Marvel is working on getting in on that sweet, sweet teen market that DC has a firm grasp on with their shows on the CW. Their first attempt with Runaways was successful but it was only available on Hulu. For their next venture, Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger, they will be heading to TV, on the teen-geared channel Freeform.
The show follows Tyrone Johnson (Cloak) and Tandy Bowen (Dagger), two heroes whose powers are somewhat dependent on each other. In the comics, Tyrone was the runway pickpocket while Tandy came from privilege. However, in this new iteration Tandy is the thief living on the streets and Tyrone is the privileged high school jock. There’s not much else on the plot, other than they do eventually fall in love and work together to get the most out of their powers.
And and Tyrone appear to have shared an experience together, after some sort of accident that left them with a powerful connection. Their powers are also slightly different from the comics; while Tandy still emits light daggers, Tyrone’s powers are currently described as engulfing people in darkness.
Former Disney channel actress Olivia Holt plays Tandy, and relative newcomer Aubrey Johnson plays Tyrone. The show runner is Joe Pokaski, who wrote several episodes of NBC’s Heroes and two episodes of Netflix’s Daredevil. Sufficed to say, he seems to know his way around shows featuring super powers.
It will be interesting to see what issues they bring up in the show, given the two leads’ social and economic situations, and how their powers will develop together. I’m hoping for some really thoughtful commentary blended into this show, which knowing Freeform, is likely going to be the deal.
Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger premieres on Freefom on June 7, 2018.
If you don’t want to wait that long, you can watch the sneak peek of the show below:
