escaping that night, Carl took the name Luke Cage, and used his powers as a superhero for hire, hoping to one day find the evidence to clear his name.''

''Danny Rand; orphaned at the age of nine, he was taken in by the immortals of his ancestral home of K'un-Lun, where he was trained in the martial arts by their greatest champion, Lei Kung. Ten years later, he passed the test of Shao-Lou the Undying, and earned the power of the Iron Fist. Returning to America, he became the vigilante Iron Fist, first using his powers to avenge his parents, and now using them to fight crime in New York.''

''Thru a series of events, these two brave men have joined forces and use their powers to protect people, both for free and a price. When all other superheroes are busy, they will respond to call of duty. They are...Heroes for Hire.''

Initially, Luke and Danny were solo crimefighters, until Luke was blackmailed into kidnapping Danny's lover, a policewoman named Misty Knight, by a crimelord named Bushmaster, in exchange for evidence that would rid Luke of the charges originally brought against him, or Bushmaster would kill Luke's friends Noah and Claire. Working together, the two defeated Bushmaster, now a more powerful version of Luke, and escaped with the evidence. Seeing how well they worked together, Luke offered Danny a partnership, which he accepted, and thus was born Heroes for Hire, Inc. Together with Misty and Colleen Wing, Cage and Iron Fist battle crime both for free and for a price; whatever they earn either goes to charity or to pay bills.

While based soley on the Power Man/Iron Fist comic of the early eighties, the series also adapts storylines from the original comics before they merged together. While some episodes are more realistic, some devulge into the supernatural aspects of Iron Fist, such as traveling to K'un-Lun, and fighting demons.

Cast

 * Khary Payton...Luke Cage
 * Matt Hill...Iron Fist
 * Vivica A. Fox...Misty Knight
 * Stephanie Sheh...Colleen Wing

Villains

 * Ed Asner...Gideon Mace
 * Jamieson Price...Davos/Steel Serpent
 * Jeff Glen Bennett...Montegro
 * Kevin Michael Richardson...Master Khan, Shades
 * Phil Lamarr...Commache
 * James Avery, Sr...Bushmaster
 * Rob Paulson...Ceaser Cicero
 * Tara Strong...Princess Azar

Adapted Storylines
Power Man # 48-50): The telling of how Heroes for Hire Inc was formed.
 * The Way it Began 
 * Iron and Steel (Marvel Team Up # 63-64): Iron Fist's first encounter with Steel Serpent.
 * Return to K'Un-Lun (Power Man and Iron Fist: Heroes for Hire #74-75): Danny and Luke return to K'un-Lun while chasing after Master Khan, and it's there that Danny learns some rather disturbing secrets about his home.

Who should do the series?
The people who did the second season of American Dragon: Jake Long, for the darker storytelling