We are just a couple of weeks away from the release of Marvel’s Echo on Disney+ and Hulu. The new series will further explore the story of Maya Lopez after we first met her in Hawkeye in 2022. The character has a long history in the comics and some of it might be explored here.
While the trailer has shown us some very interesting things already and we know this is a “Marvel Spotlight” project that may not have as many ties to the larger MCU, let’s take a look at 10 Marvel things I’d like to see in Echo.
1 – Kingpin
As always, we’re starting with the most obvious. We know Vincent D’Onofrio will be reprising his role as Wilson Fisk for this series and we know how things ended between Fisk and Maya in Hawkeye. Or, at least we think we know. The trailer for this series has shown us that it will explore more of the history between the two characters but it also appears the Kingpin survived their altercation in New York. But, come on, the is the MCU. If you don’t see a body, you have to assume that character wasn’t actually killed.
2 – Daredevil
This is another one we know is coming. Just like D’Onofrio, Charlie Cox will reprise his role as Matt Murdock. Daredevil and Echo have a complicated romantic relationship in the comics, one that was twisted and manipulated by the Kingpin. I would imagine they won’t go the exact same route of the comics, with some of those details being used in the Ronin story arc in Hawkeye, but there will likely be some of those elements in there. Plus, a fight scene involving these two characters should be a lot of fun.
3 – The White Hand
No, I’m not talking about the mark of the White Wizard Saruman. In the comics, Echo bares a white hand print on her face. We got a brief glimpse of that with the blood of her father in Hawkeye, but she never quite adopted the complete comic-accurate look. Marvel has a way of avoiding that on a first appearance only to appease us nerds later on. That could be the case here.
4 – The Hand
And speaking of hands, this would be a great time to introduce the infamous crime ninja organization in the MCU proper. We saw them in action in several of the Netflix series, but they’re yet to make the jump to Disney+. Echo has some history with the crime ring, including a story arc in which she joined the Avengers (while dressed as the Ronin) to help stop them, en route to becoming a member of the team.
5 – Hydra
Of course, the Hand isn’t operating alone in that fight. They’re teaming up with Hydra, who we obviously have seen countless times throughout the MCU. This could be a good way to introduce the Hand. Perhaps an investigation into a surviving Hydra cell leads Maya to learn of the Hand’s involvement. And Daredevil’s familiarity with the Hand would then tie him in as well. It all comes together.
6 – The Ronin
I’ve already mentioned that when Maya joins the Avengers in the comics, she does so while wearing the Ronin costume. In the MCU, Clint has secured the costume but those kinds of doors can always be reopened. Maybe prior to seeing her don the iconic white hand, we’ll see Maya take the old suit and put it on herself. That would be a good way to bring in any characters who may have had an issue with the Ronin in the past.
7 – The Clown
We’ve already been introduced to Kazimierz Kazimierczak, better known as Kazi, in Hawkeye. We also saw Maya kill her old friend in that series. However, we know this series will look back at Maya’s past a bit and perhaps we’ll see some more of her history with him. In the comics, Kazi adopts the persona of Clown, a contract killer hired by various mob bosses. It’s just another opportunity to see a comic-accurate look.
8 – Death
During her altercation with the Hand, we saw the apparent death of Maya Lopez. She was killed by their leader, Eleketra, before being resurrected with Hand dark magic. Of course, it ended up not actually being Elektra, but rather a Skrull impersonating Elektra, which then launched the Marvel Universe into the “Secret Invasion” story arc, which won’t be happening here. But a fake out death is certainly something we could see.
9 – The Defenders
We already know Daredevil will be appearing in this series and we know he’s eventually going to have a series of his own. In that series, we’re set to see the return of The Punisher and it’s been reported we’ll see Jessica Jones as well. In other words, it appears Marvel is reassembling the Defenders from the (mostly) popular Netflix series. Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist teamed up in the Netflix Marvel franchise and bringing them into the MCU would be very exciting. This is a great opportunity to set that up.
10 – Destined for Greatness
In relatively recent comics, Maya Lopez has taken on a much bigger role. Echo is still a member of the Avengers, but now she wields the powers of the Phoenix. Yes, that Phoenix. The cosmic entity chose her as being worthy of this power so there is something about this character that is simply meant for great things. Of course, it would be wildly premature to have her take on the form of a space-traveling fire bird in this series, even before meeting the MCU’s Jean Grey, it would be fun if there’s at least a little nod thrown in there.
All five episodes of Marvel’s Echo will debut on both Disney+ and Hulu on January 9, 2024.