Echo was released on Disney+ and Hulu this month, and it premiered as #1 on both streaming platforms. The new show follows Maya Lopez/Echo (Alaqua Cox), who made her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in Hawkeye back in 2021. Maya is Choctaw, and the folks behind the scenes took extra care to make sure the Choctaw Nation was correctly represented while making the show. ComicBook.com recently had the chance to chat with Echo‘s composer, Dave Porter, who spoke about working with members of the Choctaw Nation to create some of the show’s music.
“Yeah, I was briefly in Oklahoma most of the time when I got to work with those great folks,” Porter shared. “We did it in Dallas where I have a friend who has a great recording studio and it’s within driving distance. So we met up there. But yes, one of the things that absolutely attracted me to the project was this opportunity to really dive deep and learn about a kind of music that I didn’t know much about, and the history of it, and the cultural importance of it.”
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“And I barely scratched the surface, but I learned a ton,” he continued. “And one of the great things about working with a company like Marvel is they have resources to do that and they have the connections to do that. And they were very adamant, absolutely correctly so, to have the Choctaw Nation very involved. And so we had lots of folks that we dealt with all the time who could steer me to the right musicians and the right musical instrument makers and right historians and musicologists to learn as much as I could about that stuff.”
“A gentleman by the name of Seth Fairchild at the Choctaw Nation who was instrumental in introducing me around and was so helpful and understanding of my occasional ignorance on things and helping guide me to make sure that we did things as properly as we could,” Porter added when we asked if there were any unsung heroes from the production he wanted to shout out.
You can watch our interview with Porter at the top of the page.
Choctaw Nation Releases Official Website Dedicated to Echo:
“Marvel Studios’ new series, Echo, is an exciting project where Native representation, specifically Choctaw representation, has been placed squarely at the forefront of creative development,” the Choctaw Nation site reads. “From the beginning, experts in Choctaw history, culture, and language were included in conversations about how Choctaw people would be portrayed. This significant step shows Marvel Studios’ desire to be part of the future of Native American representation in Hollywood, and the Choctaw Nation is proud to partner with the studio on this project.”
The site features members of the Choctaw Nation detailing their partnership with Marvel and takes a deep dive into Echo‘s most important Native moments.
You can learn more at echo.choctawnation.com. Echo is now streaming on Disney+ and Hulu and will leave Hulu on April 9th.
