During Carl Lucas's time in prison, his life changed when he volunteered for an experiment designed to recreate the super-soldier serum. However, an incident involving a hostile fellow inmate, Billy Bob, altered the course of the experiment. Billy broke into the lab intending to harm Carl, but inadvertently accelerated the chemical reaction on Carl's body, leading to a mutation in his cellular structure. As a result, Carl gained immense strength and invulnerability.
With his newfound powers, Carl escaped from prison and returned to New York. Determined to make use of his abilities, he took on the alias "Luke Cage" and set out to earn a living while fighting for justice as a hired hero. However, Zod's interest in him meant that Luke Cage's path was about to take a very different turn.
Luke Cage's physical enhancements were considerable: his muscles and bones had become extraordinarily dense, granting him superhuman strength. He could lift around 25 tons—after further enhancement, potentially over 50 tons—and he had the power to punch through steel plates four inches thick. Although his strength didn't match Spider-Man's, Cage was still one of New York's most powerful street-level heroes. His hardened skin could withstand the impact of a ton of force, knives, and even close-range gunfire. He could also survive explosions equivalent to 150 pounds of TNT, and his healing rate was three times faster than that of an ordinary human.
At the time, Luke Cage had taken up residence in Hell's Kitchen, a notoriously rough part of New York. The neighborhood was plagued by poverty and crime, and the government only managed it because of its prime real estate value in Manhattan. People here were tough, willing to go out at night despite the high crime rate, because life forced them to take risks.
Luke Cage had once been a street gang member. As he grew older and his relatives passed away, he decided to turn his life around, only to find himself imprisoned. That incarceration led to the turning point of his life—the super-soldier experiment that gave him his powers. Now, as Luke Cage, he fought for survival and justice in the gritty streets of Hell's Kitchen.
But as Luke Cage was adjusting to his new life, he found himself facing a terrifying new challenge. The area around him seemed to swarm with monstrous creatures, unlike anything he had ever encountered. "What the hell is going on?" Luke muttered to himself, wondering if he had somehow stepped into another dimension.
Zod had his sights set on Luke Cage and was watching the situation unfold. "The four beast soldiers should be able to take him down," Zod remarked, casually sipping his drink. He had little concern for Cage at this point. Even though Cage had impressive strength and durability, Zod didn't think he would pose much of a threat.
To Zod's surprise, however, Luke Cage managed to defeat the four beast soldiers sent to capture him. Luke's abilities, which seemed tailored for taking hits, allowed him to resist their attacks. His dense muscles and bones protected him from cold weapons, bullets, and blunt force, while his enhanced stamina allowed him to endure the prolonged assault.
Just as Luke Cage was about to make his escape, a chilling sensation ran through his body. He froze in place, his instincts screaming that something far worse was about to happen. A figure emerged from the shadows, a man in a black leather jacket with a deadly glint in his eye. It was Bronsky, Zod's ruthless enforcer.
Bronsky was furious that his men had failed to capture Luke Cage. He saw their defeat as an embarrassment in front of Zod. He had trained them extensively, and now their failure made him look incompetent. "They'll all be practicing harder after this," Bronsky thought grimly.
Without wasting any time, Bronsky attacked Luke Cage. The fight was swift and brutal. Despite Luke's best efforts, Bronsky, having honed his combat skills in deadly encounters, quickly overpowered him. Within minutes, Luke Cage lay defeated on the ground. For Bronsky, it was little more than a warm-up. He casually dragged Luke's unconscious body and had him transported to Zod's laboratory for further processing.
Once in the lab, Zod used his psychic abilities to implant a mental suggestion into Luke Cage's mind. Zod wanted to mold Cage into a loyal servant, and through mental manipulation, he implanted false memories, making Luke believe he was a second-generation member of the World Snake organization. His transformation would now begin.
Zod opted not to use the Red Hulk or Abomination serum on Luke Cage. Those serums were reserved for his high-ranking lieutenants, like Bucky and the future Crossbones, Brock Rumlow. For Luke, Zod had other plans. With his mastery over electromagnetic forces, Zod began altering Luke Cage's genetic structure, infusing him with new mutant abilities.
Luke Cage, now deep in a chemically induced sleep, underwent a significant transformation. Zod implanted mutant genes into his body, carefully manipulating his DNA to ensure there was no cellular rejection. Zod's control over electromagnetic forces allowed him to perform these alterations with precision.
When Luke Cage woke up, he believed, under Zod's influence, that he had been granted a great honor by becoming a warrior for the World Snake. His false memories made him think his parents had been members of the organization and that Zod had chosen him for this transformation.
"BOSS," Luke Cage said with excitement, ready to serve his new master.
"Your transformation is complete," Zod replied, satisfied with his work. "I've given you some interesting enhancements."
Luke Cage's new abilities included a healing factor similar to that of Wolverine and Sabretooth, although it wasn't as advanced as theirs. While he couldn't be immortal, his body could regenerate limbs and even grow back a severed head before dying a natural death. Zod also granted Luke a newly acquired mutant ability: by touching any solid substance, Cage could transform his body into that material. To ensure Luke's maximum durability, Zod had prepared a vibranium ring for him, allowing him to shift into vibranium at will, making him nearly indestructible.
However, Luke could only transform into solid materials and couldn't assume an energy state like some mutants, such as the Human Torch or Electro. Nonetheless, with his new abilities, Luke Cage had become an even more formidable force, one that Zod would soon unleash upon the world.