Agents of Shield SEASON ONE (1 - 7)

The one hour live television series format of Agents of Shield was derived off the shoulders of Clark Gregg.  From day one, when his friend Jon Faverau called him up directly, back in 2006 to discuss a part in his next film project called Iron Man, Gregg would spend the next six years appearing in 4 of the 6 marvel phase one films.  The catalyst that created an ocean of popularity predates the theatrical release of the Avengers movie.  On September 13^th 2011, The DVD release of Thor with the Marvel One Shot featurette, followed by the October 25^th, 2011 DVD release of Captain America: First Avenger Marvel One Shot featurette .  Drew fan chatter over their love for Phil Coulson, the initial intent of the one shot was to give an additional connection to the films beyond the post credit scenes. According to Joseph Loeb the President of Marvel Television at the time; social media and fan reaction brought an active discussion of bringing forth a television spin off with Joss Whedon  at the helm;  who was in the midst of editing the Avengers movie, and who was also a seasoned veteran of creating television content.  The powers that be decided to craft out a way to continue the mythology of storytelling on a weekly episodic television series, while continuing to keep pace with the ever changing landscape of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

 On May 4^th, 2012 fans where a gasp at the demise of Coulson, a new wave chatter began, a movement of disbelief, t-shirts would appear at the varied conventions and comic-cons ,displaying ‘Coulson Lives’.  On November 2012 at the New York Comic-Con, Joseph Loeb made an appearance and with a standing room audience he gave a sort of eulogy for Agent Coulson with a presented video highlight reel.  It was at the end of the presentation when Kevin Feige and Joss Whedon made a surprise live streaming video appearance to the fans, indicating that Coulson lives and he will be back in his own television series. Marvels Agents of Shield. This announcement began a full one year build up before the release of the series in the fall of 2013. The premiere day on ABC had the largest rating in network history at that time of 13 million views for the pilot episode, and 22 million by the end of the week when streaming and the Sunday replay airing was tabulated

The first several episodes gave us a small glimpse of each character, and understanding of their role in the team; but it was in episode six called Fzzt, when the show began to show heart.  Fzzt differs tremendously in the writing and action. The plot and over-all story gets concluded within the first thirty minutes of the episode and unbeknownst to the viewer.  What we are given real stakes; a member of the team gets infected, that is our Mcguffin, and it becomes the actions, motivations, and interactions amongst themselves, with that hanging sense of dread that becomes compelling story. The villain of the week, the special effect or gimmick is put aside to have real human interaction and storytelling.  The series has built up just enough back-story and exposition for us to now be invested in these characters.  On top of episode six, the entire first season has been fueled by a giant mystery box, that a legion of fans have been wanted answered since May 4^th 2012, How did Agent Phil Couslon survive after the battle in New York or is that the real Phil Coulson?

Cloak & Dagger (Season Two)

A series brought to you on freeform (ABC spark in Canada); its showrunner Joe Pokaski who also served as a writer and became a first time director on the series. Created a show that was socially conscious, ensuring that the writing staff as well as its directors
(6 out of 10 would be female directors) researched the themes and topics they were going to explore, rather than going for a villain of the week. With the understanding of a limited budget the show progresses with visual vectors of the mind. We see dream states of the leading characters as they enter  memories or see hopes and fears of others.  The show introduces us to a dark dimension, something introduced in Agent Carter and Agents of Shield, while these shows gave us physical properties of the dimension,  elements that exists in this space, and an actual planetary world in one instance. Cloak and Dagger explore it as a small pocket universe that runs on a subconscious level of those who enter it as a means to cope or understand their environment. A Loa a powerful entity that resides inside it, presents itself as a familiar face to each person who enter the dimension. It chooses to provide information, it sets up rules and conditions that allow travelers to move about, and accepts offerings as trade to allow the traveler gain certain means or move about quicker.

Season One introduces us to the existence of a light force and a dark force, exposure to dark forces turns people to 'terrors', a craze version  not too different on the social mechanics of a violent zombie. Season Two introduces us to two people exposed to  light and dark force. Detective Brigid O'Reilly who gets exposed, then falls in the waters of Louisiana only to be physically split into two people, one that harbors anger and rage while the other more timid. 
The series is broken up into two villains, Mayhem is introduced in the first half, the alternate version of Detective O'Reilly.  The character was introduced in issue #1 of Cloak and Dagger back in October of 1983, and was a character in pursuit of the duo that later became an ally. The story differs when she and fellow officers where killed by a noxious gas and was brought to life by Cloak and Dagger, while in the series she is killed by gunshot by Detective Connors and saved by the infusion of light and dark energies that split her in two.  Creating Mayhem a rage induced vigilante bent on going after those associated with her demise. She would end up being an ally for Cloak and Dagger, but as showrunner  Joe Pokaski phrased it in an interview, O'Reilly is the shows Killmonger.  As the viewer, we understand and sympathize from her circumstance, but not necessarily agree with her methods of response.
In the second half we are given Andre (D'Spayre) Deschaine and Lia Dewan councilors at a support group. In Andre's own words 90% of those who comes his way he helps with counseling, choices, and shelter, and the 10% who he can't be helped, they help him.  He drains all their hope to free him of his migraine, and provides for his side business of sex trafficking. Andre Deschaine was a man on the verge of suicide, suffering from debilitating migraines that prevented him from playing music which he passionately loved, and experiencing a great sense of loss when the club he played at burned down. Was unaware of the oil rig explosion when he jumped off a bridge and was given a power to drain people of their hope to alleviate his own migraines for a period.
The show introduces us to the concept of a veve a spiritual drawing to lead him to his Loa and eventual ascension to a god-hood, so he can be free of his migraine and control a legion of followers without hope.
The show tackles social injustices with incredible amount of understanding and respect, by delivering real world issues and laying out the systemic problems of these issues. The season was created at period of the #metoo and #blacklivesmatter movement of 2019. It has an echoing effect for 2020, with George Floyd, Harvey Weinstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell.

Future is Now

The year 2020, can arguably be made as the year no one saw coming or ever predicted.  Hollywood has fantasied on stories of post apocalypse scenarios, outbreaks, political satires, and social injustices. However, no screenwriter, prophet, psychic or analyst could had devised a model that would brace of what was to come.
So to unintentionally deepen the void of unpredictability here are 4 movies that was made to predict the future of the year 2020,  The time of which their stories had taken place; and how radically different the view points are from our reality.


G.I. Joe the Rise of Cobra
The  film was released in theatres August of 2009,  based on the 1964 Hasbro toy line, that became a popular cartoon series in which the movie is derived from. It is the first installment of the movie franchise and like the title suggests its how Cobra became introduced, acting as a wayward origin story.  Directed by Stephen Sommers who at that time was celebrated as being the director of the two Mummy movies starring Brendan Fraser, An action adventure franchise that Sommers appeared to have the DNA to showcase an epic tale for.  The film is juxtaposed to the deployment of military  now being used to help the civilian populist  to manage and combat an invisible enemy ravaging the world, within the medical community, senior's homes, and local law enforcement,
                            As our scientists and doctors are working like mad to discover a cure.


Pacific Rim
Brought to theatres by Academy Award wining Director Guillermo Del Toro in July of 2013.
It was an homage to Kaiju Mecha, and of anime media. It was better received from the international audiences making under a half billion dollars at the box office.  The irony would be looking at Hong Kong, China as the last base for Jaegars the giant robots devised to fight these massive monsters from the deep oceans.  China has been looked upon as the starting base of a global pandemic with micro-biological viruses that pass from person to person.  As the government seem to be at odds with its people, and with democracy. 
A contrary last stand from the depicted movie,


Real Steel

A 2011 movie, starring Hugh Jackman and Dakota Goyo, based on a 1956 short story called Steel, that got adapted in a 1963 episode of Twlight Zone. It is a rough characterization of social distancing with the concept of animatronic robots fighting, as a televised or online viewing for sport.
The plot and literal machination of the movie does not properly stand up a decade later but the concept of online games or sports without an audience is now the new approach for 2020.



Stealth

An American military science fiction movie, that hit theatres on July 2005. About 3 top fighter pilots posed to develop an automated robotic stealth aircraft. In the real world at the start of 2020, the world was morning the loss of a civilian aircraft shot was down by military, as an accident. There was a pilot crash and flight accidents which occurred in 2020,  as a result of mechanical issues or unforeseen incidents like a bird in the exhaust or turbine as was the case of Canada's snowbird crash in Vancouver. Less people look to flying unless it is a necessity for 2020.

Cloak & Dagger (Season One)

Set in the  backdrop of New Orleans, their story represents the disenfranchised  youth in urban society, as victims of a corporate or economic downturn, discrimination, and a broken social system .  We have a pair of heroes from opposing sides coming together with an indifference that will save the city. 
Cloak & Dagger made their first appearance in Peter Parker, Spectacular Spider-Man back in March 1982, on issue #64.

They have been tiered as low level superheroes similar to the scale of Netflix's interpretation of the Defenders.  For the series Tyrone Johnson and Tandy Bowen are relocated to post hurricane Katrina New Orleans instead of New York City; as what was developed in the comics. Tweaking their origins with Billy being Tyrone's brother and their power not being a dormant mutations released by a mysterious drug injection, but an explosion from an off shore oil refinery. Cloak aka Tyrone Johnson attends a catholic school and is on the basketball team, the team if they can get along can make it to the finals. Something that has not occurred from back when Tyrone's late brother Billy was on the team.  His parents fearful of their remaining son, want only the best for him, but Tyrone struggles with survivors guilt from the night his brother was gunned down on the pier by Detective Connors a man sporting a scar across his cheek; and no record of him on the force, as his brother was found with drugs in his system. An obvious cover up and discarded case as another troubled black youth.  Tandy Bowen, a homeless kid who robs rich kids and lives in an abandoned church, is a victim of being a corporate patsy, her father Nathan was the project manager at an oil refinery and when an accident caused it to explode he was accused of negligence on that same night he and his daughter had a car accident that veered his vehicle off a pier, causing him to be knocked unconscious and drowned.  Of the duo, Tyrone is the more morally centered person, academically brilliant, he struggles with himself since the incident and with his basketball team and seeks sessions with father Delgado.  Tandy and her mother were financially ruined and disgraced by Nathan's company  Roxxon oil.  Her mother turned to drugs and struggled with addiction, and Tandy had to fend for herself becoming a pick pocket and moral-less towards the rich and privilege. Cloak & Dagger's proximity to the oil refinery released an energy that gave them latent abilities that only unlocked when they would meet again 8 years later and touch.
Beside creating daggers of light  that can cut various forms of matter  she can access peoples hopes, and if she chooses too, steal them away.  Tyrone can access peoples fears and can teleport to wherever he is driven to. Both have psionic bond to each other and are empathic when they touch others. However when they attempt to touch each other  their powers are triggered and their opposing powers create powerful psionic backlashing.

Beneath the oil refinery is a darkforce of energy and if exposed ramps up one's fear to 1000% turning the infected into angry zombies. Roxxon has created  pipelines throughout the city and when the energy that gave cloak and dagger their powers gets released, fear energy will blanket the city. It is also during this process Tyrone seeks to avenge his  brother's killer by bringing Detective Conners to justice.  Tandy also must leave her corrupt lifestyle behind her before she too will face the law. The law in both these cases comes in the form of Detective Brigid O'Reily , who eventually comes around to aid the Duo. Being that it is New Orleans, we have the spiritual experience with an occult medium, whose niece Evita attends the same catholic school as Tyrone and appears to be his love interest. We have Liam a partner in crime and muscle when Tandy robs the rich. They begin as ancillary characters to just help forward the story, but slowly begin to have a more pronounced roll as the series progresses. The lead actors Oliva Holt and Aubrey Joseph give wonderful performances that feel relatable as the audience can sympathize with their characters. As Cloak & Daggers powers continue to develop and mature, Tyrone can begin to summon the darkforce  and pull things into its dark dimension, Tandy's daggers can purify its evil energies. The post credit final scene sets up what maybe interpreted as a new super powered villain.