Last April, Freeform gave Marvel‘s Cloak and Dagger a straight-to-series order, but that doesn’t mean that we’ll be seeing it anytime soon. While Cloak and Dagger now has a showrunner, it’s been pushed back to 2018.
The Hollywood Reporter broke the news, which included the announcement that Joe Pokaski will be the showrunner, and that the delay was meant in part to allow him to work on the show’s scripts and get it right. Considering that Pokaski wrote for Netflix’s Daredevil series, Heroes, and even the Ultimate X-Men comic for Marvel, we’re hopeful that he can bring Bill Mantlo and Ed Hannigan’s crime-fighting duo to television while keeping the spirit of their comic book counterparts.
For anyone who didn’t read about Cloak and Dagger in the comics, here are a few things you should know: Their real names are Tyrone Johnson and Tandy Bowen, and they were teenage runaways who befriended each other before they were kidnapped and subjected to an experimental drug. While the drug killed most of its victims, Tyrone became connected to the Dark Dimension within his cloak, while Tandy found herself empowered with light; which balanced out Tyrone’s abilities and allowed him to control the raging hunger of the darkness. As Cloak and Dagger, they declared a two-person war on crime. Marvel eventually established that Cloak and Dagger were actually mutants, but that was retconned away a few years ago.
Now that Cloak and Dagger are finally getting their own corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we have a few suggestions about which characters and plot lines should be a part of that series. Cloak and Dagger actually have a pretty deep mythology, but you have to go back to the ’80s for most it.
Mister Jip
Mister Jip was Cloak and Dagger’s personal nemesis for several years, and we think he’d be an essential part of the TV series…even if he isn’t immediately introduced in it. As a bonus, this grotesque sorcerer even has a natural link to the MCU and Doctor Strange because he was a former pupil of the Ancient One. Jip’s body was transformed because he used dark magic to extend his life for centuries, and he even tried to steal Cloak’s body for himself. Even when Jip wasn’t directly attacking Cloak and Dagger, he empowered his minions to go after them as well. We think that he’d be a great foil for the duo on this show.
Mayhem
Imagine if Misty Knight had suddenly died and returned from the dead as a supernatural creature on the Luke Cage series. That’s pretty much what happened to Detective Brigid O’Rielly in the Cloak and Dagger comics. O’Rielly was an occasional ally to Cloak and Dagger when she was human. But when she was killed by corrupt cops, O’Rielly was resurrected as Mayhem, a supernaturally empowered vigilante who was more of a frenemy to C&D. Mayhem could create a gas that paralyzed its victims and forced them to tell her the truth. She also had some dealings with Jip that left at odds with her former allies and friends.
Bill Clayton
Bill Clayton was a minor character in the comics who only stuck around for a few issues. But on TV, he could play a pivotal role as a true rival to Cloak for Dagger’s heart. Within the Marvel Universe, Bill was a fellow stowaway who befriended Cloak and Dagger and joined them on a few adventures before trying to get Dagger to leave her partner behind and revealing a few ulterior motives for his actions. We’re assuming that the television incarnation of Bill would be a much younger man. Bill could also challenge the relationship of the title characters while still providing aid to them. That seems like an excellent way to increase the conflict on the show.
Predator
Cloak’s biggest problem isn’t a romantic rival or the endless drug dealers of the MCU. It’s the insatiable hunger to feed the darkness within. And that darkness has a name: Predator. Cloak’s powers lead to the Dark Dimension, where this Predator resides. At times, Predator even seemed to be able to influence Cloak’s actions and drive him mad from hunger. As the one foe that Cloak can never really escape, Predator could be a part of this show from the beginning to its eventual ending at some point in the future.
Blind Dagger
In the late ’80s and early ’90s, the big shakeup for Cloak and Dagger came when Tandy was accidentally blinded. The comic got a lot of drama out of Tandy’s attempts to accept her blindness and move past it. She even resumed her crusade as Dagger while being unable to see. This is one of those ideas that may not be right for the first season of the series, but it’s definitely something that could be explored in later seasons as a way to further develop Dagger as a heroine who can stand alone even without Cloak.
Ecstasy
Speaking of being without Cloak, it turns out that the Dark Dimension found a new host when Tyrone was believed to be dead. AÂ French drug distributor, Renee Deladier a.k.a. Ecstasy, assumed control over all of Tyrone’s powers and she became the new Cloak. But Ecstasy happily used those abilities for evil and tormented Dagger, who still couldn’t see at the time. Even after the real Cloak’s return, Ecstasy still had an affinity for the darkness and regained a measure of the power that she lost. As a recurring adversary, she’d be terrific.
Power Swap
This is a more recent development for Cloak and Dagger, but we love it! Basically, Cloak and Dagger switched powers; which left Tyrone in control of the light and Tandy with the powers of darkness. Around the same time, they also started dealing with the romantic feelings that they had for each other as well. This may be an idea better suited for the later seasons of the show, but it’s simply too good of an idea to pass up!
What do you want to see in the Cloak and Dagger TV series? Let us know in the comment section below!
Images: Marvel Comics
