Marvel's Echo Getting Dubbed in Choctaw Language

2024 is finally here, and the first Marvel Studios project of the year is less than a week away. Echo is headed to Disney+ and Hulu and marks the first MCU series to be rated TV-MA. The new show continues the story of Maya Lopez/Echo (Alaqua Cox), the character who was first introduced in the MCU in Hawkeye back in 2021. It was previously confirmed that Echo will also feature flashbacks to the titular character's ancestors. Considering the show's huge connection to the Choctaw Nation, it's no surprise the show will also be available in the Choctaw language.

"In the process of working and collaborating with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, in working with the Choctaw language experts and consultants, it became very apparent that we needed to do a dub in Choctaw as well,"  director and executive producer Sydney Freeland shared with Entertainment Weekly. "And we're incredibly proud of it." 

"Placing the story of Echo in the actual Choctaw language helps make our character more authentic to her heritage because we get to delve into the specifics of Choctaw culture and traditions," Freeland added. "I'm indigenous, I'm American, but I'm Navajo. And the Choctaw language and the Navajo language are completely different from each other; they're as different as Portuguese and Polish. And so one of the things that was important for us was making sure that we had people who were experts in Choctaw language. But a lot of really great things came out of that collaboration – specifically, in the second episode of our series, we actually get to see a portion of pre-European contact America that I can genuinely say has never been seen on film before. That came as a direct result of our collaboration with the Choctaw Nation in trying to tell a more authentic story."

Sydney Freeland Talks "Authenticity" in Echo:

During a press event for Echo, Freeland spoke about the importance of representing both the deaf community and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

"Authenticity, I think, well, I think it started in the writer's room was having very much, it's a multi-pronged approach," Freeland answered when asked what was most important to her when making Echo. "It's like we had to have Native representation. That was a must. We had to have deaf representation. That was a must. So it really started within our writers, our writer's room. And then I think with, obviously when I came on board, then we tried to keep that energy going, but we had Native people throughout the behind the scenes and front of the camera as well. But I think another big thing that was important to us is the Choctaw, our partnership with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Early on in the process, once we kind of had our pilot script, we took a trip. It was myself and my department heads, and one of the great things is that none of them have ever been to a pow before."

She explained, "And I think what I realized in that moment was, which I think rarely happens in my experience with being portrayed in Native films, is going to the people and getting their partnership basically it was crickets on the side of the table and basically I said, 'No, no, we're not here to tell you what we're going to do. We are here to create a dialogue so that we can get your input and create a more authentic portrayal of the Choctaw people and culture.' Because again, also speaking for myself, I'm Navajo, I'm not Choctaw, I don't speak Choctaw, I'm not Choctaw culture, but that was one of the big things that was important for us was creating a dialogue with the Choctaw Nation and getting their support." 

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