Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger is easily one of the best summer shows out right now, which is why Shadow and Act was excited to talk to the cast and creator at San Diego Comic-Con this year. Not only is it set in one of this writer’s favorite cities, New Orleans, but it touches on the challenges and realities of life in a thoughtful and eye-opening way.

According to the creator and executive producer Joe Pokaski, this was intentional. “My last show was a show called Underground, which may take longer than you want to come back, but we won’t let it go away, and it was about resisting. Particularly, as I was watching things unfold in St. Louis, Baton Rouge and Baltimore, I started getting angry. Aubrey Joseph (Tyrone/Cloak) and I talk about this a lot. We want to make sure that we are representing a world where this is happening. So, when a lot us are asked who the villain is on this show, we say, ‘It’s America,’ and that’s the story we want to tell.” He continues: “But, I always try to come for a human side. That’s why I like Tandy and Tyrone. In comics, there are a lot of partnerships, but they aren’t all equal. Take Batman and Robin; they aren’t equal, but Tandy and Tyrone are equals. They feed off each other and also best friends.”

Cloak’s other half, Olivia Holt (Tandy/Dagger), echoed Joe’s statements. “This show represents a lot of what’s happening in society right now. In a way, I felt like our writers saw the future. We were shooting some of these episodes, and what was happening in our culture was also happening in our show. From #MeToo to Time’s Up, and even March for Our Lives. It was pretty insane that the issues we were talking about and dealing with on our show were happening in real life. What we are creating is happening in real life and, hopefully, it can impact people in various ways.”

So, what type of research does an ally do as an actor to authentically play such emotional, realistic and groundbreaking characters? “A lot of research on police brutality and systemic racism, and how to fight against it. I used Shaun King as a reference. He did a whole series called Soul Snatchers–a documentary journal series where he talked to a lot of families that were targeted by police in extreme detail. I did this specifically in New York because my character, Brigid, comes from New York to New Orleans, and I wanted to know what she’d seen. Because she is someone who fights for justice and even when Tyrone first comes to her, she is trying to play by the book as much as she can, but she knows what he is claiming is going to be true because she’s seen it so many times. So, it was important for me to understand where she’d come from and what she’d seen,” Emma Lahana told us.

So, what can we expect from the rest of the season? According to Ally Maki (Mina Hess), we should brace for a shake-up involving her father, Ivan (Tim Kang), now that he’s back! “Ivan is awake, and it is definitely going to shake some things up on so many levels. Especially for Tandy now being fully confronted with seeing Mina and Ivan because they do have such a close bond. It is going to make things a bit tricky in terms of the Mina and Tandy dynamic. With any friendship, it goes up, down and sideways, but I know for sure that it is incredibly hard on both ends for Mina and Tandy. Mina knows firsthand how challenging it is for Tandy in the reverse, so it will definitely shake things up. However, it is fun for Mina to have her dad back; she has been on her own for eight years. It’s a transition for her, as well, because she’s been on her own fighting the good fight at Roxxon in the name of her dad, herself and the world. It definitely adds a new dynamic, for sure.”

With news breaking of season 2 during their San Diego Comic-Con panel, we asked the stars and creator what they want most out of renewal in these stories. Aubrey hopes “for Tyrone and Tandy to work together. More action, too, because we all want more action, of course. And also, to continue to see these two characters grow together.” Olivia elaborated, saying, “I’d also like to see their powers grow and enhance more. Toward the end of this first season, they are really starting to get a grasp and grip on what they can do. I think in the next season, it is going to skyrocket even more, especially when they are together.”

And what about Joe’s hopes? “As we move forward, I like the idea of mentioning other characters. I want these guys to get in trouble and have Matt Murdock/Daredevil bail them out. I think the fun of comic books is they show up. They show up in Spider-Man, and now they’re X-Men; they show up in Runaways. Of course, they do, because they are Cloak & Dagger. I am hoping they will play with other characters as much as possible.”

We hope so, too! Check out the incredible first season of Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger airing Thursdays on Freeform, and be sure to catch up before their exciting season finale airing on August 2.