| Marvel's young adult television series | |
|---|---|
 Cast members ofRunaways andCloak & Dagger promoting theircrossover episode | |
| Genre | Superhero |
| Based on | Characters published byMarvel Comics |
| Starring | See below |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 (across 2 series) |
| No. of episodes | 53 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Jeph Loeb |
| Running time | 42–54 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | |
| Release | November 21, 2017 (2017-11-21) – December 13, 2019 (2019-12-13) |
Marvel's young adult television series are two interconnected American television series in theyoung adult genre, based on characters that appear in publications byMarvel Comics. Produced byMarvel Television andABC Signature Studios, they are set in theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and acknowledge the continuity ofthe franchise's films andother television series.
Cable channelFreeform orderedCloak & Dagger, a youth-oriented superhero series starringOlivia Holt andAubrey Joseph, from Marvel Television in April 2016 following years of development. Later in 2016, the similarly younger-skewingRunaways was ordered from Marvel Television by the streaming serviceHulu. Both Freeform and Hulu are Disney owned, and share the two series through a marketing partnership. Despite initially stating that the two series would be kept separate, Marvel Television announced a crossover between the two in August 2019 with Holt and Joseph appearing in the third season ofRunaways. The studio first categorized the two series as an interconnected "YA" franchise at that time, with plans to continue having them crossover.
Runaways debuted in November 2017, withCloak & Dagger following in June 2018. Both received positive reviews. Freeform ordered another young adult series from Marvel,New Warriors, but the project did not move forward.Cloak & Dagger andRunaways were both cancelled by their respective networks before the end of November 2019, and development on any further young adult series was halted a month later when Marvel Television was folded intoMarvel Studios.
AtSan Diego Comic-Con 2011,Marvel Television headJeph Loeb announced that a series based on theMarvel Comics charactersCloak and Dagger was in development atABC Family.[1] In April 2016, when ABC Family had been renamed toFreeform, the series received a straight-to-series order fromABC Signature Studios and Marvel Television.[2] Freeform confirmed that the series would be set in theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and described it as a superhero love story, whichVariety called "a seamless fit for Freeform" given the network's target audience of "Becomers" (the 14–34 age demographic).[2][3]
In August 2016, Marvel Television announced thatHulu had ordered a new series based on the comics group theRunaways,[4][5] and the studio had also begun development on a half-hour comedy series based on theNew Warriors team, featuring the characterSquirrel Girl. The latter series was being offered to cable networks and streaming outlets.[6] Freeform orderedNew Warriors straight-to-series in April 2017. The network's EVP of programming Karey Burke explained that they were interested in a Squirrel Girl series before they orderedCloak & Dagger and before they knew that Marvel was developing the series. Burke felt Freeform was the best network forNew Warriors after the success ofCloak & Dagger with young adults, and she added that both Freeform and Marvel wanted to "find the right characters that felt like they would speak directly to Freeform's audience." Burke saidNew Warriors andCloak & Dagger would not be "particularly connected" given their different tones, but that a crossover between the two was possible.[7]
Loeb confirmed in July 2017 that these series would all take place in the MCU alongsideMarvel's other television series, as well asthe franchise's films fromMarvel Studios, but said there were no plans to haveCloak & Dagger crossover withNew Warriors, nor have either of those series crossover across networks with the similarly youth-orientedRunaways. Loeb explained that Marvel wanted the individual series to find their footing before crossing over with other elements of the MCU, and felt "things that are happening in L.A. [whereRunaways is set] are not exactly going to be affecting what's happening in New Orleans [whereCloak & Dagger is set.]"[8] ForRunaways, Loeb added that the characters would not be concerned with the actions of others in the universe, instead focusing on their own issues. This allowed showrunnersJosh Schwartz andStephanie Savage to deal with concepts such as superheroics and fantasy without explaining them to the audience, since they are already well established in the MCU, while still focusing on their own characters, which they described as "liberating".[9] Loeb continued that Marvel was excited to "explore the world of the hero and how it affects someone who is trying to figure out who they are as opposed to already knows who they are and now their whole life has to take a left. That's the journey we're going on" withCloak & Dagger,New Warriors, andRunaways.[8]
New Warriors was no longer set to air on Freeform in November 2017, after the network did not have room in its schedule for the series and gave the project back to Marvel.[10] Marvel was ultimately unable to find a new network for the series.[11]Cloak & Dagger showrunnerJoe Pokaski discussed a potential crossover between his series andRunaways in August 2018, saying "hopefully there's some karma we can fulfill there" since Cloak and Dagger appear in theRunaways comics.[12] As part of a marketing partnership between Hulu and Freeform,Runaways aired on Freeform following its Hulu release whileCloak & Dagger was made available on Hulu after its Freeform broadcast.[13][14] In August 2019, Marvel and Hulu announced that Cloak and Dagger would be appearing in an episode ofRunaways' third season, with Loeb describing this as "the adventure everyone has been waiting for and we've only hinted at."[14] Later that month, Loeb explained that Marvel categorizedRunaways andCloak & Dagger as its "YA", or "young adult", franchise. He said Marvel had wanted to cross the two series over since their first seasons, and this was possible now since Hulu becameDisney controlled in May 2019 (Disney already owned Freeform). Loeb added that Marvel Television's push into the young adult genre was in response to Marvel Studios' films doing the same withSpider-Man.[15]
Loeb hoped that the announced crossover episode would be "the first of many".[15] However,Cloak & Dagger andRunaways had both been cancelled by the end of November 2019.[16][17] The next month, Marvel Television was folded into Marvel Studios and stopped developing any new series.[18]
| Series | Season | Episodes | Originally released | Showrunner(s) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | Network | |||||
| Runaways | 1 | 10 | November 21, 2017 (2017-11-21) | January 9, 2018 (2018-01-09) | Hulu | Josh Schwartz andStephanie Savage[4] | |
| 2 | 13 | December 21, 2018 (2018-12-21) | |||||
| 3 | 10 | December 13, 2019 (2019-12-13) | |||||
| Cloak & Dagger | 1 | 10 | June 7, 2018 (2018-06-07) | August 2, 2018 (2018-08-02) | Freeform | Joe Pokaski[19] | |
| 2 | 10 | April 4, 2019 (2019-04-04) | May 30, 2019 (2019-05-30) | ||||
Whensix teenagers discover their parents are villains, collectively known as thePride, they reluctantly unite to go against them.[4] Later on the run from their parents, the teenagers live on their own and figure out how to stop the Pride, before learning there might be a mole hiding among them.[20]
Runaways, based on the team of the same name, received an order for a pilot and additional scripts from Hulu in August 2016. The pilot was written byJosh Schwartz andStephanie Savage, who also serve as executive producers and showrunners of the series.[4] In February 2017, Marvel announced the Runaways actors, withRhenzy Feliz asAlex Wilder,Lyrica Okano asNico Minoru,Virginia Gardner asKarolina Dean,Ariela Barer asGert Yorkes,Gregg Sulkin asChase Stein, andAllegra Acosta asMolly Hernandez.[21] Shortly after, they announced the Pride—the parents of the Runaways—actors, withRyan Sands asGeoffrey Wilder,Angel Parker as Catherine Wilder,Brittany Ishibashi asTina Minoru,James Yaegashi as Robert Minoru,Kevin Weisman as Dale Yorkes,Brigid Brannagh as Stacey Yorkes,Annie Wersching as Leslie Dean,Kip Pardue as Frank Dean,James Marsters as Victor Stein, andEver Carradine as Janet Stein.[22] Hulu officially ordered the series in May 2017,[5] then for a second season in January 2018,[23] and a third in March 2019;[24] this was announced as the final season on November 8, 2019.[17]Runaways was removed from Hulu and Disney+ globally on May 26, 2023, as part of Disney's cost-cutting measures.[25]
A different version of Tina Minoru previously appeared inDoctor Strange, in a minor role as a Master of the Mystic Arts portrayed byLinda Louise Duan.[26][27][28][29] The first season premiered on November 21, 2017.[30] The second season, which was released on December 21, 2018,[31] mentions Roxxon Oil andWakanda.[32][33] The third season, released on December 13, 2019,[34] seesOlivia Holt andAubrey Joseph reprise their roles asTandy Bowen / Dagger and Tyrone Johnson / Cloak from the seriesCloak & Dagger for acrossover episode,[14] and sees theDark Dimension featured, along with theDarkhold as it was portrayed onAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D..[35]
In New Orleans, Tandy Bowen and Tyrone Johnson, two teenagers from different backgrounds, acquire superpowers after a life-changing event that revolved around the collapse of an oil platform. As their relationship unfolds, they soon realize that their powers work better when they are together, but their feelings for each other make their already complicated world even more challenging.[36] Tandy and Tyrone later work to solve the abductions of women run byAndre Deschaine while dealing with Detective Brigid O'Reilly's vigilante half Mayhem.
In April 2016, the ABC-owned networkFreeform announced a straight-to-series order forMarvel's Cloak & Dagger, based on the characters of the same name,[36] calling it their "first venture into the Marvel Cinematic Universe", and describing the show as a "superhero love story".[3] In January 2017, Olivia Holt and Aubrey Joseph were cast as Tandy Bowen / Dagger and Tyrone Johnson / Cloak, respectively.[37]Joe Pokaski serves as showrunner for the series.[19] Filming for the series occurs in New Orleans.[38] A second season was ordered on July 20, 2018.[39] The series was canceled on October 24, 2019.[16]
Thefirst season, which premiered on June 7, 2018,[40] sees Roxxon Oil featured,[41] along with the Darkforce, which fuels Cloak's powers and was previously established inAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D. andAgent Carter,[42] and makes reference toTony Stark.[43] Thesecond season premiered on April 4, 2019.[44] Both seasons also make direct references to the setting and characters of the Netflix showsLuke Cage,Iron Fist, andDaredevil.[45][46][43][47]
This section includes characters who have appeared in the series as a member of the main cast.
| Series | Season | Timeslot (ET) | Episodes | First aired | Last aired | Avg. viewers (millions) | Avg. 18–49 rating | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Viewers (millions) | Date | Viewers (millions) | ||||||
| Cloak & Dagger | 1 | Thursday 8:00 pm | 10 | June 7, 2018 (2018-06-07) | 0.919[54] | August 2, 2018 (2018-08-02) | 0.423[55] | 0.572 | 0.20[56] |
| 2 | 10 | April 4, 2019 (2019-04-04) | 0.477[57] | May 30, 2019 (2019-05-30) | 0.346[58] | 0.355 | 0.12[59] | ||
| Title | Season | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runaways | 1 | 86% (84 reviews)[60] | 68 (22 reviews)[61] |
| 2 | 88% (24 reviews)[62] | — | |
| 3 | 83% (12 reviews)[63] | — | |
| Cloak & Dagger | 1 | 89% (54 reviews)[64] | 68 (15 reviews)[65] |
| 2 | 86% (7 reviews)[66] | — |
Doreen Green / Squirrel Girl,Craig Hollis / Mister Immortal,Dwayne Taylor / Night Thrasher,Robbie Baldwin / Speedball,Zach Smith / Microbe, andDeborah Fields / Debrii,[7] are superpowered young people with abilities very different from theAvengers, who want to make a positive impact in the world even if they are not quite ready to be heroes.[67]
By the end of August 2016, Marvel Television and ABC Studios were developing a half-hour comedy series based on theNew Warriors team and featuringSquirrel Girl.[6] In April 2017, Freeform announced a straight-to-series order forMarvel's New Warriors, withKevin Biegel serving as the series' showrunner and writing the first script.[67][68] In July 2017, the cast was revealed withMilana Vayntrub starring as Doreen Green / Squirrel Girl andDerek Theler asCraig Hollis / Mister Immortal.[69] In November 2017, it was announced that the series would no longer air on Freeform and was being shopped to other networks, with Marvel hoping to be able to air the series in 2018.[10] By September 2019, the series had been unable to find a new broadcaster and was officially considered dead.[11] The series was intended to consist of 10 episodes.[7]
After orderingNew Warriors in April 2017, Burke said Freeform was "absolutely" interested in creating spinoff series for each of the characters on the New Warriors team, in a similar fashion toMarvel's Netflix television series, explaining that the characters Marvel chose for the team "are all really singular and could each carry the show that they're on. They're bound together ... for as long as we choose with this show but it's conceptually tailor-made for spinoffs."[7] These potential spin-offs were still considered likely when Marvel began looking for a new broadcaster forNew Warriors.[10] Marvel Television was no longer developing any new series in December 2019.[18]
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