Cloak (Tyrone "Ty" Johnson) and Dagger (Tandy Bowen) are a superhero duo appearing in American comic books published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in 19 ...
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published ...
Runaways
Runaway, Runaways or Run Away may refer to:
Engineering
* Runaway reaction, a chemical reaction releasing more heat than what can be removed and becoming uncontrollable
* Thermal runaway, self-increase of the reaction rate of an exothermic proce ...
'' following the former series' cancellation.
Concept and creation
The inspiration for Cloak and Dagger came to Bill Mantlo after a visit to
Ellis Island
Ellis Island is a federally owned island in New York Harbor, situated within the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey, that was the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United States. From 1892 to 1954, nearly 12 m ...
. He recounted, "They came in the night, when all was silent and my mind was blank. They came completely conceived as to their powers and attributes, their origin and motivation. They embodied between them all that fear and misery, hunger and longing that had haunted me on Ellis Island."Ed Hannigan, Mantlo's artist collaborator on '' Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man'', recalled that he and Mantlo jointly came up with the characters' visual design: "Bill had a short page or two synopsis of the story that he showed me, and we discussed what the characters would look like. He gave me a lot of leeway, but it was fairly obvious that Cloak would be black and have a big 'animated' black cloak and Dagger would be white with a skintight leotard-type thing. I am not sure, but I think I might have come up with her ballet angle. I put the same kind of amulet/clasp on both costumes and came up with the dagger-shaped cutout on her costume, which was quite daring at the time."
Publication history
Cloak and Dagger first appeared in '' Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man'' #64 (March 1982). After a number of additional Spider-Man guest appearances, they were given their own four-issue limited series, written by creator Bill Mantlo, penciled by
Rick Leonardi
Rick Leonardi (born August 9, 1957) is an American comics artist who has worked on various series for Marvel Comics and DC Comics, including '' Cloak and Dagger'', ''The Uncanny X-Men'', ''The New Mutants'', '' Spider-Man 2099'', '' Nightwing' ...
, and inked by Terry Austin. It debuted in October 1983 and was a success, prompting Marvel Comics to launch an ongoing bi-monthly ''Cloak and Dagger'' series in 1985, with the same creative team. Costumed
supervillain
A supervillain or supercriminal is a variant of the villainous stock character that is commonly found in American comic books, usually possessing superhuman abilities. A supervillain is the antithesis of a superhero.
Supervillains are often ...
s rarely appeared in the series, which focused on Cloak and Dagger's quest to end the drug trade completely, and frequently explored the issue of vigilantism. Leonardi left after issue #6 and was replaced by a series of fill-in pencillers.
After issue #11, Marvel combined the bi-monthly titles ''Cloak and Dagger'' and '' Doctor Strange'' into a monthly revival of the double-feature series ''
Strange Tales
''Strange Tales'' is a Marvel Comics anthology series. The title was revived in different forms on multiple occasions. Doctor Strange and Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. made their debuts in ''Strange Tales''. It was a showcase for the science ...
''. The title change was accompanied by
Bret Blevins
Bret Blevins (sometimes spelled Brett Blevins) (born August 13, 1960) is an Americans, American comics artist, animation storyboard artist, and painter. He is perhaps best known for his stint as the regular penciler of ''New Mutants'' for Marvel ...
stepping in as both penciller and inker. Austin would briefly return, but as the series writer this time, Mantlo having ended his run with issue #6. Though still successful, Cloak and Dagger's sales had been declining for some time, and Marvel's editorial staff felt that a new writer was needed in order to revitalize the characters. Austin immediately introduced Cloak and Dagger's first nemesis, Mister Jip. In 1988, they starred in '' Marvel Graphic Novel #34: Cloak and Dagger: Predator and Prey'', which was written by Mantlo before his departure from the series. ''Strange Tales'' ran 19 issues before Marvel decided to split Cloak and Dagger and Dr. Strange back into separate bi-monthly titles.
The series, ''The Mutant Misadventures of Cloak and Dagger'', was written by Austin and penciled by Mike Vosburg. Dagger was rendered
blind
Blind may refer to:
* The state of blindness, being unable to see
* A window blind, a covering for a window
Blind may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Blind'' (2007 film), a Dutch drama by Tamar van den Dop
* ''Blind' ...
in the first issue, and her struggles to deal with this new disability were a major theme of the series. Austin did extensive research at the
American Foundation for the Blind
The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) is an American non-profit organization for people with vision loss. AFB's objectives include conducting research to advance change, promoting knowledge and understanding, and shaping policies and practi ...
so he could give an authentic depiction of the physical and psychological impacts of going blind and the coping techniques used by blind people. With issue #14 Steve Gerber and
Terry Kavanagh
Terrence "Terry" Kavanagh ( ; born July 9) is an American comic book editor and writer.
Career
Kavanagh was a Marvel Comics editor from 1985 to 1997. Titles he edited during that time included ''Marvel Comics Presents'' and ''Nick Fury, Agent ...
took over the writing, but sales began to falter and the series was canceled with issue #19.
The pair continued to make numerous appearances as guest stars in titles such as ''
Runaways
Runaway, Runaways or Run Away may refer to:
Engineering
* Runaway reaction, a chemical reaction releasing more heat than what can be removed and becoming uncontrollable
* Thermal runaway, self-increase of the reaction rate of an exothermic proce ...
'' and the Spider-Man Maximum Carnage story arc, as well as starring in their own adventures in anthology titles like '' Marvel Comics Presents''. Cloak made a solo appearance in issues of the miniseries '' House of M'', as a member of an underground human resistance movement. It was uncertain if Dagger also existed in the altered reality of "House of M" as there were no mentions of her during that storyline.
They have appeared in various other Marvel Universes, one of which included a storyline where Cloak was killed. Dagger also served as a member of Marvel Knights in a short running mini-series.
It was announced at the 2008 San Diego Comic Con that the team would be reappearing once again in their own five-part mini-series by writer Valerie D'Orazio, with pencils by Irene Flores and colors by Emily Warren.
They appeared in the Dark Avengers/ Uncanny X-Men crossover "Utopia", in which writer Matt Fraction stated they would be presented with a chance "to have their reputations exonerated and their records sealed
f they join the Dark X-Men
F, or f, is the sixth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ef'' (pronounced ), and the plural is ''efs''.
Hist ...
" Fraction explained, "Osborn presents it to them as the ultimate public service, n whichthey can work off their past indiscretions— uch asCloak's dealings with the Avengers during the
Skrull
The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Skrulls first appeared in '' Fantastic Four'' #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. They originated ...
invasion." Fraction claimed the more appealing part of ''Dark X-Men'' was to see how Cloak and Dagger react in a real superhero team scenario.
To tie in with the 2015 storyline " Secret Wars", ND Stevenson and Sanford Greene created a spin-off series based on ''
Runaways
Runaway, Runaways or Run Away may refer to:
Engineering
* Runaway reaction, a chemical reaction releasing more heat than what can be removed and becoming uncontrollable
* Thermal runaway, self-increase of the reaction rate of an exothermic proce ...
''.
Fictional character biography
Origin
Tyrone "Ty" Johnson (Cloak) and Tandy Bowen (Dagger) meet in New York City as runaways. Tyrone is a 17-year-old boy from
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...
,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
when his speech impediment prevented him from stopping his friend from being shot by the police, who mistakenly believed he had just robbed a store. Tandy is a 16-year-old girl from a privileged upbringing (born in
Shaker Heights, Ohio
Shaker Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2020 Census, the city population was 29,439. Shaker Heights is an inner-ring streetcar suburb of Cleveland, abutting the eastern edge of the city's limits. In July 1911, ...
supermodel
A supermodel, also spelled super-model or super model, is a highly paid fashion model who usually has a worldwide reputation and often a background in '' haute couture'' and commercial modeling. The term ''supermodel'' became prominent in the ...
career and social life to spend time with her daughter. When they meet, Tyrone considers stealing Tandy's purse, but before he can, a thief steals it and Tyrone retrieves it for her. Afterwards, they have dinner and quickly become friends. When naïve Tandy accepts an offer of shelter from some strange men, wary Tyrone goes along to protect her. The two teens are soon forcibly delivered to Simon Marshall, a criminal chemist who's developing a new synthetic heroin for
Silvermane
Silvermane (Silvio Manfredi) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A notorious crime boss and prominent figure in the Maggia, a fictional organized crime syndicate, he is usually depicted as an adversary ...
and the Maggia with tests on runaway teens that have fatal results. Johnson and Bowen somehow survive injections of the drug and they flee. During their escape, the drug turns them into super-powered beings.''Cloak and Dagger'' #4 Tyrone finds himself engulfed in darkness and seized by a strange hunger that eases in the presence of Tandy who now glows with a brilliant light. Tyrone tries to hide his shadowy appearance in a makeshift cloak by absorbing Marshall's thugs into his darkness while Tandy strikes them down with daggers of light. The two teens dub themselves "Cloak & Dagger", declaring war on drug crime and helping runaway children. They are aided by local priest Father Delgado and Detective Brigid O'Reilly.
During Cloak and Dagger's travels around the world, Dagger is briefly reunited with her father, a type of guru in India who develops an ability to manipulate personal "light" like Tandy, but uses as a form of control over others to increase his own power, seemingly killing Ty when he interferes with personal plans. Cloak and Dagger oppose the Lord of Light who flings himself into Cloak's portal.
Later it is revealed that during this time, D'Spayre had been manipulating these events from behind the scenes.''Cloak and Dagger'' vol. 3, #19
War on Drugs and other heroes
Cloak and Dagger became vigilantes and hunted and killed Simon Marshall's drug-dealing crime-ring responsible for activating their powers. They first encountered Spider-Man during these events. They next murdered Silvermane's reanimated cyborg form in revenge. They next teamed with Spider-Man to thwart the Punisher's murder attempt on the
Kingpin
Kingpin or king pin may refer to:
Vehicular part
* Kingpin (automotive part), the pivot in the steering mechanism
** The central bolt of a skateboard, axle assembly ("truck"), around which the rest of the mechanism can flex, allowing the rider ...
.
When their activities became too damaging for the illegal drug trade, some dealers kidnapped members of the New Mutants and tried to control them by injecting them with a drug similar to that which gave the duo their powers. For a time, they lost their powers to the heroes Sunspot and Wolfsbane but they cooperated in retrieving them when it was learned the others were not handling it well. Cloak and Dagger saved them with Spider-Man, but turned down an offer to join the
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in 1970 due to ...
's School for Gifted Youngsters. Cloak and Dagger battled Silvermane and the Answer. Kingpin wanted Dagger to help heal Vanessa Fisk, but Dagger refused to help. Cloak & Dagger befriended the superpowered preteens Power Pack and twice aided the New Mutants, junior trainees of the X-Men.''The New Mutants'' #23 The duo eventually learned they were mutants themselves, which is also the reason why they were the only test subjects to survive the drug's administration in the first place. Though they tend to target ordinary street criminals, they have faced such diverse foes as
Doctor Doom
Doctor Victor Von Doom is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and first appeared in '' The Fantastic Four'' #5 in July 1962. The monarch of the f ...
Vermin
Vermin (colloquially varmint(s) or varmit(s)) are pests or nuisance animals that spread diseases or destroy crops or livestock. Since the term is defined in relation to human activities, which species are included vary by region and enterpri ...
, the Zapper, the Disciplinarian, the Warlord of Kampuchea,
Mephisto
Mephisto or Mephistopheles is one of the chief demons of German literary tradition.
Mephisto or Mephistopheles may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' Méphisto'', a 1931 French film
* ''Mephisto'' (1981 film), a German-Hungarian film based ...
,
Thanos
Thanos is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, and first appeared in '' The Invincible Iron Man'' #55 ( cover date February 1973). An Eternal– Deviant w ...
, the
Assembly of Evil
The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several fictional teams and organizations and this page lists them.
0–9 198
A A-Force
A-Next
A.I. Army
Because of his revelation that he is now a simulated ...
, Firebrand, and Lightmaster.
Cloak and Dagger encountered the Beyonder during '' Secret Wars II''. They also encountered Brigid O'Reilly who was transformed into Mayhem. They next encountered Doctor Doom in
Latveria
Latveria is a fictional country appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is depicted within the storylines of Marvel's comic titles as an isolated European country ruled by the fictional Supreme Lord Doctor Doom, suppo ...
Ecstasy
Ecstasy may refer to:
* Ecstasy (emotion), a trance or trance-like state in which a person transcends normal consciousness
* Religious ecstasy, a state of consciousness, visions or absolute euphoria
* Ecstasy (philosophy), to be or stand outside o ...
. They were used in Nightmare's plot to defeat Doctor Strange. They battled Mister Jip, and Night and Day. They also encountered Power Pack again.
Dagger was later possessed by Night, and battled X-Factor, and lost her sight temporarily. Cloak and Dagger battled Hydro-Man, the second Jester, the Hulk android, Rock, and
Fenris
Fenrir (Old Norse: ; "fen-dweller")Orchard (1997:42). or Fenrisúlfr (O.N.: ; "Fenrir's wolf", often translated "Fenris-wolf"),Simek (2007:81). also referred to as Hróðvitnir (O.N.: ; "fame-wolf")Simek (2007:160). and Vánagandr (O.N.: ; " ...
alongside the
Avengers
Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to:
Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe
* Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes
**Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of ...
. Dagger later regained her sight, and helped defeat Mister Jip. Cloak later unknowingly met his twin sister. Cloak and Dagger later battled D'Spayre, learning that he gave them their Dark Form and Light Form, which had been pieces of his soul, which interfered with their natural mutations.
Dagger was one of the 'seven brides' selected for the serpent god Set in the Atlantis Attackscrossover storyline, the other six being Jean Grey, the Invisible Woman, Andromeda, She-Hulk,
Storm
A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere of an astronomical body. It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning (a thunderstorm), ...
, and the
Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. Her first appearance was in ''The X-Men'' #4 (March 1964) ...
.
Cloak and Dagger played a small part in the '' Infinity Gauntlet'' saga. When Thanos used the power of the Infinity Gauntlet to sacrifice half of the population of the universe to Death, Dagger was among the superheroes that vanished. Cloak answered the summons of Adam Warlock to join a task force of the remaining superheroes to fight
Thanos
Thanos is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, and first appeared in '' The Invincible Iron Man'' #55 ( cover date February 1973). An Eternal– Deviant w ...
. During the assault on Thanos by the assembled team, Cloak managed to pull Thanos into the Darkforce Dimension, but was killed when Thanos released a massive amount of energy from within him; all that was left were pieces of his cloak. His life was restored after most of the events were undone by Nebula after she seized the Infinity Gauntlet.
The two tended to live in churches, supported by friends and priests. Cloak has run away many times, not understanding that Dagger is fully willing to use her light power to satisfy his darkness. Cloak & Dagger are devoted to each other, but Dagger often wants more from life. While on an international case, Tandy performed with Eurocirque as Lady Light and shared a romance with a supposed stowaway on a drug boat. Eventually he was exposed as a criminal but ultimately sacrificed himself to save Dagger. Tandy found new friends in the New Warriors who teamed with Cloak, Dagger, and other heroes to defeat the shadow-lunatic Darkling. She also joined the team for a brief period, leading to further tension with Cloak.
Captain America
Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1 ( cover dated March 1941) from T ...
,
Black Cat
A black cat is a domestic cat with black fur that may be a mixed or specific breed, or a common domestic cat of no particular breed. The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) recognizes 22 cat breeds that can come with solid black coats. The Bomba ...
Iron Fist
Iron Fist, Iron fist or Ironfist may refer to:
Military
* Iron Fist (exercise), an Indian Air Force exercise held in 2013 and 2016
* Iron Fist (countermeasure), an Israeli counter-weapon system
* 20th Armoured Brigade (United Kingdom) or The Iron ...
Venom
Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a ...
, and Firestar to halt a murderous super villain rampage led by serial killer Cletus Kasady aka Carnage. Dagger was supposedly killed by Shriek (Carnage's "wife") while saving Spider-Man, but was later revealed to be severely wounded and recuperating within Cloak's shroud, and was the key instrument in breaking up the Carnage 'family'.
''Marvel Knights''
After Tyrone leaves Tandy's side, he is no longer able to control his hunger and consumes any and every lawbreaker, no matter how small the offense. While searching for him in churches she meets the Black Widow who she teams up with to prevent a church from being robbed. Daredevil later appears and both assist him on a mission he received from the Punisher.''Marvel Knights'' #1
Dagger becomes a member of the now-defunct " Marvel Knights" team, partnering up with many different heroes, including Shang-Chi, Luke Cage, Moon Knight and
Daredevil
Daredevil may refer to:
* A stunt performer
Arts and media Comics
* Daredevil (Lev Gleason Publications), a fictional 1940s superhero popularized by writer-artist Charles Biro
* Daredevil (Marvel Comics character), a Marvel comic book superher ...
. During her time with the Knights, Dagger developed a deep friendship with the
Black Widow
Black widow may refer to:
Spiders
* Black widow spider, a common name for some species of spiders in the genus ''Latrodectus''
American species
* ''Latrodectus apicalis'', the Galapagos black widow
* ''Latrodectus curacaviensis'', the South Amer ...
(Natasha Romanova). Natasha brings Tandy to the guidance of Dr. Strange in the hopes of finding a crazed Tyrone. The Marvel Knights and Dr. Strange locate and battle an enhanced and deranged Cloak, during which most of the group are absorbed into his cape. Dr. Strange reveals that Cloak has become possessed by Nightmare. Tandy manages to overpower and absorb Ty's Cloak powers, freeing everyone from his cape.
For some time, the Black Widow lets Ty and Tandy live in her apartment, which was later attacked by a homicidal
Life Model Decoy
A Life Model Decoy (frequently known by the abbreviation LMD) is a fictional android appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. LMDs duplicate all outward aspects of a real living person with such authenticity that they can easi ...
of Nick Fury. Though at this point he was a normal human, Ty managed to defeat the robot.
''Runaways''
Cloak and Dagger make their return in ''Runaways'', in which Tyrone appears repowered and stable. At one stage, the LAPD recruited the team to locate the
Runaways
Runaway, Runaways or Run Away may refer to:
Engineering
* Runaway reaction, a chemical reaction releasing more heat than what can be removed and becoming uncontrollable
* Thermal runaway, self-increase of the reaction rate of an exothermic proce ...
. During their initial encounter, Dagger quickly knocked out Nico Minoru with her light and Cloak easily absorbed Chase Stein, Karolina Dean,
Alex Wilder
Alex Wilder is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is introduced in the series ''Runaways''.
Alex Wilder was portrayed by Rhenzy Feliz in the Hulu television series ''Runaways'' which ...
, and Nico. Gertrude Yorkes was able to halt Dagger's light attacks with her dinosaur Old Lace, as Dagger's light had no effect on animals, and Molly Hayes managed to pull Cloak's cloak from his body, severing his connection to the Darkforce Dimension. This caused a ceasefire, during which time Gertrude and Molly explained to Cloak and Dagger that the LAPD were actually corrupt and under the control of the Runaways' supervillain parents, the
Pride
Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) wh ...
. Cloak managed to reconnect to his cloak and rescue the Runaways he had absorbed, and he and Dagger both promised to return to New York and bring back the Avengers to stop the Pride and rescue the Runaways. However, the traitor in the Runaways—Alex—instead contacted the LAPD, which had the Pride erase Tandy's and Ty's actual memories of the group, thus preventing them from helping the Runaways.
Cloak was later impersonated by Reginald Mantz who was using Mutant Growth Hormone to replicate Cloak's powers. Mantz, stalked and attacked Dagger, leaving her hospitalized. After a fight with the New Avengers led to him sustaining a blow to the head, Cloak regained his memories and requested the Runaways' assistance in clearing his name, as he had been framed for attacking Dagger. Cloak appealed to the fact that they all shared bonds in being runaways and explains the reasons he and Dagger never helped them as planned. They agreed to help, and successfully helped Cloak apprehend his impostor, the delusional orderly, Reginald Mantz, who believed that he and Tandy were in a relationship.
"Civil War"
Cloak and Dagger are revealed to be members of
Captain America
Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1 ( cover dated March 1941) from T ...
's faction of super heroes who oppose the
Superhuman Registration Act
Discrimination against superheroes is a common theme and plot element comic books and superhero fiction, usually as a way to explore the issue of superheroes operating in society or as commentary on other social concerns. Often in response to th ...
during the 2006 "
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...
" storyline.
Cloak is shot by S.H.I.E.L.D. tranquilizers while teleporting Captain America and the rebel faction to a chemical plant where they believed a catastrophic accident had taken place. It turns out to be a trap set by
Iron Man
Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The charact ...
waiting with the pro-registration faction. Dagger is hit with a lightning attack by a clone of
Thor
Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing ...
.
It is then revealed that the pair were captured during a mission in Queens and jailed in the Negative Zone prison. They are freed by the shapeshifterHulkling, who was disguised as the pro-registration Hank Pym, which leads to the climactic battle between the two sides, both of which Cloak teleports to Times Square, New York.
"Secret Invasion"
Luke Cage calls Cloak, who drops the New Avengers at the top of Stark Tower to steal one of Tony Stark's quinjets. When Cage offers to take him with them to find the downed
Skrull
The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Skrulls first appeared in '' Fantastic Four'' #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. They originated ...
ship, Cloak refuses, and vanishes.
''Dark X-Men'' and "Utopia"
Norman Osborn tracks down Tandy and Tyrone in Colombia, burning down drug fields and approaches them to join his new team of X-Men. Initially against it, as they know of Osborn's past and do not consider themselves mutants, Osborn tells them that they can take their war on drugs to a global scale as well as having no trouble with police anymore. Dagger agrees to the deal for them both, but Cloak remains hesitant.''Dark X-Men: The Beginning'' #2
Cloak and Dagger are later recruited into the Dark X-Men by Osborn. After Emma Frost's and
Namor
Namor (), also known as the Sub-Mariner, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in early 1939, the character was created by writer-artist Bill Everett for comic book packager Funnies I ...
's betrayal of the team, Emma offers them the opportunity to join the real X-Men and their exodus from the US, to which both instantly agree. During their time with the X-Men, Cloak becomes involved with Wolverine's plan to kill
Romulus
Romulus () was the legendary founder and first king of Rome. Various traditions attribute the establishment of many of Rome's oldest legal, political, religious, and social institutions to Romulus and his contemporaries. Although many of these ...
along with
Bruce Banner
The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book ap ...
and Skaar. Dagger is kidnapped and Romulus orders her to be beaten. Wolverine and Cloak manage to save her, and Wolverine kills her kidnapper, much to her chagrin. However, she tells Tyrone to continue helping Wolverine, as he needs his help. Aiding Wolverine, Cloak uses his power to trap Romulus in the Darkforce dimension. However, Romulus later escapes and fights with Wolverine and Cloak.
2010 ''Cloak and Dagger'' one-shot
After doing tests on Dagger, Dr. Nemesis confirms that they are not mutants, disappointing her as she enjoyed being on a team. It is revealed later that Tyrone was cheating on her with Tia, a girl from his old neighborhood. Eventually, Tia reveals that she knows his secret identity as Cloak and has him kidnapped, torturing him to keep him from using his powers. Dagger becomes worried after he does not return home after a few days and manages to track him down. With the help of X-Men Anole and Dr. Nemesis, she fights off his captors whereupon Tia reveals that she has powers as well and has been brainwashed to hate them. Tia manages to escape the fight and Tandy and Tyrone decide to leave Utopia and the X-Men and return to New York to work on rekindling their relationship.''Cloak and Dagger'' vol. 4 #1
"Spider-Island"
In the " Spider-Island" storyline as Cloak and Dagger are established to have been left homeless after their home was determined by authorities to be in violation of building codes. They then were confronted by the Avengers who informed them about the present spider problem at hand. It's also revealed that Dagger is attending college classes as an attempt to normalize her life. Cloak has contradicting views as he acknowledges them as "special". After Mister Negative hears of a prophecy that he is destined to be killed by Dagger, he kidnaps her and corrupts her with his negative touch; her powers are changed, now working through the Dark Force. Similar to Cloak, she gets the "hunger" for light and starts dying from the lack of it. Cloak pleads with Mister Negative to give him the touch. He surprisingly agrees, altering Cloak's abilities to be powered by light. Cloak feeds Dagger his light, causing an explosion. In the aftermath it is revealed that Dagger now has Cloak's original powers, and Cloak has Dagger's. This change in powers recalls the reference to D'Spayre's influence on their life, as according to him in the final issue of their original run, these were the power sets they were always originally meant to have, but D'Spayre interfered, resulting in Cloak and Dagger having 'reversed' power sets, and considered weaker than what they would have been had D'Spayre not gotten involved in their lives.
All-New, All-Different Marvel
Following the '' Secret Wars'' storyline as part of the
All-New, All-Different Marvel
All-New, All-Different Marvel (ANADM) is a 2015–2019 branding for Marvel Comics' entire main line (comics), line of comics. Taking place after the crossover storyline "Secret Wars (2015 comic book), Secret Wars", it details the new Marvel Unive ...
' initiative, Cloak and Dagger have returned, still using the other's powers, but are now evil due to the corrupting influence of Mister Negative. Although Martin Li was arrested at some point, Cloak and Dagger have been using Shade patches, which dose them with a drug that stimulates the effects of Negative's touch, ensuring that their criminal personas will 'remain' loyal to him, breaking him out of the prison ship where Li was being kept and restoring him to Mister Negative to lead an assault on Parker Industries in Japan. Although Peter is able to escape being corrupted by Negative thanks to Negative's prior corruption of Spider-Man, Cloak and Dagger manage to help Negative escape when Peter tracks them to his Hong Kong headquarters by secretly placing a Spider-Tracer on Cloak. Using this tracer, Peter is able to inject Cloak with a cure for Shade that he later uses to cure Dagger, apparently restoring their original powers. Although Mister Negative has escaped, Cloak and Dagger decide to remain in Hong Kong to guard it from any future attacks.''The Amazing Spider-Man'' vol. 4 #8
Powers and abilities
Cloak and Dagger both have moderate experience at street fighting. Dagger's combat techniques utilize her Lightforce powers and ballet-dance training as well as her sense of spatial relations, which had been heightened by her temporary blindness.
Cloak
Tyrone Johnson acquired D'Spayre's Dark Form, which gave him the ability to create an aperture into the Darkforce Dimension and to dispatch people into the dimension. He also gained the abilities of intangibility and the teleportation of himself and others through the Darkforce Dimension. "Marvel's Cloak and Dagger TV Show Explained: Who Are These Heroes?" People enveloped by Cloak's darkness feel numbing cold and experience terrifying visions of their own greatest fears and nightmares. Prolonged exposure to the darkness can drive people insane. Cloak can teleport by entering the Darkforce Dimension, moving a short distance within it and emerging back on Earth a great distance from his point of origin. A span of miles on Earth can be traversed in only a few steps via shortcuts through the Darkforce. As Cloak, Tyrone is usually intangible, though he can solidify through an act of will, or by absorbing enough "light" to saturate his form temporarily. Cloak feels a constant hunger which can only be assuaged by feeding either on light projected by Dagger or on light consumed from victims dispatched to the dimension of darkness. He later develops better control of his hunger. In addition, he can mentally see the fears of certain people he touches.
Dagger
Tandy has the ability to create a multitude of light daggers from the Lightforce which travel wherever she wills them. The daggers drain living beings of vitality when struck. Her light daggers also have the capacity to cure certain persons of drug addictions and can alleviate Cloak's hunger for light (simultaneously allowing her to avoid becoming overcharged). She can even mentally see the hopes of certain people by touching them.
Power swap
Tyrone and Tandy swapped powers in "Spider-Island," with Cloak using light powers and Dagger using Darkforce daggers. When Parker Industries uses an antidote on Mister Negative, the pair swap back to their original powers.
Species
Cloak and Dagger were considered latent mutants in earlier appearances, whose powers were activated when they were injected with an experimental illegal drug.''Marvel Team-Up Annual'' #6 In later years, they have been listed as mutates, meaning that their powers were derived from an external mutagenic source. This designation was used for them in the ''Civil War: Battle Damage Report''. Some mutants, such as
Sunfire
Fire is a series of server computers introduced in 2001 by Sun Microsystems (since 2010, part of Oracle Corporation). The Sun Fire branding coincided with the introduction of the UltraSPARC III processor, superseding the UltraSPARC II-ba ...
,
Polaris
Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris ( Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an apparent magnitude that ...
, and Thunderbird, also required external stimuli to awaken their latent powers.
''Uncanny X-Men'' writer Matt Fraction said, "No, they don't hink of themselves as part of the mutant community and that's the thing: in a time when there are so few mutants left, can they afford to not at least acknowledge the existence of this community, this family?" In the ''
Utopia
A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book '' Utopia'', describing a fictional island socie ...
'' crossover, when recruited by Norman Osborn as part of his "Dark X-Men", Cloak and Dagger comment that they aren't mutants. This is confirmed by
Doctor Nemesis
Doctor Nemesis is the name of three fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and Ace Magazines.
Publication history
The first version (James Bradley) was a derivative version of the eponymous Golden Age c ...
, who runs a full range of genetics scans on Dagger, reporting that her powers were derived solely from the drug that changed her and Cloak.
Reception
Accolades
* In 2017, ''
Screen Rant
''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and film theories. ''Screen Rant'' was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. ''Scr ...
'' ranked Cloak 10th in their "15 Most Powerful Teleporting Superheroes" list.
* In 2020, '' Scary Mommy'' included Dagger in their "Looking For A Role Model? These 195+ Marvel Female Characters Are Truly Heroic" list.
* In 2020, ''
CBR.com
''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion.
History
Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...
'' ranked Cloak and Dagger 14th in their "25 Best Anti-Heroes In Marvel Comics" list.
* In 2022, ''
Screen Rant
''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and film theories. ''Screen Rant'' was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. ''Scr ...
'' included Cloak and Dagger in their "10 Best X-Men Who Aren't Mutants" list and in their "10 Best Marvel Characters Who Made Their Debut In Spider-Man Comics" list.
Other versions
Age of Apocalypse
In the " Age of Apocalypse" storyline, Cloak and Dagger are members of Sinister's Six, who were brainwashed into fighting the
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in 1970 due to ...
. They were apparently killed in battle though this has yet to be confirmed.
House of M
In the " House of M" storyline, Cloak appears as a member of the Underground Human Resistance led by Luke Cage, regarding Cage as a father figure. No mention of Dagger's whereabouts are made.
League of Losers
Dagger features in an arc of Robert Kirkman's ''Marvel Team-Up'' vol. 3, featuring a group of C-list heroes dubbed "The League of Losers". A group of heroes including Speedball, Darkhawk, Dagger,
Araña
Anya Sofia Corazon is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada, writer Fiona Avery, and artist Mark Brooks, and made her first appearan ...
,
Gravity
In physics, gravity () is a fundamental interaction which causes mutual attraction between all things with mass or energy. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 1038 times weaker than the str ...
Terror
Terror(s) or The Terror may refer to:
Politics
* Reign of Terror, commonly known as The Terror, a period of violence (1793–1794) after the onset of the French Revolution
* Terror (politics), a policy of political repression and violence
Emoti ...
(although Araña dies along the way) go to the future to prevent the villain Chronok from stealing Reed Richards' time machine, Chronok having come to the present and already having killed all of Marvel's major heroes.
Marvel Zombies
In ''Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness'' Cloak and Dagger, both zombified, are seen in a narrow alley devouring a hapless victim. In ''Ultimate Fantastic Four'' #23, Cloak is seen as one of the dozens of zombified heroes who have gathered together to hunt down and eat the last four known unaffected people.
Spider-Ham
In the parody series '' Spider-Ham'', the duo are parodied as Croak and Badger, a frog and a badger.
Ultimate Marvel
Two women dressed as Cloak and Dagger are both in handcuffs (for an unknown offense) when Ronin stumbles into a police station to provide evidence against the
Kingpin
Kingpin or king pin may refer to:
Vehicular part
* Kingpin (automotive part), the pivot in the steering mechanism
** The central bolt of a skateboard, axle assembly ("truck"), around which the rest of the mechanism can flex, allowing the rider ...
.
The
Ultimate Marvel
Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring re-imagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe. Those characters ...
versions of Cloak (Ty Johnson) and Dagger (Tandy Bowen) officially debut during a battle against Bombshell. A series of flashbacks reveal that the two were high school sweethearts who were critically injured in a car accident while on the way to their senior prom. Roxxon's Brain Trust had the two teens declared legally dead and used as test subjects in an experiment involving
dark matter
Dark matter is a hypothetical form of matter thought to account for approximately 85% of the matter in the universe. Dark matter is called "dark" because it does not appear to interact with the electromagnetic field, which means it does not ab ...
, resulting in Tandy and Ty gaining superpowers. Eventually, Cloak & Dagger as well as Bombshell assist Spider-Man and Spider-Woman in fighting Roxxon's Brain Trust as well as confronting Donald Roxxon. The two later joined The Young Ultimates. They along with their team, as well as the Ultimate Universe in general, were destroyed during the events of ''Secret Wars''. They all supposedly came back afterwards.
"Universe X"
In the 2000 miniseries '' Universe X'', Ty Johnson is dead, but his cloak is still carried by Dagger. Mar-Vell is given the cloak by Dagger and uses it as a teleportation device and a gateway to the Realm of the Dead.
Battleworld Runaways
Cloak and Dagger are similar to what happened in Spider-Island, only Tandy is Cloak instead of Dagger and Tyrone is Dagger instead of Cloak. This alternate version of Cloak and Dagger are revealed to be siblings, even when people mistake them to be a romantic couple.
In other media
Television
* Cloak and Dagger appear in ''
Ultimate Spider-Man
''Ultimate Spider-Man'' is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2011. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of the company's Ultimate ...
Iron Fist
Iron Fist, Iron fist or Ironfist may refer to:
Military
* Iron Fist (exercise), an Indian Air Force exercise held in 2013 and 2016
* Iron Fist (countermeasure), an Israeli counter-weapon system
* 20th Armoured Brigade (United Kingdom) or The Iron ...
, and White Tiger to power the Siege Perilous and invade Earth. With Dagger's help, Spider-Man was able to free Cloak from Dormammu's possession, rescue the other heroes, and defeat Dormammu. Spider-Man intended to recruit them into his
New Warriors
The New Warriors is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They traditionally consisted of teenage and young adult heroes, and were often seen to serve as a junior counterpart to The Avengers in mu ...
, but they declined, having been recruited into Taskmaster's
Thunderbolts
A thunderbolt or lightning bolt is a symbolic representation of lightning when accompanied by a loud thunderclap. In Indo-European mythology, the thunderbolt was identified with the 'Sky Father'; this association is also found in later Hell ...
under the belief that no could be trusted. In "New Warriors", the Thunderbolts attacked S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Tri-Carrier in an attempt to free the Green Goblin, only to come into conflict with Spider-Man and the New Warriors. During the fight, Cloak and Dagger defect to Spider-Man's team after Taskmaster abandons them. In subsequent episodes, they help the other trainees of S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy against various villains.
* Cloak and Dagger appear in television series set in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published ...
Freeform. and depicted them developing their powers after being exposed to energies that were released when the Roxxon Gulf Platform collapsed. The duo then appear in the third and final season of the live-action series ''
Runaways
Runaway, Runaways or Run Away may refer to:
Engineering
* Runaway reaction, a chemical reaction releasing more heat than what can be removed and becoming uncontrollable
* Thermal runaway, self-increase of the reaction rate of an exothermic proce ...
''. After making a brief appearance at the end of the episode "Left-Hand Path" to stop Nico Minoru from entering the Dark Dimension, they feature prominently in the following episode "Devil's Torture Chamber", while gathering the rest of the eponymous
Runaways
Runaway, Runaways or Run Away may refer to:
Engineering
* Runaway reaction, a chemical reaction releasing more heat than what can be removed and becoming uncontrollable
* Thermal runaway, self-increase of the reaction rate of an exothermic proce ...
to help them rescue
Alex Wilder
Alex Wilder is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is introduced in the series ''Runaways''.
Alex Wilder was portrayed by Rhenzy Feliz in the Hulu television series ''Runaways'' which ...
before taking their leave once the mission succeeds.
* Cloak and Dagger appear in '' Spider-Man'', with Aubrey Joseph and Olivia Holt reprising their respective roles. This version of the duo gained their powers after being experimented on by Alchemax and Tiberius Stone.
Film
* In May 2001, Dimension Films signed a deal to create a live-action Cloak and Dagger film, written by David Tischman, and produced by
Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios, LLC (originally known as Marvel Films from 1993 to 1996) is an American film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Walt Disney Company. Marvel Studios produces the Mar ...
president Avi Arad and Rick Alexander, and executive produced by
Kevin Feige
Kevin Feige ( ; born June 2, 1973) is an American film and television producer who has been the president of Marvel Studios and the primary producer of the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise since 2007. The films he has produced have a combin ...
. In 2006, Cloak and Dagger were chosen as one of the many properties in Marvel's new film deal with
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
, along with
Captain America
Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1 ( cover dated March 1941) from T ...
Black Panther
A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present. They have been ...
PS3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan, November ...
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generati ...
,
Xbox One
The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
, and PC versions, Dagger joins forces with Colossus to protect Cloak in the pro-registration campaign while the anti-registration campaign sees Dagger protecting Cloak from She-Hulk and
Molten Man
The Molten Man (Mark Raxton) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Once a chemical engineer who longed to get rich, Mark Raxton was caught in an accident that saw his body get covered by an experime ...
alone until the player arrives.
* Cloak and Dagger appear as NPCs in '' Marvel Heroes'', voiced by
Rick D. Wasserman
Rick Darrin Wasserman is an American voice, stage and television actor.
Early life and career
He graduated from Temple University with a BA in Theatre in 1995 and later from the University of Missouri with a MFA in Acting in 1998.
His best kn ...
and
Tara Strong
Tara Lyn Strong (née Charendoff; born February 12, 1973) is a Canadian-American actress. She is known for her voice work in animation, websites, and video games. Strong's voice roles include animated series such as ''The New Batman Adventures ...
, respectively.
* Cloak and Dagger appear as a collective playable character in '' Marvel: Avengers Alliance''.
* Cloak and Dagger appear as playable characters in '' Marvel Puzzle Quest''.
* Cloak and Dagger appear as playable characters in '' Marvel Avengers Academy''.
* Cloak and Dagger appear as playable characters in '' Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2'' as part of a self-titled DLC pack.
* Cloak and Dagger appear in the digital collectible card game ''
Marvel Snap
''Marvel Snap'' is a digital collectible card game developed by Second Dinner and published by Nuverse for Microsoft Windows, Android and iOS. The game features a collection of different Marvel characters from the Marvel Universe. The game was ...
''.
Motion comics
Cloak and Dagger appear in the ''Wolverine versus Sabretooth'' motion comic, voiced by Adrian Holmes and Mariee Devereux, respectively.
Toys
* In 1997, Toy Biz released a Cloak and Dagger 5" figure box set containing a "collector tin".
* In September 2013, Marvel Universe released Cloak and Dagger action figures in wave 23.
* In 2018, Hasbro released action figures of Cloak and Dagger in their Marvel Legends line.