Freeform has released a new trailer for Cloak & Dagger, their adaptation about the two Marvel comic book characters of the same name. We’ve seen a sneak peek of our heroes’ first meeting before, but this latest trailer gives us a better look at the powers that Tyrone Johnson (played by Aubrey Joseph) and Tandy Bowen (played by Olivia Holt) will wield, and it also gives us some glimpses into their motivations and personalities.
In Tyrone’s voiceover, he talks about the pressure to be perfect and the fear that motivates him. “I feel like I have to be perfect, like I have to do everything right,” he says. “… There’s something about fear that pushes me. It has my whole life.” Actor Aubrey Joseph has previously said that this role was “one of the first roles that, to me, fully showcased what it is to be a young black male in America right now,” and based on this dialogue, it seems like the show will grapple with the pressure that minority students often feel to publicly excel in the face of racism and stereotypes.
Tandy, on the other hand, doesn’t feel that same drive in response to fear. She runs. “I run away from everything,” she says in the trailer. “I’ve had a lot of things taken from me, and everything I have I’ve had to steal.” Showrunner Joe Pokaski previously described Tandy as “a young woman who gets these powers, who does the wrong thing sometimes, and slowly finds herself a hero,” so it looks like her arc will involve learning when to stand her ground rather than run away.
This focus on character also seems to fit with what we’ve heard about the show so far. “A Marvel hero always begins with the person, not the power,” said Jeph Loeb, the head of Marvel Television.. “… It’s more important that you care about Tyrone, and that you care about Tandy, and then the rest follows.”
The voiceover also hints at a larger conflict and purpose surrounding Tyrone and Tandy’s powers. “First, we look at the past,” it begins ominously. “New Orleans is a rollercoaster of destruction and rebirth: fire, famine, disease, war … It always came down to two people: the divine pairing … It’s the same as it was for all the others: one will live and one will die.” I don’t love the idea of the show pitting Tyone and Tandy against each other, since their powers are meant to be complementary, but I do love the idea of giving this show a real sense of place. New Orleans is such an iconic American city, and it’s ideal for examining so many elements in our history and contemporary politics.
What did you make of the trailer, though?
Cloak & Dagger premieres Thursday, June 7 on Freeform.
(Featured image: Freeform/Alfonso Bresciani)
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