From the movies to television shows there is an extensive history of Marvel adapting their source material for new mediums and now we’re learning how ‘Cloak and Dagger’ will be changed from the comics. The news came from WonderCon in Anaheim, California where a panel for the show that included creator Joe Pokowski shed light on the subject.
The main changes were due to the fact that the comic dropped in the 1980s and producers felt the story wouldn’t translate in today’s social climate if told as is:
“Listen, I think the original stories were fantastic, but for the time while they were a little progressive; they were a little bit sexist and racist once you got into it. What we tried to do was deconstruct it and really make it about Tandy and Tyrone, understanding who they were. Jeph had the great idea of moving it down to New Orleans. I feel like New York is covered for superheroes. Hell’s Kitchen’s got like six of them. It’s like four blocks of a neighborhood. So I think moving it to New Orleans, but also taking some more time with the origin story and really investing in who this young woman is and who this young man is in today’s time, then bringing them together in a way that is rewarding.”
I could get behind the change in location. The big city feel would have just been happy if they moved the heroes to say, Chicago. Still, New Orleans could lead to some interesting stories as well with this pair of heroes.
While moving Tandy and Tyrone out of New York decreases the likelihood of crossovers, it does give them a more outsider’s look at heroes in general. Everyone in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Marvel TV has heard of The Avengers, but if you don’t live in New York, it likely feels like something you wouldn’t think about all the time.
As to how they’re adapting the personalities for the heroes:
“Here’s the biggest hint I can give you, and hopefully, I’m not giving anything away. When we talk about how sexist and racist the old versions were, it always drove me crazy, and it wasn’t really the original things, where people would be like, ‘Tyrone is about fear and Tandy is about hope.’ I never saw it that way. That felt very black and white in the wrong way. So the nature of their powers, from an emotional standpoint, is Tandy lives on the spectrum between cynicism and hope, and Tyrone lives on the spectrum between fear and bravery. So their first season stories are about Tandy trying to move from being a very cynical human being towards the light, and Tyrone trying to move from the fear that can cripple you to becoming a hero.”
While changes from the course material go against purists, we’ve seen the MCU take concepts and modernize them throughout their properties, and mostly they’ve been successful. I believe anyone who is a fan of Marvel will give just about any show or film a chance at this point.
Are you looking forward to checking out ‘Cloak and Dagger’? What do you think about the changes from the comics? Share your thoughts below, True Believers!
Source: Cinema Blend
