Echo Writer Amy Rardin Breaks Down Daredevil's Surprising Appearance

Daredevil's MCU return was "very much in service" of Echo's story.

By Jenna Anderson

Marvel's Echo made its debut on Disney+ and Hulu this week, bringing a whole new miniseries to the tapestry of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Echo, which chronicles the ongoing adventures of Maya Lopez / Echo (Alaqua Cox), is chock-full of surprising moments and major character beats. This includes Echo's premiere episode, which flashes back in time and shows a fight between Maya and Matt Murdock / Daredevil (Charlie Cox). In a recent interview, Echo writer Amy Rardin broke down the series' approach to including Daredevil, and wanting to feature him as part of Maya's story, instead of as a detour.

"I mean, we were really excited to get to use Daredevil, because he's a very important part of in the [Echo] comics," Rardin explained. "So we knew that we were going to want to use him in a specific way. The fight between Daredevil and Maya was very important to Sydney [Freeland]. We talked a lot in the room about consistently keeping the story from Maya's point of view. Because we know how excited everyone is about Daredevil. We were excited about Daredevil. But really what that fight is about is Maya going from student to practical. It's the first time she kills someone. It's the first time she proves herself to Kingpin. She took on one of his biggest rivals. It's her coming into her own in Fisk's operation. So that is how we approached that fight. To get to be able to use Daredevil was amazing, but it was very much in service of Maya's story and who she is at that time in her life."

Will Echo Tie Into Daredevil: Born Again?

As Marvel producer Brad Winderbaum explained to ComicBook.com in a recent interview, the brief appearance Daredevil makes in Echo helps signify the street-level superhero ecosystem of the MCU, going into the forthcoming Daredevil: Born Again Disney+ series.

"One of my favorite things about the Daredevil scene in the show is how it defines New York," Winderbaum revealed. "Not to spoil things, but as we move forward into the future of the MCU and we start telling more grounded New York-based stories, like Daredevil: Born Again, Daredevil himself as a symbol of vigilantism in that city, as a symbol of what it means to be operating in the criminal underworld in New York, it's just so impactful. And Charlie is Daredevil, you can't really separate the two now. Even in that scene [in Echo], he really ... I mean, you just wanna know more, you wanna lean in. It's the greatest hook in the world for our future, moving forward."

What Is Marvel's Echo About?

Starring Alaqua Cox, all five episodes of Echo debuted 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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h/t: Deadline

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