# Marvel's young adult television series
**Marvel's young adult television series** were a group of live-action shows produced by [Marvel Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-television) for teenage and young-adult audiences within the [Marvel Cinematic Universe](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-cinematic-universe) (MCU). The slate consisted principally of *Marvel's Runaways* (Hulu, 2017–2019, 3 seasons, 33 episodes) and *Marvel's Cloak & Dagger* (Freeform, 2018–2019, 2 seasons, 20 episodes), with a third comedy series, *Marvel's New Warriors*, ordered at Freeform but never released.[1](https://www.mcklib.org/sites/default/files/migrated/Other%20PDFs/Marvel%20Cinematic%20Universe_Guide.pdf) • [2](https://www.marvel.com/articles/tv-shows/marvel-s-new-warriors-headed-to-freeform-with-straight-to-series-order) Both broadcast series were canceled by their networks before the end of November 2019, and development on further young adult series stopped when Marvel Television was folded into [Marvel Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvel-studios).[3](https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/runaways-greg-sulkin-why-show-was-cancelled-revealed-hulu/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Series produced | *Runaways* (Hulu, 2017–2019, 3 seasons, 33 episodes) and *Cloak & Dagger* (Freeform, 2018–2019, 2 seasons, 20 episodes)[1](https://www.mcklib.org/sites/default/files/migrated/Other%20PDFs/Marvel%20Cinematic%20Universe_Guide.pdf) |
| Ordered but unaired | *Marvel's New Warriors*, a comedic live-action adaptation ordered straight to series at Freeform for ten 30-minute episodes slated for 2018[2](https://www.marvel.com/articles/tv-shows/marvel-s-new-warriors-headed-to-freeform-with-straight-to-series-order) |
| Source comics | *Runaways* adapts the comic by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona; *Cloak & Dagger* follows Tandy Bowen (Dagger) and Tyrone Johnson (Cloak)[4](https://www.marvel.com/articles/tv-shows/josh-schwartz-stephanie-savage-and-jeph-loeb-talk-about-bringing-marvel-s-runaways-to-life) • [5](https://www.marvel.com/articles/tv-shows/first-look-runaways-meet-cloak-and-dagger?linkId=78522422) |
| Crossover | Cloak and Dagger guest starred in *Runaways* season 3, which premiered December 13, 2019 on Hulu[5](https://www.marvel.com/articles/tv-shows/first-look-runaways-meet-cloak-and-dagger?linkId=78522422) |
| End of the slate | Both series canceled by November 2019; Marvel Television was folded into Marvel Studios under Kevin Feige and future development stopped[3](https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/runaways-greg-sulkin-why-show-was-cancelled-revealed-hulu/) • [6](https://www.thewrap.com/how-runaways-got-caught-in-the-middle-of-marvel-tvs-corporate-restructuring/) |
| Streaming fate | Disney removed *Runaways* from Hulu in 2023; all three seasons later streamed on Tubi[7](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/streaming/the-best-marvel-show-youve-never-seen-is-finally-streaming-for-free-on-tubi) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
#### Season 1
Los Angeles, the present day. Two years after their friend Amy Minoru died, six teenagers whose parents all belong to the same charity circle have drifted apart. [Alex Wilder](https://www.edgepedia.org/alex-wilder) ([Rhenzy Feliz](https://www.edgepedia.org/rhenzy-feliz)), a lonely gamer, texts the others to meet at his house, hoping to pull the old group back together. [Nico Minoru](https://www.edgepedia.org/nico-minoru) (Lyrica Okano) is a goth who blames herself for Amy's death and dabbles in her mother's witchcraft. Karolina Dean (Virginia Gardner) is the daughter of two Hollywood faces of a Scientology-like church, a good girl with an eating problem and a bracelet she is never allowed to remove. Chase Stein (Gregg Sulkin) is a lacrosse bro hiding an engineering genius and a father who hits him. Gert Yorkes (Ariela Barer) is a purple-haired activist with a psychic link to something in the basement. Molly Hernandez (Allegra Acosta) is the youngest, an orphan whose cramps are about to turn out to be super-strength.
While the parents hold their annual meeting downstairs, the kids sneak into the study to find out what keeps their parents together. What they find is a hidden passage, a room, a red ritual, and a girl named Destiny Gonzalez being forced into a hole in the floor as a sacrifice to something below. The parents catch the intruders, wipe their memories of the night, and send them home, but the teens' own hidden cameras have already saved the footage. Watching the video, they realize the impossible is true, run away from home, and hole up in a mansion belonging to one of their own families.
From there the season runs on two clocks. The kids investigate: Alex decodes his father's old journals, Nico claims the Staff of One her mother used, Chase takes his father's fistigons, Gert and Molly discover that the thing in the basement is Old Lace, a genetically engineered dinosaur with a nose ring who obeys Gert, and Karolina learns why the bracelet exists. The parents, meanwhile, hunt for the missing girl's body, argue over the deal they made years ago with an ancient being called Jonah, and quietly turn on each other, with Catherine Wilder (Angel Parker) and Tina Minoru ([Brittany Ishibashi](https://www.edgepedia.org/brittany-ishibashi)) the most ruthless players at the table.
**Karolina taking off her bracelet is the scene the season is remembered for.** She has been told her whole life never to remove it. When she finally does, her hands and arms begin to glow and sparkle, and she gazes at them in awe, gently waving the limbs like sticks of ritual incense, before abruptly passing out. The pilot frames the moment from her point of view, the light blooming right in front of her eyes, and critics picked it out as the show's signature image, superpower as unexpected self-actualization. She later shows Chase, her skin turning into what one recap called a living [Lisa Frank](https://www.edgepedia.org/lisa-frank) drawing.
The season's first big action set piece goes to the youngest kid. Molly, still convinced her strength is a phase, wanders near Old Lace and the dinosaur pounces, pinning her to the ground until her power finally kicks in and she hurls the animal into the ceiling. The fight is deliberately unchoreographed, a scared fifteen-year-old versus a lizard, and it works because of that.
As the season closes, the mysteries braid together. Amy's death, first presented as a suicide, is revealed to be murder, tied to what she knew about Pride, and Nico's grief, which opened the series with a solo bonfire séance on the beach trying to summon her sister's spirit, becomes the engine of her turn toward her mother's dark arts. Jonah ([Julian McMahon](https://www.edgepedia.org/julian-mcmahon)), the church benefactor Karolina's parents answer to, emerges from the ground under the ceremony site, older and stranger than anyone expected. The kids, having gone from spying on Pride to actively sabotaging it, rescue Karolina after Jonah kidnaps her, and the season ends with the six of them fleeing after learning they have been framed for Destiny's murder.
### Characters
- **Alex Wilder** (Rhenzy Feliz): the de facto leader, a nerdy gamer who reunites the group after Amy's death and turns out to be the son of Pride's sharpest strategist.
- **Nico Minoru** (Lyrica Okano): the sad, loner goth kid, no powers of her own, only a desperate desire to be whole again, learning the dark arts her mother practices.
- **Karolina Dean** ([Virginia Gardner](https://www.edgepedia.org/virginia-gardner)): the church kid with the bracelet, whose glow is both a power and a coming out, in every sense.
- **Chase Stein** ([Gregg Sulkin](https://www.edgepedia.org/gregg-sulkin)): the jock with a genius for his father's inventions and a bruise or two to hide; Sulkin's real British accent startled a New York Comic Con audience.
- **Gert Yorkes** (Ariela Barer): feminist, activist, protester, and reluctant owner of a telepathically bonded dinosaur.
- **Molly Hernandez** (Allegra Acosta): the baby of the group, whose period cramps turn out to be super-strength.
- **The parents, Pride**: [James Marsters](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-marsters) and Annie Wersching as Karolina's cult-facing parents, Brittany Ishibashi and James Yaegashi as the Minorus, Angel Parker and Ryan Sands as the Wilders, Kevin Weisman, Ever Carradine, Kip Pardue, Brigid Brannagh, and Julian McMahon's Jonah above them all.
### Interpretations and controversies
The show's biggest departure from the comic drew real debate: Schwartz and Savage made the parents far larger characters than Vaughan and Alphona ever did, giving Pride their own storylines and sympathetic angles. Collider argued this cost the show a strong central viewpoint, since the audience keeps leaving the kids to check in on the villains. Some NYCC audience members also grumbled that it felt too much like *Degrassi*, teen drama first and comic-book action second.
## The two series
**Runaways.** *Marvel's Runaways* premiered its first three episodes on November 21, 2017 on Hulu, adapting the comic book series by writer [Brian K. Vaughan](https://www.edgepedia.org/brian-k-vaughan) and artist Adrian Alphona.[4](https://www.marvel.com/articles/tv-shows/josh-schwartz-stephanie-savage-and-jeph-loeb-talk-about-bringing-marvel-s-runaways-to-life) The show was run by [Josh Schwartz](https://www.edgepedia.org/josh-schwartz) and Stephanie Savage, whose previous dramas included *The O.C.* and *Gossip Girl*; years earlier, [Jeph Loeb](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeph-loeb), then head of Marvel Television, had described the nascent project as "The OC of Marvel".[8](https://www.tvguide.com/news/marvels-runaways-josh-schwartz-stephanie-savage-interview/) Hulu's official synopsis frames the premise: six diverse teenagers who can barely stand each other must unite against a common foe, their own parents.[9](https://press.hulu.com/shows/marvels-runaways/) In the story, the teens discover their parents belong to a Los Angeles crime syndicate known as the Pride, and the television version expanded the adult characters with storylines and dimensions the comic had not explored.[4](https://www.marvel.com/articles/tv-shows/josh-schwartz-stephanie-savage-and-jeph-loeb-talk-about-bringing-marvel-s-runaways-to-life) • [7](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/streaming/the-best-marvel-show-youve-never-seen-is-finally-streaming-for-free-on-tubi)
**Cloak & Dagger.** *Marvel's Cloak & Dagger* debuted on June 7, 2018 on Freeform, the cable channel then known as the rebranded ABC Family.[10](https://assets.informa.com/digitaleditions/LIC/LG/LG%20Archive/2018/MAY_2018.pdf) • [11](https://roderic.uv.es/bitstream/handle/10550/75225/Tesis%20Jordi%20Revert%20Firmada_signed.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=1) Created for television by Joe Pokaski, it follows Tandy Bowen and Tyrone Johnson, two teenagers from very different backgrounds who acquire linked superpowers.[5](https://www.marvel.com/articles/tv-shows/first-look-runaways-meet-cloak-and-dagger?linkId=78522422) A Spanish academic study of the two series describes *Cloak & Dagger* as aimed at the same audience as *Runaways* but with greater emphasis on the romantic relationship between its two leads.[11](https://roderic.uv.es/bitstream/handle/10550/75225/Tesis%20Jordi%20Revert%20Firmada_signed.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=1) A Television Academy profile of Marvel Television's output described the show as the young-adult-friendly entry made for Freeform's more youthful viewers.[12](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/features/marvels-amazing-adventures)
## Development and motivation
The young adult slate grew out of Marvel Television's strategy under Jeph Loeb, the writer-producer who ran the division from its creation. Loeb said the popularity of Tom Holland's Spider-Man made young heroes attractive for television: "the idea of YA, the idea of young heroes was something that got us very excited because it works really well on television".[13](https://www.themarysue.com/jeph-loeb-marvel-knights-tv-future/) At one point Marvel Television was building out a corner of the MCU geared specifically toward young adult audiences, with *Runaways* and *Cloak & Dagger* produced for that demographic.[3](https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/runaways-greg-sulkin-why-show-was-cancelled-revealed-hulu/)
A third project extended the slate into comedy. In April 2017, Freeform, Marvel Television, and ABC Signature announced *Marvel's New Warriors*, a comedic live-action adaptation featuring young adult heroes, Marvel's first foray into comedy for a television series, with a straight-to-series order of ten 30-minute episodes slated to debut in 2018.[2](https://www.marvel.com/articles/tv-shows/marvel-s-new-warriors-headed-to-freeform-with-straight-to-series-order) The premise followed six young people with powers living and working together, with abilities described as on the opposite end of the spectrum from the Avengers. A pilot was filmed, with Derek Theler cast as Mr. Immortal, but the show never reached the air; according to Theler, it "disappeared into Hollywood limbo".[14](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/marvel-tv-shows/actor-behind-cancelled-marvel-show-reveals-look-at-mcus-squirrel-girl-despite-being-forbidden-from-taking-photos/)
## Crossover and cross-platform release
The two series were connected on screen and in distribution. The crossover took place in *Runaways* season 3, which premiered December 13, 2019, with Tandy Bowen and Tyrone Johnson appearing alongside the Runaways.[5](https://www.marvel.com/articles/tv-shows/first-look-runaways-meet-cloak-and-dagger?linkId=78522422)
## Cancellation and aftermath
**Corporate restructuring.** In late 2019, Marvel Television, which had been led separately by Loeb under Marvel Entertainment CEO Ike Perlmutter, was moved under Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios; Loeb was reported to be leaving, and all future Marvel TV development was stopped.[6](https://www.thewrap.com/how-runaways-got-caught-in-the-middle-of-marvel-tvs-corporate-restructuring/) One month after the move, Hulu announced *Runaways* would end with its third season. Showrunners Schwartz and Savage said the decision to end the series was not entirely theirs; Schwartz called it "a realistic assessment of when it felt like the show might be wrapping up" and noted that continuing a television series "is not always necessarily up to you".[6](https://www.thewrap.com/how-runaways-got-caught-in-the-middle-of-marvel-tvs-corporate-restructuring/) *Cloak & Dagger* and *Runaways* were both canceled by their networks before the end of November 2019, and development on any further young adult series halted when Marvel Television was folded into Marvel Studios.[3](https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/runaways-greg-sulkin-why-show-was-cancelled-revealed-hulu/)
**Streaming fate.** The shows produced by Marvel Television, originally intended as part of the MCU, were later placed in a kind of limbo: some, such as Netflix's *Daredevil*, were reincorporated into the Marvel Studios era, while others were left behind. *Runaways* was removed from Hulu by Disney in 2023 and subsequently streamed on the CW app before all three seasons arrived on Tubi in 2026.[7](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/streaming/the-best-marvel-show-youve-never-seen-is-finally-streaming-for-free-on-tubi)
## Legacy and the Young Avengers question
The young adult slate anticipated a broader interest in teenage heroes that continued under Marvel Studios. Characters such as Ms. Marvel and Kate Bishop were introduced on Disney+ as younger leads, and in 2022 Kevin Feige told reporters that a Young Avengers team-up film or television series "potentially" could happen, while stressing that "it comes down to where's the best story and where is the best strange alchemy".[15](https://www.tvline.com/news/young-avengers-series-status-iman-vellani-hailee-steinfeld-1235475930/) As of October 2026, Marvel Television head Brad Winderbaum acknowledged that despite the number of Young Avengers characters introduced in the MCU, no film or television project bringing them together had yet been made.[16](https://theplaylist.net/marvel-young-avengers-brad-winderbaum-development-struggles-20261016/)
## References
1. [TV Shows in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, McKinley Memorial Library guide](https://www.mcklib.org/sites/default/files/migrated/Other%20PDFs/Marvel%20Cinematic%20Universe_Guide.pdf)
2. ['Marvel's New Warriors' Headed to Freeform With Straight to Series Order, Marvel.com (April 5, 2017)](https://www.marvel.com/articles/tv-shows/marvel-s-new-warriors-headed-to-freeform-with-straight-to-series-order)
3. [Runaways Star Greg Sulkin Reveals Why He Thinks Marvel Really Cancelled the Series, ComicBook.com](https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/runaways-greg-sulkin-why-show-was-cancelled-revealed-hulu/)
4. [Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage and Jeph Loeb Talk About Bringing 'Marvel's Runaways' to Life, Marvel.com](https://www.marvel.com/articles/tv-shows/josh-schwartz-stephanie-savage-and-jeph-loeb-talk-about-bringing-marvel-s-runaways-to-life)
5. ['Marvel's Runaways' First Look: The Runaways Meet Cloak and Dagger, Marvel.com](https://www.marvel.com/articles/tv-shows/first-look-runaways-meet-cloak-and-dagger?linkId=78522422)
6. [How 'Runaways' Got Caught in the Middle of Marvel TV's Corporate Restructuring, TheWrap (December 13, 2019)](https://www.thewrap.com/how-runaways-got-caught-in-the-middle-of-marvel-tvs-corporate-restructuring/)
7. [The best Marvel show you've never seen is finally streaming for free on Tubi, Tom's Guide](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/streaming/the-best-marvel-show-youve-never-seen-is-finally-streaming-for-free-on-tubi)
8. [How Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage Created Marvel's Runaways, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/news/marvels-runaways-josh-schwartz-stephanie-savage-interview/)
9. [Marvel's Runaways, Hulu Press](https://press.hulu.com/shows/marvels-runaways/)
10. [Licensing Book, May 2018 (Marvel's Cloak and Dagger, June 7, 2018 on Freeform)](https://assets.informa.com/digitaleditions/LIC/LG/LG%20Archive/2018/MAY_2018.pdf)
11. [Jordi Revert, doctoral thesis, Universitat de València (Runaways and Cloak & Dagger production details)](https://roderic.uv.es/bitstream/handle/10550/75225/Tesis%20Jordi%20Revert%20Firmada_signed.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=1)
12. [Marvel's Amazing Adventures, Television Academy (July 26, 2017)](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/features/marvels-amazing-adventures)
13. [Jeph Loeb on the Future of Marvel TV and Exploring New Genres, The Mary Sue](https://www.themarysue.com/jeph-loeb-marvel-knights-tv-future/)
14. [Actor behind cancelled Marvel show reveals look at MCU's Squirrel Girl, GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/marvel-tv-shows/actor-behind-cancelled-marvel-show-reveals-look-at-mcus-squirrel-girl-despite-being-forbidden-from-taking-photos/)
15. [Marvel Boss Kevin Feige Young Avengers Team-Up Series Status, TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/news/young-avengers-series-status-iman-vellani-hailee-steinfeld-1235475930/)
16. [Marvel Boss Suggests 'Young Avengers' Has Struggled To Get Off The Ground, The Playlist (October 16, 2026)](https://theplaylist.net/marvel-young-avengers-brad-winderbaum-development-struggles-20261016/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Adapted and franchise screen series › Comic-book and superhero television series › Marvel television series*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license