On paper, ‘Cloak and Dagger’ looks like it would be a straightforward adaptation from the comic though times have changed since the initial run and the show is changing with them. Things which casual readers may not have thought about through the initial runs are hot topics these days and are a focus of what will be different in the series.
Showrunner Joe Pokaski shared that some of these changes were the ‘Boob window” in Dagger’s outfit which is “sexist” and much of the earlier dialogue which is “racist” had to be changed around. Outside of that, Pokaski didn’t even want these two future heroes to have superhero costumes at the outset of the series. He even played with the costume idea a bit and the series will have moments where it seems that the heroes will put on their comic book outfits but then the production will “pull the rug from under you and change it up.” As he puts it, this first season is his own “inner monologue of how I feel about costumes.”
The main idea for the first season is to focus on the characters as humans and not heroes:
“This is a true Yin and Yang partnership. It’s not Batman and Robin where there’s a sidekick; it’s these two that not only kind of keep each other in check, but they need each other. The relationship was the most important.”
In other words, this first season will be a focus on the characters and how they interact with one another. Other changes were also mentioned by Pokaski:
“In the old comic Tyrone is fear, and Tandy is hope. We mix that up and made it about Tandy living on a spectrum between cynicism and hope and trying to push herself towards hope. Tyrone lives on a spectrum between fear and bravery and tries to push himself to be brave.”
It’ll be interesting to see if the show can appeal to both the classic fans of the comic as well as the younger audience that it plans to target. It will be a tight balancing act to keep both camps happy, and I’m not sure if they’ll be able to or even want to.
Are you looking forward to ‘Cloak and Dagger’ when it debuts on June 7th, 2018? Do you feel that they’ll be able to do the comics justice and bring in a new audience for the series? Share your thoughts below, True Believers!
Source: Den Of Geek
