Arrowed: Cloak & Dagger

The feature inspired by great cosplay and fan art where I imagine various DC MARVEL! properties taken to the small screen and wonder aloud just what their shows would be like. Today's pitch: Cloak & Dagger.
Cosplay by: M_  & Rose Eye Photo. Photo by: Squidminion (on Flickr)

I didn't know when I chose these guys to be "Arrowed" that an actual Cloak & Dagger show was in development, but it makes perfect sense. Great name for a TV show, for one thing (hopefully no one would confuse it with the Dabney Coleman spy comedy). The drug angle - that these were runaways who were injected with an experimental narcotic that awakened powers uniquely suited to fighting drug deals and dealing with addicts - is a unique focus for a superhero property, and easily portable to a television serial. And Tyrone and Tandy and a study in contrasts, rife for character development and chemistry - darkness and light, impoverished black youth and privileged white princess, bitterly haunted by tragedy and naive about the world.

Granted, they don't have much of a supporting cast, but they have each other. You could easily build their world with drug trade criminals at all levels (right up to mob boss Silvermane) and those they victimize. It would be very interesting if these visually polarized characters DIDN'T live in a black and white world, but in a gray one. I'm thinking The Wire with super-powered vigilantes. Certainly would fit the current Netflix model...

Happily, there doesn't seem to be a problem between Marvel Studios and Fox regarding these "mutants". It helps that mutantdom was foisted on them as a retcon, that they were never members of an X-team, and that their first appearance was in Spider-Man (though no claim from Sony either). Maybe just tweak their big X-clasps. Now, I'm not holding my breath because there's been talk of Marvel exploiting C&D since 2006, but if they do go ahead, I sure hope their creator Bill Mantlo gets a piece of the pie.

What would you do with a Cloak & Dagger series?

Comments

American Hawkman said…
I probably should mention that both of them were X-Men around Dark Reign, until they were finally, conclusively proven to not be mutants at all. The rights issue is kind of interesting... Marvel intentionally separated the rights from Spider-Man because they wanted to do a C&D show way back in the 80s. Hopefully, this time, it happens. (3rd Times a Charm!)
Siskoid said…
Everybody's been an X-Man or Avenger by now, right?
They were part of Captain America's Secret Avengers in Civil War, and the next Cap movie is "Civil War" so...huh? Huh???