In other words, it is less imaginative, less daring, and ensures that the viewer isn't challenged. Lovely.

Oh hell no, everything on Netflix is miles ahead of anything on the CW, LOL. I was just pointing that Oliver Queen and John Diggle are a martial artist and ex-solider teaming up to fight crime. With the change in Luke's backstory, Heroes for Hire are a martial artist and an ex-soldier teaming up to fight crime and they have superpowers. There's no doubt that Marvel and Netflix would do it miles ahead of the CW.

Don't ever compare Luke Cage to terrible Arrow.

Yeah that's what I took from it as well, I think they felt that having as a low level street thug would be just a bit on the noise given the current political climate. So they came up with the former cop/marine backstory to make the character more PC and more sympathetic for all audiences. But they didn't completely do away with this criminal backstory either, he did join The Marines as a way to be kept out of Juvenal Hall. Also it does give him his own unique skill set when we enter into The Defenders, esp. if there going against Evil Ninjas or super soldiers being created by IGN. I think the major issue for me is when we enter into Heroes for Hire, Luke has kinda lost his uniqueness, now him and Danny Rand are Oliver Queen and John Diggle from Arrow, just with superpowers.

It makes Luke a more righteous individual and easier to sympathize with.

I agree.
They really dumbed down his comic arc from a low-level thug to leader of the Avengers.
Same deal with Hawkeye and Black Widow.
I think Disney / Marvel has a problem with villains, period.

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To give the viewer insight into his code of honor, and why he handles things the way he does. part of his character development.