Deaf superhero Maya Lopez/Echo (Alaqua Cox) first appeared in the Hawkeye limited series on Disney +. She was mentored by Wilson Fisk, aka The Kingpin (Vincent D’onofrio) before finding out the truth about who killed her father. She got revenge on the Kingpin, shooting him in the eye and leaving him in a coma before fleeing back to her home in Oklahoma. This kind of act couldn’t go unpunished and it was widely publicized that The Kingpicharacter. Back as the main protagonist of this series which is based on the Marvel character of the same name. 

As the series picks up, Maya Lopez/Echo is reestablishing herself back in her hometown. She catches up with Skully (Graham Greene), an old mentor. He helps her get a few things in order. She plans to sabotage a supply line of The Kingpin which will definitely get her noticed. It will also put her family in danger. Even though she is trying to keep a low profile she gets found out. Regarding her extra-curricular activities,  Her family, her father’s friend (Kaske Spencer), her Mother (Tanto Cardinal), and her childhood friend Bonnie (K Devery Jacobs) are all in danger now that she has returned from New York City. Her past has also caught up to her in the form of The Kingpin’s goons. 

This series is an offshoot of what Marvel Studios had dubbed the street-level heroes. Daredevil (Charlie Cox) has an appearance but it’s mostly a story involving revenge and retribution on the part of Echo and The Kingpin. The first three episodes are all set up for the final two episodes. There are some pretty good action sequences and a couple of decent fight scenes. Other than that the series is fine, not great. It could be better.

Alaqua Cox like her character is completely deaf and as an addition has a prosthetic leg. These aspects add to the existing lore of the character. These realistic traits give the character more depth and gravitas as well as realism. Her native American roots also add to who this character truly is in the series. She is the first native American superhero in the MCU with Kahhori voiced by the same k Devery Jacobs who plays Cox’s character’s childhood friend in this series. 

As far as Echo goes it’s not the best Marvel character but her backstory and build-up in Hawkeye have been enough to pique my interest as a show I’m fascinated by. How it ties into the new Daredevil series and the background of the character interest me. I hadn’t read the comics before seeing the character in real life in these two series so I have nothing to go on besides what I’ve seen here. So far there is some good potential for this character going forward.

The series a a couple of workarounds for showing how people communicate with Maya Lopez/Echo. One of them is text messages which we see on screen. These are very effective in seeing what she’s thinking from moment to moment. Another is apps and so forth on her phone. Using cell phones as a way to show various things being said and or going on works well for this show whereas it would work in other series. That’s part of what makes this character interesting.

Echo isn’t going to be a show that blows people away but it has interesting character arks for both Maya Lopez/Echo and Wilson Fisk/The Kingpin. It’s a continuation of the events in Hawkeye but the character is now on her own. With three episodes to review, I am fascinated by where this series is going thus far. The character traits make her interesting and thus the series is worth watching. It will help get fans of other MCU characters over the hump regarding what will be coming down the pipeline in the street-level heroes.  

3 stars

Dan Skip Allen

All Episodes Stream on Disney Plus January 10th