Launching on Freeform on June 7, Cloak & Dagger stars Olivia Holt and Aubrey Joseph as the titular teen superheroes. A young-adult drama set in post-Katrina New Orleans, Cloak & Dagger will be set in “the world outside your window,” blending superhero action with real-world issues in the traditional Marvel fashion.
- Release Date: June 7, 2018
- Confirmed Cast: Olivia Holt, Aubrey Joseph
- Showrunner: Joe Pokaski
- Writers: Joe Pokaski
The Stars of Cloak & Dagger
The stars of Cloak & Dagger are Olivia Holt and Aubrey Joseph. Holt is an American actress most known for her work with Disney Channel and Disney XD, known for the series Kickin’ It and I Didn’t Do It. Joseph, meanwhile, is a Broadway star who got his start in The Lion King. The two play teenagers who are bound together, each developing superhuman powers. Tyrone, a.k.a. Cloak, gains powers derived from the Darkforce Dimension, becoming a being of shadow who can teleport at will. The athletic Tandy, better known as Dagger, develops the ability to generate powerful light-knives. The series promises to explore the strange, mystical link between the two. First reactions to Cloak & Dagger have universally praised Holt and Joseph for the sheer quality of their character dynamic.
Read More: Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger: The Characters & Their Superpowers Explained
The Secondary Cast of Cloak & Dagger
The series will explore Cloak and Dagger’s family backgrounds, with Andrea Roth (Rescue Me) as Tandy’s mother, Melissa. Gloria Reuben (Mr. Robot) and Miles Mussenden (Queen Sugar) play Tyrone’s parents, while Carl Lundstedt (Conviction) is Tandy’s boyfriend. Additional characters include Jaime Zevallos’s Father Delgado, a school counselor and priest, and Emma Lahana’s Detective Brigid O’Reilly. Both these characters are lifted straight from the comics. J.D. Evermore plays Detective Connors, described as “a contradiction of a man, embracing an intimidating persona that overcompensates for a secret he keeps close to the vest.“
The Story of Cloak & Dagger
Like all the best Marvel shows, Cloak & Dagger is set in “the world outside your window.” As Jeph Loeb explained at the Cloak & Dagger press junket, “We’ve always felt at Marvel that the best stories we do are the ones that take the things going on out there, put them through the Marvel prism, and then have them come out as some people might see as a superhero genre show.” The series is centered on the relationship between the titular heroes, and is set in a post-Katrina New Orleans. The nature of Cloak and Dagger’s powers, their MCU origin, and the show’s overall arc has barely been hinted at to date.
Critical Reception for Cloak & Dagger
The first episode of Cloak & Dagger premiered at SXSW 2018, to universal acclaim. The consensus was that the premiere was a promising start to the series, largely carried by the strength of its stars. In our review, we suggested that the first episode doe have a few flaws, specifically that it takes too much time exploring details from the past, rather than establishing the current narrative. As we explained, “Instead of using what the viewer doesn’t know as a method of building intrigue, Cloak & Dagger essentially puts the story on hold to provide information that should have been a part of the larger narrative.“
More: Cloak & Dagger Review: Another Superhero Series In No Hurry To Get Where It’s Going
What We Learned at the Cloak and Dagger Press Junket
Screen Rant attended the press junket for Cloak & Dagger, and had the opportunity to interview series stars Aubrey Joseph and Olivia Holt, who discussed the grounded nature of the show and its willingness to explore contemporary issues. “I feel like it’s very rare that you see on television a show tackling such heavy topics,” Holt explained. “The fact that we’re doing that in such an effortless way, in an organic way, also in an honest raw way is so important for us.” We also attended a Q&A with Marvel’s Jeph Loeb, who spoke about the importance of focusing in on the character dynamics and relationships.
The Trailers for Cloak & Dagger
It’s clear the dynamic between the characters Cloak and Dagger is subtly different to the one in the comics. The final trailer teases a mystical, almost religious, element to their relationship; and the ominous warning that one of them is destined to die. The final trailer also suggests the minds behind the show are incorporating overtly Christian imagery into the mix to better reflect how its protagonists can manifest (literal) light and darkness.
In addition to the official trailers, Freeform released a “sneak peak” showing what appears to be the first encounter between Tandy and Tyrone. The moment they touch hands, their powers flare out of control – to stunning effect.
The Posters for Cloak & Dagger
Cloak & Dagger’s MCU Franchise Connections
“It’s all connected.” Those three words mean a lot to Marvel fans, sitting at the core of the shared universe that is the MCU. Some Marvel TV shows, though, feel more than a little disconnected. Runaways season 1, for example, only contained the most subtle nods to the movies or the other TV series.
Cloak & Dagger will be different. Joe Pokaski proudly stated that “there are at least a dozen Easter eggs in the first season that Marvel approved, and a few more that I snuck in there.” One of the most obvious is Roxxon, a company that was explicitly teased in the trailer; the Roxxon logo is even displayed on one of the series posters. Roxxon was referenced in the first two Iron Man movies; Agent Carter season 1 featured Roxxon businessmen as the villains of the series, responsible for conducting illegal experiments. “We’re excited to have Roxxon Gulf, our Louisiana version of Roxxon, represented,” Pokaski added.
Read More: Cloak & Dagger Premiere Director Hints At MCU Connection
The Writer and Showrunner of Cloak & Dagger
Writer / showrunner Joe Pokaski is no stranger to superhero TV shows. He served as writer and Executive Story Editor on NBC’s Heroes from 2006 through to 2009, and more recently was an executive producer for the popular Marvel Netflix series Daredevil. Pokaski’s other TV credits include CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Underground. Given his demonstrated skill with the superhero genre, tapping him for showrunner was clearly a smart move on Marvel’s part.
More News on Cloak & Dagger
- Cloak & Dagger Showrunner Reveals Where to Find Stan Lee Cameo
- Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger Showrunner Wants a Runaways TV Crossover
- Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger Director Praises Cast & Show’s Diversity
- How Teen Superheroes Can Evolve the Marvel Cinematic Universe
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