Marvel's Echo: MCU Producer Explains "Marvel Spotlight" Banner

The debut of Marvel's Echo is nearly here, bringing a surprising new Marvel Cinematic Universe series to Disney+ and Hulu. In addition to making history for following its protagonist, the deaf Native American hero Maya Lopez / Echo (Alaqua Cox), Echo is the inaugural title under Marvel Studios' Marvel Spotlight banner. Announced last year, Marvel Spotlight will signify projects that fans can enjoy without keeping tabs on the rest of the franchise — and in a new interview with ComicBook.com, Marvel Studios producer Brad Winderbaum elaborated on what that entails.

"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," Winderbaum explained in our interview, which you can check out above. "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 Spotlight?

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.

"Marvel Spotlight gives us a platform to bring more grounded, character-driven stories to the screen, and in the case of Echo, focusing on street-level stakes over larger MCU continuity," Head of Streaming Brad Winderbaum explained. "Just like comics fans didn't need to read Avengers or Fantastic Four to enjoy a Ghost Rider Spotlight comic, our audience doesn't need to have seen other Marvel series to understand what's happening in Maya's story." 

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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