Marvel’s Echo Will Tease Unique History for MCU’s Maya Lopez

Marvel’s Echo will arrive on Disney+ later this month, bringing a distinct event series into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Continuing the narrative of the franchise’s Hawkeye series, the story of Echo follows Maya Lopez / Echo (Alaqua Cox) in a no-holds-barred homecoming, and that will apparently involve some major revelations towards her personal and family history. As Echo executive producer Richie Palmer explained in an exclusive interview with ComicBook.com, the series will utilize Native American history to help drive home Maya’s unlikely destiny. 

“The story is really about Maya coming home to her family and to her culture,” Palmer explained in our interview, which you can check out above. “This was more than just a story about a villain becoming a little more than a villain, a little antihero. It was actually Maya Lopez going home to her culture, in a way that she kind of turned her back on for years. The second she enters Tomaha, she starts feeling overwhelmed with this feeling of culture and responsibility of her past and her ancestors, in a way that she doesn’t even understand. For us, it was this way of saying ‘Look how long this culture has stood. There’s been other women in your lineage like you, Maya, that you don’t even know about, because you left when you were a kid.’ It’s kind of all just beating into her the second she gets home.”

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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