Cloak and Dagger
Eric S Brown
Specatular Spider-man issue 84 featured the debut of Cloak and Dagger, two superpowered teenagers devoted to fighting a war against drug dealers and those who would prey upon the helpless. The characters proved to be fan favorites and in 2018, a live action series based on their comic book adventures premiered on Freeform. A second season followed in 2019 but a third was never produced due to a shift in control over all of Marvel’s live action properties.
Season 1 of Cloak and Dagger is very much a long origin story, delving deeply in the lives of Tandy Bowen (Dagger) and Tyrone Johnson (Cloak) years after the accident that gave them their powers. Though they meet as children, saving each other, in this live action series, the two would spend years apart before discovering each other and the almost supernatural connection they share. Season 1 can be at times difficult to slug through as there isn’t a lot of Marvel’s normal superhero action. The slow build up is worth it however as the final two episodes of Season 1 not only see the duo become the heroes they were meant to be but also save the world from an apoclyptic level threat.
Season 2 of the series has a much faster pace and really shows off the powers of its main characters as they fight crime and an evil enitiy known as D’spayre. This season is a huge improvement over the 1st but its finale doesn’t quite live up to the epic ending of Season 1.
The casting of Olivia Holt and Aubrey Joseph is perfect in that the pair not only look their parts but have a wonderful chemistry that helps bring Cloak and Dagger truly to life on the scene. The casting of Emma Lahana as the character Mayhem is also spot on.
Overall, Cloak and Dagger is certainly another win for Marvel that like Netflix’s Daredevil was canceled far too early. Any fan of the Cloak and Dagger comics will most likely greatly enjoy Freeform’s adaption of the characters.
