The head of Marvel Television has revealed that the upcoming Runaways and Cloak & Dagger crossover will hopefully not be a one-and-done venture. Based on Brian K. Vaughan's acclaimed comic book series, Runaways debuted first, with its first episode airing on Hulu back in 2017. Created by Gossip Girl's Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, the show followed a group of titular teen runaways who are forced to band together when they discover their parents are part of a sinister organization. Earning immediate positive reviews, the series was quickly renewed for a second season. In March, Hulu announced the show would return for a third, with the show officially going back into production in May.
Cloak & Dagger, meanwhile, debuted on Freeform in mid-2018. Garnering equally favorable reviews, the show was renewed for a sophomore outing, which concluded earlier this year. Based on the characters created by writer Bill Mantlo and artist Ed Hannigan, the show stars Olivia Holt and Aubrey Joseph as Tandy Bowen and Tyrone Johnson, respectively. Bonded by shared childhood trauma, the teenagers reunited and discovered that they both have superpowers. Joining forces, they worked to expose a dangerous conspiracy perpetrated by the Roxxon Corporation and tackle other threats in and around New Orleans. Though both shows are set within the MCU, they largely ignored the events of the films and shared few direct connections with such other Marvel TV shows as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Earlier this month, however, it was announced that Cloak & Dagger and Runaways would officially crossover with each other. Speaking with Deadline, Jeph Loeb revealed that the merging of the two shows was always planned and expressed his hope that the first time wouldn't be the last time. "This is something we’ve wanted to do since Season 1 on both shows," he said. "We hope it’s the first of many. It’s one of the many benefits of having all our shows on Disney-based platforms. They are completely different shows in terms of tone, and yet, you can see how those kids would mix well together. It is a shared universe. #itsallconnected!"
Cloak and Dagger won't be the only new faces that Nico, Chase, and the rest of the gang encounter in season 3. Elizabeth Hurley was previously confirmed to be starring in the new episodes, playing the villainous Morgan le Fay. The character has a long history in the comics, tying into Arthurian legend and the ancient wizard Merlin. Cloak & Dagger has yet to be renewed. A third outing is expected, however.
The "it's all connected" mantra has been mocked quite extensively over the last few years. As much some of the shows have attempted to connect themselves to the blockbuster movies, the majority of connections were tenuous at best. And the feeling was never reciprocated by the big-screen outings. With Disney now branching out into also conquering the streaming landscape, that would appear to be changing. At least within Marvel TV's own output. Although Cloak & Dagger previously tied in with Luke Cage on Netflix, the upcoming crossover will mark the first proper attempt at a shared Marvel TV universe since The Defenders. As such, fans will no doubt share Loeb's hope that the attempt is more fruitful and longer-lasting. Should they pull it off, however, with plenty of other new Marvel shows planned, the world of Runaways and Cloak & Dagger may only be the beginning of a larger expansion.
Source: Deadline