Alaqua Cox Talks Echo's Comparisons to Her Personal Life

The premiere of Marvel's Echo is on the horizon, introducing a whole new story to the fold of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Echo, which will air on both Disney+ and Hulu, will flesh out the journey of Maya Lopez / Echo (Alaqua Cox), who quickly became a breakout character after her appearance on the Hawkeye Disney+ series. In a recent interview with ComicBook.com, Cox revealed how she feels connected to the character of Echo, even if their personal experiences weren't exactly the same.

"Not in a bad way," Cox explained in our interview, which you can check out above. "She has a lot of traumatic things that happened to her. Growing up, I had surgeries all of my childhood. So she has her own trauma and I have my own trauma, as well, from childhood. So we've gone through a lot of stuff. Because I do have a prosthetic leg. I've had those surgeries as I was growing up. That makes me feel resilient and a warrior, and I feel very similar, that we have those traits together, the trauma has made us have the similar traits."

Is Echo Connected to the MCU?

Echo is confirmed to be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the inaugural title under Marvel Studios' Marvel Spotlight banner. Announced last year, the Marvel Spotlight label will be used on titles that present a wider variety of stories, which don't require as much prior knowledge of the MCU. The name Marvel Spotlight originates from a Marvel Comics anthology series of the same name, which ran across the 1970s and 1980s and led to many characters' debuts. It has also been reported that Marvel's forthcoming Wonder Man series will also fall under the Marvel Spotlight banner.

"It's kind of like the comics, in that there are certain stories that tie into the continuity and really play into the overall narrative, and there's other ones that are more standalone and are character-driven like Echo is," Marvel producer Brad Winderbaum explained to ComicBook.com. "Really, what the Spotlight branding represents is an opportunity for people who are more casual fans who might not know what happened in the last Avengers movie to show up and kind of enjoy it on its own terms."

What Is Marvel's Echo About?

Starring Alaqua Cox, all five episodes of Echo will debut exclusively on both Disney+ and Hulu on Tuesday, January 9th. The origin story of Echo revisits Maya Lopez, whose ruthless behavior in New York City catches up with her in her hometown. She must face her past, reconnect with her Native American roots and embrace the meaning of family and community if she ever hopes to move forward. Vincent D'Onofrio will reprise his role as Wilson Fisk / Kingpin, and Charlie Cox will reprise his role as Matt Murdock / Daredevil. Echo will also star Chaske Spencer, Tantoo Cardinal, Devery Jacobs, Cody Lightning, Graham Greene and Zahn McClarnon.

Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, Stephen Broussard, Richie Palmer, Marion Dayre, and Jason Gavin (Blackfeet) are executive producers of Echo. Amy Rardin, Sydney Freeland, Christina King (Seminole), and Jennifer Booth are co-executive producers.

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