Shades (comics)

Publication history

Shades first appeared in Luke Cage: Hero for Hire #1 and was created by Archie Goodwin and George Tuska.

The character is portrayed by Theo Rossi in Netflix's Luke Cage, which is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Fictional character biography

The unnamed person who grew up to become Shades was raised in Harlem. During his youth, Shades was involved with a woman named Reina Alvarez, with whom he had a son named Victor Alvarez.

Shades was recruited into a gang called the Rivals which also consisted of Carl Lucas, Willis Stryker, and Comanche. As a member of the Rivals, Shades engaged in a fight with a rival gang called the Diablos and many other gangs while also committing petty crimes and working for crime lord Sonny Caputo. Shades and Comanche were later arrested by the police and sentenced to Seagate Prison where they were tortured by the ruthless prison guard Albert "Billy Bob" Rackham.

After suffering years of torture and abuse from racist prison guard Albert Rackham, Shades and Comanche escaped from Seagate Prison sometime after Albert Rackham was fired. Shades and Comanche decided that it was the opportunity to get revenge on their former tormentor. Shades and Comanche tried to get Luke Cage to help them in their plot only to learn that he has gone straight.

Shades and Comanche returned and became hoodlums-for-hire, often clashing with Luke Cage and his new partner Iron Fist. Even though they had a past association with Luke Cage, Shades and Comanche indicated that they would kill him if they are ordered to.

Sometime later, Shades and Comanche were hired by Ward Meachum where he gave Shades a visor that shoots energy blasts and gave Comanche some Trick Arrows. The two of them knocked out Ward Meachum where they have the bystanders tell Luke Cage that they have a score to settle when Ward Meachum regains consciousness. Luke Cage and Iron Fist tracked Shades and Comanche to the George Washington Bridge where they learned about their employer. Luke Cage and Iron Fist managed to defeat the two of them as the police arrive. When the police fail to remove Shades' visor, he used one more blast to knock Luke Cage and Iron Fist off the George Washington Bridge. Shades and Comanche were later sprung from prison. The two of them tried to hold off Luke Cage when he attacked the Meachum building only to be defeated when Luke Cage knocked a pillar on them.

Shades was among the several gunmen that were employed by Viktor Smerdilovisc. He and the others came in conflict with the Marvel Knights. Shades was taken down by Cloak and Dagger.

During the 2010 "Shadowland" storyline, Shades appears to have gone straight as he and Comanche have gone their separate ways. When in Hell's Kitchen, Shades became a community organizer. He worked with his son Victor where their relationship was strained upon Shades cheating on Reina. Upon Reina moving in with his brother Ignacio with Victor in his company, Shades remained in contact with them the best he could. When Bullseye had blown up a building during his fight with Daredevil on Norman Osborn's orders (as seen during the Dark Reign storyline), Shades was killed in the explosion while Victor survived upon absorbing the fragments of his father's visor. Upon Victor seeing the chi ghosts of the 107 victims of the explosion, Shades' chi ghost told him to open up and absorb more chi in the area which would give Victor enough power to fight back.

Powers and abilities

Shades is an expert at hand-to-hand combat.

Shades wears a visor that can shoot powerful blasts.

In other media

Hernan "Shades" Alvarez is a series regular in Luke Cage, where he is portrayed by Theo Rossi. His nickname comes from his signature pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses. He was an inmate at Seagate Prison, where he and Comanche were enforcers to corrupt warden Albert Rackham. After getting out, Shades became right-hand to Willis "Diamondback" Stryker, who later sent him to help out Cottonmouth and Mariah Dillard.