Disney Plus has started development on Echo, an MCU spin-off of the Hawkeye series, featuring Native American martial artist Maya Lopez.
Disney+ is in the developmental stages of the Marvel Echo show, a spin-off series of Hawkeye. Echo, real name Maya Lopez, appeared in Hawkeye alongside the titular Avenger as a sympathetic antagonist. A new character to the MCU, Echo’s introduction in Hawkeye only serves as the initial foundation for further character development in her spin-off.
Echo’s development falls in line with Marvel’s current trajectory in expanding the Marvel Cinematic Universe into television. At San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, Marvel executive Kevin Feige explained that Phase 4 of the MCU would include numerous TV shows on lesser-focused-on counterparts to the heroes seen in blockbuster films, such as Scarlet Witch and Vision in WandaVision. These shows have been available to stream on Disney+, and so far have featured a more diverse class of heroes than previously seen on the big screen. Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Moon Knight all star women or people of color — positive steps toward inclusion in the MCU.
Maya Lopez fits well within this tonal shift for Marvel, and the series could also provide fans with a different kind of angst. Echo’s father was an enforcer under iconic MCU villain Kingpin and was killed carrying out his deeds, and as a result, Maya became a surrogate daughter to Kingpin. She carried out evil deeds on his behalf and was manipulated by Fisk into believing Daredevil killed her father. She eventually learned that Kingpin was her father’s killer, then returned home to learn about her Indigenous culture to honor her father. Given her traumatic past, Disney+’s Echo show will likely explore Maya’s complicated relationship to heroism, villainy, and trust in other people. Here’s what MCU fans can expect from Disney+’s Marvek Echo show.
Who Is Echo? The MCU’s Deaf Superhero Explained
Maya Lopez is a deaf, Native American Latina martial artist who possesses photographic reflexes. This special ability means that she can perfectly mimic opponents’ movements after witnessing them. Thus, what makes her a skilled fighter is her giftedness with movement — she is a dancer, Olympic-level athlete, and sharpshooter who could arguably best Black Widow villain Taskmaster in combat. Yet, because her “powers” are superhuman rather than supernatural abilities, Echo can be bested by utilizing darkness against her. She can’t copy what she can’t see and therefore is at a disadvantage when her vision is obstructed.
Maya Lopez was revealed to be the original Ronin in the Marvel comics, much to the shock of readers who speculated the “Masterless Samurai” was actually Daredevil. She appeared in the Daredevil and New Avengers comics, and her connection to Hawkeye stems from their respective (albeit, very different) iterations of the Ronin persona. Hawkeye’s Ronin in the MCU first appeared in Avengers: Endgame. Given the passing-of-the-torch that took place, the pair could end up connecting even further in the Marvel Echo show than they did in Hawkeye.
Echo Spin-Off Cast & Crew
Alaqua Cox will headline Echo as Maya Lopez. According to Variety, Etan Cohen and Emily Cohen are signed on to write and executive produce the series. Etan Cohen’s film credits include Holmes & Watson and Men in Black 3. His wife, Emily Cohen, is uniquely equipped to assist in Echo’s development as a Jewish Native American woman. She brings to life her experience with these intersecting identities in various published comics. As for other cast members in Echo, Jeremy Renner will reprise his role as Hawkeye, although his level of involvement in the spinoff is not yet known. Zahn McClarnon has also been tapped to play Maya Lopez’s father, William Lopez.
Although rumors were already circulating, Marvel confirmed in July of 2022 that Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio will also appear in Echo. They will be reprising their roles of Daredevil and Kingpin, respectively, and should feature prominently in Echo‘s story thanks to her existing connection to Wilson Fisk. This will be the first time Daredevil and Kingpin have met onscreen since Netflix canceled its Daredevil series.
Echo Disney Plus Release Date
Details on Echo’s exact release date are still up in the air, but Disney has announced a 2023 release window. Echo began shooting in Atlanta in May of 2022, meaning it could hit Disney+ on the earlier side of 2023 if all goes well. For now, though, audiences will have to get by on Echo’s appearance in Hawkeye.
How Hawkeye Set Up Echo’s Spin-Off
Story details for Echo are still under wraps, but Maya Lopez’s arc in Hawkeye offers some clues as to what the spinoff series could be about. By the end of Hawkeye, Maya learned that Kingpin was responsible for her father’s death, prompting her to rethink her relationship to the crime boss and her revenge quest to kill Ronin. This much parallels Echo’s story from the Marvel comics, so it would make sense if Echo followed Maya’s journey to rediscover herself and reconnect with her Indigenous heritage as a way to honor her father. And since Cox and D’Onofrio will be returning for Echo, it’s also safe to assume Maya’s struggle against Kingpin is far from over.
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