Superhero series are the modern equivalent of 1980s sitcoms; they’re incredibly marketable, and every network wants a piece of the pie. Between ABC, The CW, CBS, Fox, Netflix and more, there’s certainly no dearth of high quality superhero programming to choose from. That doesn’t mean we don’t want more. In its efforts to generate edgier content, Freeform has just greenlighted Cloak and Dagger – one of the most progressive and innovative sounding Marvel series to date.
Freeform (formerly known as ABC Family) has greenlighted a new Marvel series based upon comic book heroes Cloak and Dagger. Aptly titled Cloak and Dagger, the series will center upon the interracial superhero couple. Cloak, a black male hero named Tyrone Johnson, has the ability to envelope his enemies in darkness, while Dagger, a white female hero named Tandy Bowen, can emit hard-light daggers as weapons. The series will primarily center upon the love story between Cloak and Dagger, according to Variety. As the narrative progresses, the show’s titular teenage heroes will come to the realization that – despite their stark differences from one another – they work well together as a cohesive unit.
While not the most well-known heroes to mainstream audiences, Marvel has done wonders in regards to introducing and acclimating casual viewers to previously unheard of characters. If they can make us fall in love with Jessica Jones or the Guardians of the Galaxy crew, we think they can probably make Cloak and Dagger work.
As a series centering upon an interracial romance between two complementary superheroes, Cloak and Dagger seems to be aiming primarily for the young adult demographic (which makes since, as it will air on Freeform). Warner Bros. has seen similar success targeting this demographic with their DC programs on The CW, so Cloak and Dagger may represent Marvel’s earnest attempt to siphon off viewers from shows like The Flash, and Arrow.
For Cloak and Dagger to make their way to Freeform makes a degree of sense of Marvel Studios, as well. Between Agent Carter and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, as well as the burgeoning Defenders universe on Netflix, Disney has shown a willingness to share the love between multiple platforms for content. Following ABC Family’s recent rebranding efforts, along with purging some of its less trendy content (such as Switched at Birth) it seems like Cloak and Dagger is the perfect opportunity to create an influx of edgy content for the Freeform network.
We will bring you more information related to the upcoming Cloak and Dagger series as it becomes available to us. The show remains in the early stages of development, but sounds like it holds a great deal of promise. Stay tuned for more details and check out what else the networks have coming up, here.
