The MCU shows on Disney+ have been a hit or miss. Some have been really good like WandaVision and Loki, and some have been very bad like Secret Invasion. Echo was one of the shows that fans ultimately were unsure of as the character of Maya Lopez is still an underrated character to the fanbase, even after she appeared in 2021’s Hawkeye. Did Echo live up to the exceedingly high expectations of Marvel fans?
Echo follows Maya Lopez (played by Alaqua Cox), a deaf and indigenous amputee woman who is on the run after shooting and injuring the Kingpin (played by Vincent D’Onofrio) and the collapse of her gang in Hawkeye. She returns to her hometown in Oklahoma, where she comes to terms with her past, her roots as an indigenous woman, and defends her home from a vengeful Kingpin.
As far as performances go, Cox, who herself is deaf, amputee, and indigenous, is an incredible actress. It’s almost hard to believe that she is new to acting because there is so much nuance and power behind everything that Maya does. It’s also a major step forward for both indigenous and deaf actors. D’Onofrio never turns in a bad performance as the Kingpin since he took the role in 2016. Tantoo Cardinal is powerful as Maya’s grieving grandmother Chula. Chaske Spencer and Cody Lightning also were great as Henry and Biscuits respectively.
As far as the story goes, its biggest limitation is its only 5 episodes because there is so much meat to it. Echo isn’t necessarily a hero and the show is rated TV-MA, so there are less limitations on what they can and can’t do. The show has plenty of violence and intense fight scenes that are so incredibly well choreographed that you can’t take your eyes off of it. The story has so much meat to it and you get pulled into Maya’s story, as well as the story of her family and how Echo developed her power through her ancestors. You are left wanting more with this story. You want to learn more about her powers and you want to learn more about the complexity of her relationship with her grandmother and Kingpin.
Ultimately the show is very good, and no matter what some internet troglodyte says, the show is Marvel at its best. Untethered by expectations and ratings, Echo is not only a great step for representation, but a bright spot for Marvel’s future, hopefully a future just as creatively untethered and free as Echo is and hopefully Maya Lopez will be back for fans to see soon.
