In episode 3 of the second season of Luke Cage, "Wig Out," one of the last scenes shows the seed of domestic violence in Luke and Claire's relationship, giving the right measure of relevance to actions that society has normalized and we consider to be "men's" actions. However, this series shows us the gravity and consequences of this type of actions.
At the end of the previous episode, Luke loses control and almost kills an aggressor who was beating his wife and son. Luke sought information from this man, nicknamed "Cockroach," and for that reason followed him home and learned of the abuse of his wife and son. Later, a neighbor calls him and warns him that "Cockroach" attacked his family, so our protagonist goes to the rescue (as the good hero he is) but the situation gets out of hand and he falls prey to his anger.
The anger retained in the Harlem hero is the product of a series of things: his relationship with his father, who is looking to have contact with him again; the drug called "Luke Cage" that affects many families in Harlem and the impossibility of stopping this smuggling, because as he himself says, it is "punching the water." When he gets rid of one group, another appears to distribute the drug. He is also affected by the responsibility he feels as hero of the neighbourhood and as a man.
It is at this point that Claire realizes that something is wrong with her boyfriend. She understands the emotions that overwhelm him and that his anger is held back; she also understands that he is feeding that anger by not channeling it and solving the root of the problem (talking to his father, repairing the relationship with him). When Luke savagely hits "Cockroach," she knows he's coming to a point of no return. As always, she seeks to help him and tells him what she thinks. In the face of this, Luke shows annoyance and feels that his masculinity is threatened.
In this argument, Luke says that there's nothing wrong with being a "rough hero" and it's good for him because he's feared. Claire makes it clear that Luke is becoming a brutal man and, what's worse, he enjoys being one. He reacts defensively by asking her why she questions his manhood, to which Claire replies: "If beating your chest through the town is what you need to call yourself a 'hero', then I question your understanding of the word."
Luke tries to deflect the issue by talking about racism, and how people have always been afraid of him for being a black man, implying that Claire has never had to suffer this. She replies that he is Afro-Cuban and knows very well how racism can affect people and how they are seen, even how it influences their perception of themselves. However, this cannot be used as an excuse as people "rise over labels." Luke says that a black person only has 2 choices, either to be feared or to be kind and to show a smile all the time; Claire replies that this is like saying that a woman can only be a prostitute or a housewife: "It's not that simple."
The discussion comes to a climax when Claire mentions that she went to visit Luke's father at the church where he works as a reverend, and that he is not the ogre Luke thinks he is. "God forgive that he's changed and you can no longer use him as an excuse to feed your anger," Claire says. It's at this point that Luke loses his temper again. "Enough!" and then he hits the wall several times, leaving a hole in it.
This moment is followed by a great silence. Claire's horrified expression and Luke's face of instant repentance say it all. We all know what that hole means: Luke hit the wall to not hit her. This is important and an unequivocal sign of violence. The series does not claim to justify Luke's actions as a man or to have superpowers, on the contrary: it shows us that, in performing this action, he crossed the line and marked the end of the relationship.
Claire breaks the silence with only one sentence: "I need the ocean." She must get away, be with her family, get out of what could become a cycle of violence. "That hole you made in my wall... that was my childhood. And I promised myself that I would never experience that again."
"You know I would never hurt you, right?" Luke answers. A very common statement of aggressors.
Again there is silence and she places a hand on his cheek. "You have to leave right now."
Claire is suffering. She loves him, and we know he loves her. We also know that Luke is a good man and despises gender violence; however, his temper has taken the best of him and has fallen into what he despises so much. His outburst of violence against Claire's wall marked a before and after in their relationship, and he knows that this is something that cannot be undone. Yes, Claire suffers, but she knows well that she can't let this slide or allow the relationship to continue at this point.
I confess that when I watched this scene, I cried. Like Claire, as a child I suffered domestic violence in my home, and I know exactly what that hole means and why it affected her so much. Claire's words echo what I've told boyfriends I've had. "I grew up in anger and violence; I will not allow this to happen again."
I am very grateful that this series has taken the trouble to exemplify what domestic violence is, not only in evidently abusive individuals like "Cockroach," but how it can manifest itself in a good man (even a hero) like Luke.
That hole in the wall is a hole in the face, heart and soul. It's a hole that can kill you.