Your next Marvel TV obsession is going before cameras. Last winter’s Hawkeye not only introduced Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop into the MCU but also set up Alaqua Cox’s Maya Lopez up for her own spinoff. Inspired by the comics character of the same name, Maya is set to take center stage in Echo, which has now entered production in Marvel Studios’ frequent home of Atlanta, Georgia, ahead of its arrival on Disney Plus next year.
Along with the good news that the shoot has begun, the House of Ideas has unleased this first glimpse at Cox’s return. The image — which you can check out below — sees Cox’s heroine hiding out on the back of a truck, which aptly gets across the grounded, street-wise vibe of the show, something it’s inherited from both Hawkeye and Daredevil, which it’s expected to share some DNA with.
In Hawkeye, Lopez was introduced as the leader of the Tracksuit Mafia, a position she took up after her father was murdered by Ronin (really Hawkeye himself, Clint Barton). We later found out she was the beloved niece of none other than Wilson Fisk, with Vincent D’Onofrio reprising his role from Daredevil. The series ended with Maya getting revenge on her uncle after finding out he organized the hit on her dad by possibly shooting him in the face.
Due to the close connection to the character, fans are confident D’Onofrio will return as Kingpin in Echo, maybe even alongside Charlie Cox’s hero — Matt Murdock and Maya are lovers in the comics. Neither is mentioned as part of the cast list announced today, however, Officially joining Cox (Alaqua, that is) on Echo are Chaske Spencer (Banshee), Tantoo Cardinal (Wind River), Devery Jacobs (Reservation Dogs), Cody Lightning (Run Woman Run), Graham Greene (The Green Mile), and Zahn McClarnon, reprising William Lopez from Hawkeye.
As directed by Sydney Freeland and Catriona McKenzie, Echo will reverberate onto Disney Plus sometime in 2023. The next Marvel show to debut on streaming is Ms. Marvel, coming June 8.