In a surprise to few, Freeform has cancelled the live-action Marvel TV seriesCloak & Daggerafter two seasons. The show launched in 2018 to fairly positive reviews, but ratings for Season 2 dropped nearly 40% when the series returned earlier this year. The series starredOlivia HoltandAubrey Josephas two very different teenagers who are mysteriously linked to one another via superpowers.
“We are so proud ofMarvel’s Cloak & Daggerand the trailblazing stories this series told,” Freeform said in a statement to Deadline, which broke the news of the cancellation. “We are also grateful to our incredible talent Oliva Holt and Aubrey Joseph for bringing these beloved characters to life, and showrunner Joe Pokaski for his vision. We’d like to thank our partners at Marvel Television for a wonderful two seasons and are we are hopeful that we can find another project together.”
More strikingly, however, theCloak & Daggercancellation comes on the heels of the news that the entire Marvel TV division is being reworked, with head honchoJeph Loebstepping asideto make way for a new regime that’s more creatively in line with Marvel Studios president (and now Marvel Chief Creative Officer)Kevin Feige.
Indeed, pretty much all of the previous Marvel TV output is being brushed aside. The Marvel Netflix shows likeDaredevilandLuke Cagestarted being cancelled last year one by one; ABC’sAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.is heading into its final season; even Hulu just recently opted not to move forwardwith a plannedGhost Riderspinoffbased on the character’s appearance onAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
All of these Marvel TV shows had trouble aligning themselves with the continuity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since the MCU was governed by Feige and the Marvel Studios film team, which had nothing to do creatively with what Loeb and his team were doing on the small screen. That’s now changing with the advent of Disney+, which will launch several Marvel Studios-run limited series featuring MCU actors reprising their movie roles, likeElizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet WitchandSebastian Stan’s Winter Soldier.
Now, with Loeb exiting Marvel TV and Feige being promoted to Marvel CCO, it appears the vision for Marvel Television is being aligned more with the MCU, and the existing Marvel TV world is being snapped away. The only remaining live-action Marvel TV series are Hulu’s upcomingHelstromand the currently runningRunaways, the latter of which launches its third season in December. Will it, too, be cancelled shortly thereafter? I would not be surprised.
