On June 7, 2018, the 2-hour premier of Marvels’ Cloak and Dagger aired on Freeform and it did not disappoint. However, it was not exactly the Cloak and Dagger of the 1982 Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spiderman comic book series although it did have a lot of the series characters in it.
Starring Aubrey Joseph as Tyrone Johnson (Cloak) and Olivia Holt as Tandy Bowen (Dagger), the story deviates from the comic books in several ways. In the comics, they both are homeless runaways living in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen. They are captured by a pharmaceutical chemist (re: mad scientist) and injected with a serum that gives them their powers. Tyrone is able to teleport and engulf others in “soul stealing” darkness and Tandy being able to emit light daggers and cure others of their addiction. Tyrone’s dark force torments him with a hunger that can only be satisfied by absorbing people into his dark force cloak or by the presence of Tandy who was also changed in that she has a constant build up of light force which she needs to release. In other words, they are yin and yang and need each other to survive.
The 10 episode TV series takes place in New Orleans. Tyrone comes from a middle class home (unlike the comics) and Tandy’s father worked for Roxxon (whose work with dark force material in Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D. and Agent Carter sets the stage for the events which gives Cloak and Dagger their powers). Tandy’s father was blamed for an explosion at a Roxxon off-shore rig that radiated dark force material into the water that Tandy and Tyrone (as kids) were trapped in. As a result of Roxxon 
blaming the rig explosion on her father, Tandy and her mother were left impoverished by the company’s lawsuits. Years later, Tandy is thief, living on the street to avoid her drug addicted mother and Tyrone attends a Catholic high school where he plays basketball. After meeting at a party where Tandy stole Tyrone’s wallet, they touch and their powers start to slowly manifest.
While this series was never going to be on ABC prime as a Marvel property, it would have done very well on Netflix along with Marvel’s The Defenders. That said, the writing and the acting is superb and there is real palpable chemistry between the two lead actors. This is a hero’s quest for both Tandy and Tyrone. Tyrone is seeking revenge for the murder of his brother by a crooked vice cop. Tandy has stolen and lied to those who care for her and critically assaulted one of her victims. Her redemption arc will be much longer and much more complicated, but the whole point of this story is that in the end we have two superheroes who the underworld will fear and for good reason.
Cloak and Dagger is worth investing in and I intend to stay invested. It is on Freeform, Thursday nights at 8 PM. It’s a series worth watching.
