Who The Hell Are Cloak And Dagger Anyway?

Last week, Marvel Television announced the actors chosen to star in the upcoming Cloak and Dagger television series coming to Freeform.

Created by Bill Mantlo and Ed Hannigan, Cloak and Dagger have been a fixture of the Marvel Comics Universe since they first appeared in 1982 in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #64.

However, Cloak and Dagger aren’t the best-known characters Marvel has ever published. They’ve had their own series at times, but are usually seen as guest stars or supporting characters in other books or stories.

That’s why ComicBook.com is here to help. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about Cloak and Dagger.

Origin

Tyrone Johnson, Cloak, was a 17-year-old boy from Boston with a stutter. Ty’s speech impediment prevented him from being able to stop his friend from being shot and killed by a police officer who mistakenly thought the boy had committed a robbery. After the incident, Ty ran away from home and wound up in New York City.

It was in New York that Ty met Tandy Bowen. Tandy had a lived a privileged life in Ohio, but ran away to New York because she felt neglected by her supermodel mother.

After becoming friends, Tandy and Ty were kidnapped and delivered to the Maggia, an organized crime family, as lab rats to test synthetic heroin on.

Somehow, Tandy and Ty survived the testing and were given superpowers. These powers may or may not be present because they are both mutants – the exact explanation has changed back and forth over the years.

Dagger’s Powers

Tandy Bowen became Dagger. Dagger is able to generate what is called “living light,” I can of life force, far in excess of what a normal human produces. Since her powers are tied to her own life force, she restrained herself or risks pushing herself to a fatal extreme.

Dagger’s primary offensive use of her powers is the manifestation of “light daggers.” The light daggers are approximately 6-inches in length, and Dagger can easily throw them from her fingertips. They only effective living creatures, and seem to lose potency the further away from Dagger that they travel. Dagger is able to alter her light daggers’ course to some extent, even giving them a limited tracking ability, particularly when seeking out Cloak. Being hit with a dagger disrupts the target’s life force and can make them see visions of alternate versions of their life.

Dagger can also perform “living light detoxification.” The ability purges toxins, drugs, and other substances from a person’s system, and can even cure drug addiction.

Dagger can also manipulate her living light for other purposes, such as illuminated dark areas.

Cloak’s Powers

Tyrone Johnson became Cloak, a conduit for an energy called Darkforce. Cloak’s very body is a portal to the Darkforce Dimension. The Darkforce Dimensions is ruled by a being called the Predator. The Predator’s hunger afflicts Cloak, cursing him with the need to consume the life forces of other beings. Dagger is able to satiate Cloak’s hunger with her living light.

Cloak is able to channel the Darkforce throughout an area, usually using his cloak as the focal point. The Darkforce envelops the area in darkness and those caught within feel a deep cold and a debilitating fear. Anyone left for too long in Cloak’s Darkforce could be driven insane or even die as the life force is drained. Dagger’s living light provides protection from these effects for herself and for others.

Cloak can also enter the Darkforce Dimension and use it as a mean of teleportation. Moving just a few steps in the Darkforce Dimension can allow Cloak and those who travel with him to travel miles. Usually, Dagger is the only passenger joining Cloak, but he has been capable of teleporting dozens at once when necessary.

Cloak is also naturally intangible. He can become solid through force of will or through absorbing light.

Allies &Enemies

Cloak and Dagger debuted by teaming up with Spider-Man to take on Silvermane, the Kingpin, and the Punisher. They’ve remained frequent allies of Spider-Man, playing roles in the “Maximum Carnage” event and “Spider-Island.

The Cloak and Dagger ongoing series mostly focused on Cloak and Dagger trying to fight the drug trade rather than supervillains. Eventually, they wound up becoming entangled with the New Mutants, beginning a longstanding relationship with the mutant community.

For a time, Dagger was a member of the New Warriors, which caused some tension between her and Cloak. At one point, Cloak went mad from his hunger for life force and Dagger joined the Marvel Knights to enlist their aid in stopping him.

Cloak and Dagger are close allies of the Runaways. Originally, Cloak and Dagger were manipulated by corrupt police into trying to track and apprehend the Runaways. Once things were cleared up, Cloak and Dagger acknowledged the Runaways as kindred spirits. Later, Cloak was framed for assaulting and hospitalizing Dagger and sought the aid of the Runaways to clear his name.

During Civil War, Cloak and Dagger both join Captain America’s Secret Avengers, with Cloak serving as their primary means of transportation.

During Dark Reign, Norman Osborn recruited Cloak and Dagger into his Dark X-Men team. When Emma Frost and Namor betrayed Osborn, Emma offered Cloak and Dagger the opportunity to join the X-Men on Utopia, which they accepted. Cloak and Dagger stayed with the X-Men on Utopia for a while but eventually returned to New York City.

Following the Secret Wars event, Cloak and Dagger were revealed to be under the thrall of the villain Mister Negative, who had inverted their powers – Cloak was now attached to life force, and Dagger to Darkforce. Once Spider-Man was able to defeat Mr. Negative, Cloak and Dagger were freed from his influence and restored to their previous state. Cloak and Dagger decided to stay in Hong Kong, where the battle took place, to guard it against any future attacks by Mr. Negative or other villains.