Cloak and Dagger have never been superstars, but they have maintained a presence in comics for over thirty years, popping up occasionally when writers remember they exist. They have been the recipient of action figures in three different lines now, but Legends status still escapes them. I think it’s high time they got the 6-inch treatment.
Cloak and Dagger were created by Bill Mantlo and Ed Hannigan and made their grand debut in an issue of Peter Parker The Spectacular Spider-Man way back in 1982. Both teenagers with strange powers (a Marvel specialty), Cloak was a living portal to a dark dimension that ate the life force of humans, and Dagger was the opposite — a bright battery that could throw light daggers that sucked the juice from people. Dagger’s light was the only thing that kept Cloak’s darkness in check, and Cloak’s darkness was the only thing that could drain Dagger’s light so she didn’t overload, creating a very co-dependent relationship that was very different from many other pairings.
They would go on to make several appearances, both in that title and in their own mini-series, graduating to their own regular series, which was folded into Strange Tales, where they shared space with Dr. Strange. They would make appearances here and there, always sticking to their street-level roots, except for when Cloak was a big player in the Infinity Gauntlet, where he managed to trap an omnipotent Thanos in his Cloak.
Briefly.
That didn’t end well for Cloak, but everything returned to normal afterwards, so that wasn’t the end of him.
I was in on the ground floor for their comic appearances, and I’ve always held a huge soft spot for this pair. Their name is both perfect for a comic-book duo and syncs up with their particular and peculiar power set. Cloak’s dynamic, flowing cape enveloping his shadowy form speaks to that part of me that loves the mysterious, eerie characters, and Dagger’s polar opposite bright and shining design is the perfect opposing flavor.
Cloak and Dagger managed to get a 5-inch set of figures back in the fabled ’90s, got a set of Marvel Select figures a decade ago, and also managed to get a 4-inch set of Marvel Universe figures a few years ago. But 6-inch Legends? Nothing. At least nothing yet.
Over the years a lot of people have seemed to be satisfied with the Marvel Select Cloak and Dagger, which rendered Cloak as a glorified accessory. I strongly oppose the idea that Cloak is just a head on a cape, and the complete lack of playworthiness made that set a no-go for me.
The Marvel Universe figure at least gave him a body, but the cloak itself was rather puny and didn’t sufficiently convey his power. In other words, it just looked like a regular cape when Cloak’s cloak should look anything but.
Oddly enough, it was the 5-inchers that have done the duo the best. While a decent-looking Dagger is not difficult to pull off — slap a head on one of nice female bodies and keep heels far far away from her and she’ll be fine — I think the only way to properly convey Cloak is with a fabric cape like the one used on the ’90s figure.
Yes, the anti-fabric crowd just popped a vessel. No, I don’t care. Sometimes to do something just right you need to use the right materials, and this time it just happens to be fabric. With wired fabric along the lines of the Mezco figures or some of MAFEX’s work, a large, lightweight cape will have the necessary poseability to properly convey the near-sentience of Cloak’s particular fashion choice. This will allow him to pose with the cape fully unfurled as if about to devour a bad guy, or it can be wrapped around him as in some of his more solemn moments. Do it right and you’ll have a fantastic figure that is both playetic and can be posed in tandem with Tandy (Dagger’s real name) for shelf-ready perfection.
It would be insane for this duo to be released in anything other than the same wave, but they’re long overdue, and after making an appearance in so many other lines and scales, it’s time for them to become Legends.