Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger TV Series Moves to 2018, Sets Its Showrunner



Marvel may have launched their cinematic universe in 2008 with Iron Man, but it was not until 2013 that MCU related properties started to appear outside of theaters. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was an experiment to see what interest there was in this universe outside of the main heroes, and has since helped bring forth even more shows. Agent Carter was only granted two seasons on ABC, while the network continues to generate other possible Marvel-related titles. Meanwhile, Netflix has thrived with their Marvel series and is expanding with three new shows next year.

There are plenty of other titles in development, such as Runaways on Hulu or a New Warriors property starring Squirrel Girl, but one of the longest rumored properties to join the MCU has been Cloak & Dagger. The lovestruck super duo was first rumored to get a show all the way back in 2011, but those hoping for the series finally got good news when the series was put to order on Freeform (an ABC affiliate network). Unfortunately, Cloak and Dagger are not going to be making their debut as soon as originally expected.

THR did a widespread story regarding the struggles that Freeform has had since the rebranding from ABC Family, which has affected Cloak & Dagger as well. The series was initially scheduled to debut sometime in 2017, but THR is now reporting that the duo will have to wait until the winter of 2018 to see the screen. On the positive side however, Joe Pokaski has been named the showrunner for the series and is currently rewriting the script. Pokaski’s most recent credit is being an executive producer on Underground, but he is already familiar with the Marvel family after being a co-executive producer on Daredevil.


It is hardly ever good news to hear that a project is being pushed back, but it appears that this is not a result of the quality of Cloak & Dagger itself, and more a reflection on Freeform trying to find the best way to tell this story to give them a boost in viewership. Attaching the Marvel brand will certainly bring new eyes to the network, which will soon be losing its most popular series in Pretty Little Liars. Even though Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. does not get the best ratings, it does pull in a solid number of viewers – especially from non-live viewings – and it is easy to think that Cloak & Dagger could provide a boost to Freeform.

For now, those looking forward to Cloak & Dagger will have to wait a little while longer. Pokaski will continue to work on the script before they look to cast the two, presumably young, leads. If it does eventually see the light of day, it will be interesting to see how the series starts within the MCU. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was quick to make a reference to the MCU whenever it could back when it began, but the Netflix shows have steered away from obvious references for the most part.

With Freeform potentially looking to Cloak & Dagger to be their next big series, it could take a similar approach to S.H.I.E.L.D. What could be especially interesting is the crossover potential between these two series. Since both are ABC channels, it could be more plausible with scheduling and contracts to have someone like Coulson or Daisy appear in the premiere to help guide the new heroes, or possibly even appear in more than one episode. We will have to wait and see if that is possible as the network continues to rework the show after giving itself more time to do so.

Cloak & Dagger will premiere in the winter of 2018.