The road to Echo has been admittedly a slow one. By the time Maya Lopez punches her way onto Disney Plus, two and a half years will have passed since she debuted in Hawkeye back in Nov. 2021.
Weighed down by the title of the shortest Marvel TV show to date, its unprecedented all-at-once episode format, and lack of marketing on Marvel’s behalf, there’s no question Echo is fighting an uphill battle – but it’s not for a lack of interesting material.
What is the plot of Echo?
Echo sees Alaqua Cox reprise her role as Maya Lopez — a Native American deaf amputee who is experiencing a crisis, both of faith and family. She has been operating a certain way for decades, but when she returns home to Oklahoma, she is forced to reconcile who and what she truly believes in.
The show largely takes place after the events of Hawkeye, but the official trailer also shows plenty of flashbacks to Maya’s childhood, including a fight scene that is, presumably, her so-called birth as a villain. Then, of course, there’s Wilson Fisk. As we saw in Hawkeye, Fisk is a father figure to Maya, but also someone with whom Maya clashed in Hawkeye, in an ambiguously fatal confrontation (or so we thought). Their reunion in Echo will surely come with a host of consequences.
In the Marvel comics, Maya can copy her opponent’s moves via photographic reflexes; she’s a master martial artist, a prodigy, and can wield a weapon or perform an acrobatic stunt as skillfully as Daredevil, whom she frequently studied in her early years. She is also the commander of the Tracksuit Mafia and an employee of Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin.
However, according to the show’s executive producer and director Sydney Freeland (Reservation Dogs), the MCU version of Maya will come with a whole new set of abilities, per Variety.
“Her power in the comic books is that she can copy anything, any movement, any whatever. It’s kind of lame. I will say, that is not her power. I’ll just kind of leave it at that.”
All that to say, there’s much to look forward to when Echo does finally drop on Disney Plus.
What is Echo‘s Disney Plus release date?
Already known for shuffling its calendar around, Marvel tossed Echo an extra curveball when it was reported that the show — which was previously scheduled to release on Nov. 29, 2023 — would be pushed back to Jan. 10, 2024.
The change coincided with the dual writers’ and actors’ strikes, although whether or not the strikes were the sole cause of the change was not shared.
Marvel’s Disney Plus content has been experiencing growing pains in the last couple of years, with back-to-back shows like She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Ms. Marvel, and Secret Invasion all experiencing a decline in viewership. Disney’s CEO Bob Iger even called Marvel’s foray into serialized television a problem that’s “diluted focus and attention” within the MCU. Thankfully, the overall reception to Loki season 2 gives hope that Echo will manage to fall in its storytelling footsteps.
Indeed, the company is scaling back on its content, favoring quality over quality. Time will tell which category Echo falls into. One thing is certain: that fast-paced, gritty, and overall impressive trailer assuaged our fears just a little.
The full cast of Echo
As a spin-off of Hawkeye, several characters in Echo will be familiar to regular Marvel viewers. In addition to Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez, aka Echo, fans can expect to see Vincent D’Onofrio reprise his role as Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin and Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil.
In addition to those three, Zahn McClarnon will return as William Lopez – Maya’s father, who was eventually murdered by Ronin, aka Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) after the Blip, and who caused Maya to embark on the path of revenge in Hawkeye. McClarnon appeared in Hawkeye in the form of flashbacks.
Several indigenous actors also star in Echo, including K. Devery Jacobs (Reservation Dogs) as the character Julie, a member of Maya’s Indigenous family, Tantoo Cardinal (Killers of the Flower Moon), and the Academy Award-nominated Graham Greene (Dances with Wolves). Also, Cody Lightning (Hey, Viktor!) and Zahn McClarnon (Dark Winds).
In addition, Alexis Capozzi (National Treasure: Edge of History) will play an interpreter — likely Maya’s — and Chaske Spencer (Wild Indian), who played Jace Montero in Jessica Jones, will appear in an unnamed role.
Did you say TV-MA??
That’s right, Echo swiped Deadpool 3‘s crown right off its head, becoming the first MCU property to debut with a TV-MA rating, which is the equivalent of an R-rating in cinema. I don’t know about you, but that’s about the most Maya Lopez thing ever.
If you had any doubts that Marvel would water down Wade Wilson’s notoriously bloody behaviors in Deadpool 3, Echo is here to soothe your fears. For the first time, Marvel fans will have to toggle their Disney Plus settings to TV-MA to watch Echo, which feels somehow symbolic of either the mark of upward trajectory for the superhero franchise, or the point of no return.
