We’re still reeling from the season finale of Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger, and that villain reveal! Showrunner Joe Pokaski has confirmed that Emma Lahana’s Brigid O’Reilly will return as Mayhem. The character is a major antagonist from Cloak & Dagger’s rogue’s gallery. Lahana teased ahead of the finale that by the end of episode 10 we would have an idea of where her character was going for Season 2, and she was right.
“What I’ll tell you is Brigid takes two more massive knocks. They kind of get bigger and bigger as Season 1 comes to an end, and then you will — in episode 10 — start to see where her journey is going to go for Season 2.” – CBR
The series was renewed for a second season at Comic-Con 2018 and fans of the series should take note of the green streaks beneath the second season poster. Mimicking claw marks, they were a pointed sign that Mayhem was coming to Cloak & Dagger.
Let’s examine just who the new antagonist of Cloak & Dagger is and just what mayhem Mayhem will bring to the show.
Who is Mayhem?
The character Mayhem, formerly Detective Bridgid O’Reilly, was first introduced in Cloak & Dagger Issue #1 in October of 1983. She appeared throughout the pair’s arc until Cloak & Dagger Vol 2. in March of 1986, where she was transformed into Mayhem, a crime fighting vigilante created by Tandy and Tyrone when they attempted to bring her back to life.
O’Reilly was a Manhattan police detective that initially tried to bring Cloak & Dagger to justice. After learning to trust the heroes attempts at bringing criminals to justice, she became their ally. Circumstances led her to a warehouse that was owned by the same pharmaceutical company that gave Cloak & Dagger their powers. A group of corrupt policemen murdered their fellow officers with a noxious gas. O’Reilly swore revenge on the officers who killed her colleagues.
As she was dying, Cloak & Dagger arrived and tried to save her life. Cloak surrounded her with his darkness and Dagger tried to revive her with her light. It seemingly failed – but O’Reilly returned to life after they had abandoned her to go after her captors. Her resurrection left her with abilities including long claws and the ability to secrete a noxious gas from her pores that paralyzes her victims. She can also levitate herself.
In Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger, O’Reilly is still a police detective who formerly worked in Harlem instead of Manhattan. She’s mentioned as a friend of Misty Knight who appeared in Luke Cage and Marvel’s Iron Fist on Netflix. She’s directly mentioned by Misty Knight in the Luke Cage Season 2 episode “If it Ain’t Rough, It Ain’t Right.”
The Cloak & Dagger Season 1 finale revealed that O’Reilly was exposed to a gas and dropped in the river, very similar to her character’s comic book origin. While it’s currently unclear what powers she has, it can be assumed she was brought back when Cloak & Dagger healed the city. Her origin has mirrored the comics, time will tell if her powers do as well.
How Has Mayhem Changed From the Comics?
The biggest change is the smart decision to switch the show to New Orleans. The show’s focus on supernatural elements inherent to the location will make her eventual resurrection even more interesting.
The second biggest change for the character is her relationship with her fellow officers. While the gas that she’s exposed to causes the death of several other officers, presumably friends and allies, she’s left beaten and hurt in the television series. This can’t endear her to the other officers that she works with. The first season has dealt heavily with corruption in the New Orleans Police Department, and it’s easy to assume that Mayhem will join Cloak & Dagger in their fight for justice. That said, Showrunner Joe Pokaski has promised a villain more akin to Erik Killmonger from Black Panther than a potential ally.
“I’m very excited kind of in a Killmonger way, because we’re putting in a villain you can kind of relate with. I think Mayhem, without spoiling too much, is kind of what we wish we all were if we didn’t face consequences.” – CBR
The idea of “who we wish we all were if we didn’t face consequences” is intriguing. O’Reilly spent the latter half of the season being slowly pulled apart by the actions of the police and the story. The idea of her being unafraid of consequences seems to tease that when O’Reilly returns to life she will possess abilities beyond what she has in the comics.
After the finale introduced the concept of the “Terrors” and what they bring to the city at large, O’Reilly’s return from the “dead” has left her (seemingly) a part of the walking dead. With showrunner Joe Poekaski teasing that Mayhem will lead a life with no consequences, will she take on some sort of leadership role amid the people affected by Roxxon’s gas? Are they truly safe and out of the woods or are they susceptible to some new ability that Bridgid has developed?
What Mayhem Brings to the MCU at Large
Mayhem’s introduction to the MCU at large will give actress Emma Lahana an opportunity to show off her skills and beyond that, a third potential character who has connected the Netflix Marvel shows and Marvel’s cable programming. Her chilling rebirth in that post credit scene takes Cloak & Dagger into horror territory akin to some elements from Agents of Shield Season 4. To progress, Marvel’s Television shows must explore new avenues and since the films have yet to explore actual horror characters, this could be a great way to grow the lexicon of scary beings that, so far, only include Gabriel Luna’s Ghost Rider.
She could go anywhere and fill a much needed role for Marvel’s growing pantheon. Thanks to her connection with Misty Knight she’d be an excellent antagonist for any Netflix spin-offs, including the potential Daughters of the Dragon series.
If she has things in common with a character like Killmonger, we should see as much of her as possible. While fans have yet to see Mayhem truly “unleashed”, if she has an actual power set thanks to Cloak & Dagger’s “healing” abilities, it should be explored. Future Netflix and other platform spin-offs that need a horror edge could make use of O’Reilly, or people she’s “infected” and add a decidedly dark and spooky edge to the shows.
She also has the potential to be an asset to Cloak & Dagger, providing some much needed potential catharsis after the struggles that both characters have endured against the system. Given Tyrone’s connection with her, she could become a powerful cautionary tale about the impact that revenge can have on a person as well as the dangers of police corruption. She’s a timely character who’s introduction, if done right, could add a powerful new addition to the television side of the MCU who could cause a little mayhem and engage the audience even more in a must watch series.
Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger will return for Season 2.
