WonderCon 2019 – Marvel TV Coverage ft. Cloak & Dagger and Marvel Rising: Heart of Iron

Alright, it took me way too long to become a Marvel convert but I am ALL IN. This year’s WonderCon was a treat for Marvel fans, new and long time, with coverage of their TV shows and animated specials. I attended the panels and screenings for Cloak & Dagger and Marvel Rising: Heart of Iron (which is a follow up to the panel I covered for SDCC!). Check out my recaps below and be sure to catch both of these amazing shows/events this week!

Cloak & Dagger

Jeph Loeb, Executive Producer of Cloak & Dagger, is joined on stage by Joe Pokaski (Director/Writer/Producer), Emma Lahana (Brigid O’Reilly), Aubrey Joseph (Tyrone/Cloak) and Olivia Holt (Dagger/Tandy). Everyone is smiling and the energy is good. It’s clear everyone is thrilled to celebrate season 2 with a packed room of fans.

Coming into season 2, the creative team knew how good the actors are. They had put them through the ringer. Run the emotional gamut. “Every time we raised the bar, they met it.” Oliva had to learn ballet. Aubrey did stunts. Emma studied martial arts.Writers decided to challenge the team in season 2, giving them lows lower and highs higher.  Season 1 was a slow burn and now the pair are embracing their power and their abilities as a team. “There’s a city that needs saving – why not us?” Aubrey smiles.

Cloak & Dagger S02e01 Recap

The opening look is Olivia dancing in ballet –  in the light, feeling safe enough to come back to her roots. No, she’s in her head, making up for lost time and trying to pretend everything is fine.  On the flip side, Tyrone is in the shadows, watching street dealers. Tyrone uses his powers to take the drugs out of the hands of addicts and money out of the hands of killers as the lyrics “run for your life” play in the background. The soundtrack is bomb, as always. 

It’s a dynamic opposite of how last season opened. 

Tandy’s mom is in DV support group, opening up about a scene from the end of last season where we saw Tandy’s father slapping her mother. Tandy acknowledges that her mother’s flaws were in an act of love and she’s actually a hero. It’s great to see them reconnecting. 

Wait a minute – isn’t Brigid laying dead in a swamp? This season she will play two roles. Bridget and Mayhem. We get no answers this episode on what the heck is going on with Bridget but her shot is off the game. Is she also in her head or is there something more? Could be those pills she’s downing in her car… 

Tandy is up to old tricks – stealing physics syllabi and textbooks so that Tyrone can keep up on his studies. Ty’s been practicing his skills but Tandy brushes it off, saying she is laying low. But does Ty miss his real life over saving the world? Running away from bullets, putting his family in danger? Yeah, he’s a little restless. Which means Tandy doesn’t know he’s out with extracurriculars. 

Everything seems good. He wasn’t good. Ty is clearly processing what happened in season 1. He sneaks out and keeps tags on his mom, dad, girlfriend. He’s playing basketball in the church in his St Sabastian’s Prep shirt. Watching his life pass is tearing him apart. 

Surprise, Ty doesn’t know Tandy is out threatening DV perpetrators. She couldn’t protect her mother but she’s the opposite of laying low. That dagger looks well practiced. Tandy has some real anger. 

Ty takes his night stalking to the next level and goes after higher level dealers, only to have Tandy swoop to rescue him. It’s stupid and dangerous and why didn’t he ask Tandy to help? Don’t they trust each other? There’s something here. They acknowledge they’re better together. He’s hitting the gangs and she’s taking of DV perps to process anger. So what are they going to do? Get a confession from the gang higher ups to help O’Reilly. They head out to the club.

After a brief scene where they act like they’re normal teens, we hear gunshots and see blood on the walls. The gang leaders end up dead, with Cloak and Dagger left to clean up the mess…

We are reminded that Tyrone and Tandy are teens with their impulsivity – Tyrone already on the run for murder and now his hands are on drugs and money. Tandy has her “nice life” back and yet she’s out tackling DV perps. These heroes are handling problems in their neighborhood, something we need to see more of. They’re not battling aliens – they’re battling evil corporations and gangs using 14 year old kids to sling drugs. These are the heroes we need.

Cloak and Dagger returns April 4th (today!) on Freeform. Catch up on season 1 on Hulu!

Marvel Rising: Heart of Iron

Stand out, rise together 

The voices of Riri Williams, Squirrel Girl, Ms. Marvel, and Patriot, are joined on stage by creative team members to unveil Marvel Rising: Heart of Iron. Heart of Iron is the next Marvel Rising event, which have matching dolls, comics, and fans of all ages. Marvel traveled the country to ask girls what they wanted in the animated MCU – even though women make up 50% of the box office, Marvel acknowledged this isn’t the audience they’re used to speaking to and they wanted to get it right.. Young women shared what characters they gravitated to (different body types, perspectives, backgrounds). The girls even came up with the name – Marvel Rising.  

The moderator asks the panel personal questions, as the crowd – full of kids – buzzes. You can feel the energy and excitement in this room, just as you could at SDCC. When Milana (Squirrel Girl) shares what makes Doreen special, it took everything I had not to run up on stage and beg her to be my best friend. See, she embodies Squirrel Girl with everything! “You can be capable and smart and not serious. What makes Squirrel Girl interesting in her ability to see good, to be optimistic. To believe in people. That comes with playing.” Let’s all agree to play more, right? 

Marvel Rising: Heart of Iron (spoilers ahead!)

Riri hasn’t made friends but she has uncovered an alien cold fusion energy source, right in time for villian Hala to drop in and steal it. Captain Marvel swoops in and is joined by the secret warriors – Lockjaw, Inferno, Spider-Gwen, America, Squirrel Girl, Ms. Marvel, Patriot, and Agent Daisy Johnson. Captain Marvel admonishes Daisy, saying they could have been hurt and she needs to do better.

Riri has kept her Iron suit under wraps – which Hala-wearing-a-Daisy-suit figures out and takes it under the guise of the Avengers. As you can imagine, this leads to the Secret Warriors coming together, using both smarts and brawn to secure Riri’s hard work. 

I teared up at the end and cheered for the team. Heart of Iron is a beautiful look at loss and friendship. The best part – Riri giving herself her superhero name (Iron Heart). 

In Heart of Rising, everyone begins feeling like outsiders, exploring what people think of them, expect of them, and tells them to do. Riri has built a tough exterior to protect herself. Doreen is as impulsive as ever, ignoring reason and tackling everything. Kamala is the heart of the group and Patriot has the rules. Together they find a community. This event is funny, heart-felt, and reflects the world kids live in today, with engaging, bright art.

Three more Marvel Rising events are in the works, on centered on Spider-Gwen, one for Shuri, and a final event for Dante. 

Quite possibly the best part of the panel – watching all kids line up to ask questions!

Watch Heart of Iron NOW! Check it out here!