Echo is the very first Marvel Spotlight release, pioneering a new strand of apparently standalone entries in the MCU, but the experience of watching it was downright nostalgic. We haven’t been able to binge an entire Marvel show in a day since the good ol’ days of the Defenders Saga (which this show makes 100% canon, by the way).
On the other hand, while it might hark back to the Netflix era of MCU on TV, Echo is very much part of the Marvel trend of limited streaming series — gone are the days when we’d have 13 episodes drop in our laps in one go, now we have to make do with a mere five, the shortest run for a live-action MCU show yet. While Echo takes a decent stab at wrapping up all its plot threads in that truncated length, we’re left pondering a lot of questions by the time its finale has ended. Let’s do our best to answer them…
What’s the deal with Maya’s new powers?
In episode 5, upon learning that the Kingpin has her family, Maya returns to her grandmother Chula’s home to search for her — only to be confronted with the spirit of her mother, Taloa. After experiencing visions ever since she came home to Tamaha, Oklahoma, Maya is told by her mother that she “carries the fire” of her ancestors within her — which basically means she has inherited their powers. As her mother puts it, Maya has strategy (from the speedy sports player, Lowak), cunning (from Lighthorseman Tuklo), ferocity (from the first Choctaw, Chafa), and love from Taloa, who has healing powers.
What exactly the origins of these powers are in the first place is left unsaid, although fans are left to speculate whether Chafa and her people were originally interdimensional beings, similar to Ms. Marvel‘s Clandestines, or if the blue-glowing water Chafa drank from was connected to the Space Stone-infused lake from Kahhori’s story in What If…? Or maybe Maya is a mutant?
How does Maya share her powers with her family?
Dressed in the new costume that Chula made for her, which honors her heritage and family history, Maya goes to the powwow town ceremony to confront Wilson Fisk and his goons and to free her loved ones. During this action scene, we see that Maya’s powers in practice include increased strength, agility, and, well, something else we’ll get to in a moment. What’s most surprising is that Maya is also able to share her abilities, temporarily, with Chula and her cousin Bonnie.
The show doesn’t outright explain how this works but we know that the women of Chafa’s bloodline are special so it makes sense that Chula and Bonnie would also be able to tap into the same powers Maya has. We have also seen that these powers are gifted to the women of this family in times of great peril or hardship, so presumably they won’t continue to have them — unless they get kidnapped again, that is.
What did Maya do to Kingpin?
Having freed her family and bested his men, Maya refuses to give into Fisk, who furiously charges at her. Maya is easily able to bring him to his knees, however, whereupon she rests her glowing hands upon his head. Things then get pretty trippy as we jump inside Fisk’s mind where Maya attempts to get Fisk to confront the trauma of his childhood, the fear and anger he felt towards his father, which led him to murder the man at just 12 years old.
Although Fisk is initially depicted as crying and vulnerable he quickly repels Maya and appears to boot her out of his mind. While no great change seems to have taken place, he is visibly shaken, disturbed and afraid by the incident and flees the scene immediately.
By the looks of things, Maya’s version of her mother’s healing ability has manifested in the power of emotional and mental manipulation, much like the Guardians of the Galaxy’s Mantis.
Will Echo return to the MCU?
With an understanding of her new powers, Fisk having returned to New York with his tail between his legs, and her loved ones safe, Maya is last seen attending a backyard family gathering together, marking the second time a Marvel show has borrowed the Fast & Furious trope after She-Hulk. Her very last scene sees her smiling and embracing Chula, showing us that Maya is fully reconciled with her family and her past.
What isn’t entirely clear, though, is if Maya has fully put her dreams of running her own criminal empire, and her taste for violence and murder, behind her. Will she be content in a more simple, homespun life in Tamaha or will she return to NYC in the future to take Fisk down, perhaps with the help of a certain hornheaded hero she once sparred with? We’ll have to wait and see when Daredevil: Born Again gets here.
Will Wilson Fisk become Mayor of New York?
Speaking of which, Echo couldn’t end without an obligatory post-credits scene. We catch up with Kingpin dashing back to New York in his private plane, clearly feeling lost and directionless after his defeat at Maya’s (glowing) hands. However, inspiration then strikes in the form of an item on the news playing in the background discussing how the race for the next mayor of the city is still wide open.
Yes, Fisk’s next evil scheme will be his mayoral campaign, which is expected to play out across 2025’s Born Again. We had already glimpsed spoilers for this plotline in set photos from the series, although we weren’t entirely sure this would still be the case in the rebooted version of the production, following Marvel instigating a complete creative overhaul last fall. Clearly, though, that is one thing that will remain the same. Will Kingpin succeed in his dreams of making NYC great again or will Daredevil stop him?
