Who Are Cloak And Dagger? Marvel’s New Live-Action Freeform Series Explained

Superhero fans have a big reason to celebrate as yet another TV show based on Marvel Comics characters has been green lit. In addition to the slew of other heroes coming to life in TV and movies will be the power duo Cloak and Dagger.

According to Variety, the Freeform network (formerly ABC Family) will produce a live-action drama that it describes as a “superhero love story” based on the characters Tyrone Johnson and Tandy Bowen. The show will follow in the footsteps of the CW, which has found success with its DC Comics adaptation series like “Arrow” and “The Flash” that are geared towards younger teen audiences. Although Freeform is the sister network of ABC, which already plays home to three Marvel shows based in its cinematic universe (“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “Agent Carter,” and “Marvel’s Most Wanted”), it’s unclear at this time if Marvel Studios plans to include “Cloak and Dagger” in its expanded world as well. However, if it doesn’t, it will mark the first live-action property to not be included in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Although the Cloak and Dagger characters aren’t as well-known as, say “Spider-Man” or “Captain America,” their story from the comics seems as though it will fit well on a teen-centric drama. In the comic books, according to Marvel, Tyrone, 17, runs away from his hometown of Boston after his debilitating stutter prevented him from warning an officer that his friend wasn’t a thief, resulting in a fatal shooting. Meanwhile, Tandy, 16, runs away from her vapid supermodel mother who never has time for her. Finding herself in New York around the time Tyrone arrives, the latter contemplates stealing her purse to pay his way. However, before he can do it, another thief beats him to the punch. He chases the thief down and returns Tandy’s purse, sparking a friendship between the two.

When they’re approached by a shady character who offers them a place to stay, they find themselves trapped by a villainous scientist who is using the homeless to test a synthetic form of heroine. Every one of his subjects had previously died, but the two manage to survive and become imbibed with dormant mutant powers following their respective injections.

Cloak gains the ability to access a darkness dimension, where he can send his enemies by wrapping them up in the cloak he wears to hide his shadowy figure. He’s very powerful, but the price is an insatiable hunger that threatens to consume him if he doesn’t envelop enough victims. To stop him from becoming an all-out villain, he turns to his new friend, Dagger. Her powers allow her to shoot brilliant white light in the form of daggers. Often, she fires them at Cloak as the light helps stave off his dark hunger. It’s also beneficial to her, as she’s in constant danger of being overloaded by her powers. Together, they make a vow to use their abilities to end the illegal drug trade and look out for homeless teens.

Although they’re not the most popular names in the Marvel canon, they’ve had a lot of impressive encounters with heroes that have already been established in the MCU such as Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, The Punisher, Daredevil and The New Warriors. They’re also heavily rooted in the mythology of the X-Men, but they likely won’t be considered mutants in the upcoming show as 20th Century Fox still owns the rights to all things having to do with mutants.

Will you be tuning into “Cloak and Dagger” when it hits Freeform? Comment below or tweet your thoughts on the matter to @TylerMcCarthy.