The second episode of Hawkeye ended with the onscreen debut of Alaqua Cox’s Echo, who looks set to pose some serious problems for Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton and Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop across the next four weeks.
A deaf superhero with the ability to mimic and perfect any fighting style that she sees, the young actress has lucked out in a major way by landing a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not only is it Cox’s first-ever acting gig, but her own spinoff series was announced back in March, and the writers’ room boasts heavy hitters with experience working on some of TV’s biggest shows.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Cox reflected on landing the part, and how she hopes that seeing a deaf amputee of Native American descent kick all sorts of ass in the world’s most successful film and television franchise will inspire people from all walks of life.
“I see about 12 people, including the Marvel Studios president, Kevin Feige, doing the deaf clap where you wave both your hands,” she said. “I was like, ‘What’s going on?’ and they said, ‘Welcome to the Marvel family!’ Hawkeye is my first experience of acting.
Now I’m going to get my own show in the MCU? It’s wild. I believe kids deserve to see inclusivity and accurate representation,” Cox said. “It will make kids with all types of cultures and disabilities feel like our dreams can break free from limitations.”
We only saw Echo for a few seconds in Hawkeye, but fans are already hyped to see her wreaking havoc next week. There’s also those Kingpin connections to consider, so we could be looking at one of Phase Four’s major recurring players when her full-blown introduction occurs this coming Wednesday.
