Murder of Cottonmouth

The Murder of Cottonmouth was an unplanned attack by Mariah Dillard on Cottonmouth, which resulted in his death.
==Background==
As Luke Cage was single-handedly giving strong blows against their criminal empire, Cornell Stokes and Mariah Dillard met at Harlem's Paradise to discuss it. However, the angry conversation quickly took a turn when their troubled family history gets brought up, where Stokes snidely remarked that she wanted it all to happen.Luke Cage: 1.07: Manifest
==Murder==
Immediately angered by his remark, Mariah Dillard proceeded to angrily grab a glass bottle and slam Cottonmouth in the head with it, and then forcefully shove him out the window to the lower floor. As a weakened and shocked Stokes attempted to crawl to safety, Dillard began to yell repeatedly that she did not want it, as she took a microphone stand and continued beating him to death with it.
==Aftermath==
Shades arrived to the situation just as Dillard had finished beating him to death. He managed to convince her that she did it with good intentions, and proceeded to further beat up the body to put the blame on Luke Cage.
Hearing the news, Diamondback decided to return to Harlem to take over the criminal empire and finally murder Cage.
As Cage was sent on the run, eventually Candace Miller, who witnessed the event, confessed Dillard was the real killer which led to her eventual arrest. However, Dillard still managed to get herself out of prison when Shades' murder of Miller left the police unable to get sufficient evidence. Ultimately, Diamondback was blamed for the murder, partly because he too had attempted to pin his crimes on Cage.Luke Cage: 1.12: Soliloquy of ChaosLuke Cage: 1.13: You Know My Steez
==Behind the Scenes==
*Cottonmouth's death drew criticism from some viewers, who were disappointed by the character's exit halfway through the first season of Luke Cage. Showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker stated that Mahershala Ali only accepted the role under the condition that he would only be in half the seasonCheo Hodari Coker on Twitter - July 14, 2020 and that the character would be killed off.Cheo Hodari Coker on X - August 21, 2024 This was because Ali was transitioning from acting in television shows to acting exclusively in movies and therefore did not want to be contractually obligated to portray a non-lead character on a television show for multiple seasons.Cheo Hodari Coker on X - August 21, 2024
*Cheo Hodari Coker revealed that the inspiration to kill off Cottonmouth was derived from James Hudson/Guardian's death in Alpha Flight #12.Cheo Hodari Coker on Twitter - July 14, 2020Cheo Hodari Coker on X - August 21, 2024
==References==
Category:Events