Echo: Marvel Series Will Have Nods To Netflix's Daredevil

Echo is heading to Disney+ and Hulu in January, and the new Marvel Studios show is expected to be a spinoff of Hawkeye. The 2021 series introduced Maya Lopez/Echo (Alaqua Cox) and focused on her relationship with her "uncle," Wilson Fisk/Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio). D'Onofrio's Kingpin was first introduced in Netflix's Daredevil series alongside Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock/Daredevil. It's been confirmed that both actors will appear in Echo ahead of their own reboot, Daredevil: Born Again, which recently had some shakeups. ComicBook.com attended a trailer event for Echo, and director and executive producer Sydney Freeland confirmed that Echo is a villain, and teased a showdown with Daredevil.

"I dunno if I can say this, but I love the Netflix Daredevil, it's great," Freeland shared when asked if the intent of Echo was to follow the Defenderverse. "And so we certainly took, obviously the Daredevil fight, it was a little bit of a nod to that series ... But then also we wanted very adamantly to show that these are people in our show. They bleed, they die, they get killed, and there are real-world consequences. And again, talking, it's not the fate of the universe at stake because I think once you go that broad, you can sort of lose sight a little bit. And so that kind of dictated the tone a little bit. So I guess to answer your question, it was a conversation, but it wasn't that reason." 

What Is Echo About?

You can read Marvel Studios' description of Echo here: "Marvel Studios presents Echo in which Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) struggles to reconnect with her Native American roots while balancing aspirations tied to a life of crime as successor to the brutal legacy of Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) aka Kingpin. In the first episode we are introduced to Maya Lopez and her struggles," the synopsis reads.

In addition to Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez/Echo and Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin, the cast of Echo includes Chaske Spencer as Henry, Tantoo Cardinal as Chula, Graham Greene as Skully, Cody Lightning as Cousin Biscuits, Charlie Cox as Daredevil, Devery Jacobs as Bonnie, and Zahn McClarnon as William Lopez.

 "It's our first TV-MA show, so it's a little on the grittier side for Marvel," executive producer Brad Winderbaum recently told members of the press at the trailer event for Echo. "And I think again, shows kind of the breadth of what Marvel's capable of. And certainly something, again, if you know the comics and know the history, it feels very in line, but is kind of a new direction for the brand, especially on Disney+. And to that end, it's going to be, for many reasons, going to be simultaneously released on Disney+ and Hulu."  

Echo is being released on Disney+ and Hulu on January 10. The show will leave Hulu on April 9th.