Echo is an American television miniseries created for the streaming service Disney+, based on Marvel Comics featuring the character of the same name. A spin-off from the series Hawkeye (2021), it is the 10th television series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) produced by Marvel Studios, sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. It sees Maya Lopez return to her hometown where she must come to terms with her past, reconnect with her Native American roots, and embrace her family and community. Marion Dayre and Amy Rardin serve as head writers and Sydney Freeland leads the directing team.
Alaqua Cox reprises her role as Maya Lopez / Echo from Hawkeye, with Chaske Spencer, Tantoo Cardinal, Charlie Cox, Devery Jacobs, Zahn McClarnon, Cody Lightning, Graham Greene, and Vincent D'Onofrio also starring. Development of the spin-off began by March 2021, when Alaqua Cox was confirmed to be returning and Etan and Emily Cohen were attached as head writers. The series was formally announced in November 2021, when Dayre was revealed to be serving as head writer, with Freeland set to direct by March 2022. Filming took place from late April to late August 2022, in the Atlanta metropolitan area including Atlanta, Peachtree City, Social Circle, and Grantville, Georgia. In May 2022, Marvel revealed further cast members and that Catriona McKenzie would also direct for the series, while Rardin's involvement was revealed in September.
Echo was released in its entirety simultaneously on Disney+ and Hulu on January 9, 2024, consisting of five episodes. It is Marvel Studios' first television release to debut on Hulu and to receive a TV-MA rating. It is part of Phase Five of the MCU and the first series under the "Marvel Spotlight" banner. The series received generally positive reviews from critics.
Premise Five months after the events of Hawkeye (2021), Maya Lopez is being pursued by Wilson Fisk's organization, leading her to return to her hometown in Oklahoma, where she must come to terms with her past, reconnect with her Native American roots, and embrace her family and community.
Cast and characters
Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez / Echo:A deaf Native American Choctaw and the former leader of the Tracksuit Mafia, a criminal gang working for Wilson Fisk. Director and executive producer Sydney Freeland noted that Maya is in "a very vulnerable, emotional place" and has "all this bottled-up emotion and rage and feeling inside of her", which Fisk is able to exploit. Maya does not have the ability to perfectly copy another person's movements from the comics, which Freeland felt was "kind of lame". Stunt coordinator Mark Scizak was able to incorporate Cox's prosthetic leg into her fights, with Scizak describing Maya's fighting style as "a very grounded mix of MMA and a bunch of martial arts". Darnell Besaw, Cox's cousin, portrays a young Maya Lopez. Chaske Spencer as Henry "Black Crow" Lopez:Maya's uncle and William's brother, who owns a local roller-skating rink and is still connected to Fisk's criminal empire. Spencer said Henry "feels guilty" that William died and Maya's return makes him face things he is not ready to yet. Tantoo Cardinal as Chula:Maya's estranged grandmother. Cardinal explained that at the start of the series, the two's relationship "is pretty fractured and they are not in a good place" given Chula's anger following the death of her daughter, Maya's mother, which led to Maya and her father leaving. Isabella Madrigal portrays a young Chula. Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock / Daredevil:A blind lawyer with superhuman senses from Hell's Kitchen who leads a double life as a masked vigilante. Daredevil appears in a flashback sequence where he fights Maya while she is on an early assignment for Fisk. Executive producer Richie Palmer explained that Daredevil's inclusion was done in a way that the creatives hoped would feel like it was part of his story that had been established in Marvel Television's Netflix series, though still accessible for viewers who had not seen those series. He said, "we just wanted to make sure that it honored what came before it, but hopefully pushed it forward also" and helped lead into the Disney+ series Daredevil: Born Again (2025-present). It was previously reported that the character's appearance in the series would see him searching for a former ally, which was reported to be Jessica Jones. Devery Jacobs as Bonnie:A "resilient and strong willed" person who is a child of deaf adults (CODA), Maya's estranged cousin, and an EMT. She "took it hard" when Maya first left given they were so close, and is hopeful to rekindle that relationship once she returns. Jacobs previously voiced Kahhori in the second season of Marvel Studios Animation's What If...? (2023), which she called a "coincidence" that she was part of two Marvel Studios projects and noting the two characters were not related. Wren Zhawenim Gotts portrays a young Bonnie. Zahn McClarnon as William Lopez: Maya's deceased father and a former commander of the Tracksuit Mafia. Cody Lightning as Biscuits:Maya's "well-meaning" cousin, who is "fun-loving and good natured". Lightning said that Biscuits becomes Maya's "sidekick who provides some comic relief for her", calling him "a big earnest puppy dog" who has a strong loyalty to family. Graham Greene as Skully: A grandfather-figure to Maya, who owns the town pawn shop. Unlike other members of Maya's estranged family, Skully is more willing to find a way forward in their relationship. Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk / Kingpin:A crime lord in New York who is Maya's adoptive uncle and the man responsible for her father's death. After he was shot by Maya during the events of Hawkeye (2021), Fisk begins to wear an eyepatch on one eye, an homage to a point in the comics where he was blinded in both eyes. Despite being shot by Maya, D'Onofrio noted that Fisk is working hard to get her back in his life, saying the series shows the two in a "very father-daughter trepidatious period". Palmer enjoyed being able to see a different side of the character's "emotionality" in the series, since he was "humbled" by Maya at the end of Hawkeye, which made him a "bit of a changed man". D'Onofrio believed he portrayed the character in a way that it elicited the same "uneasy" feelings about him as he did in his portrayal on the Marvel Netflix series Daredevil (2015–2018), and wanted to show that he can "care for people in a real way", which enhances Fisk's intrigue and scariness. When asked if Fisk was being set up as the Thanos of the MCU's street-level projects, executive producer Brad Winderbaum agreed, calling the series a "crucial chapter" in the character's journey, and that Echo would "set the stage in some remarkable ways" for his next appearances. At the end of the series, when Maya uses her powers on Fisk to try to heal his childhood trauma, D'Onofrio believed this had "enlightened" Fisk, rather than changed him, which leads him to consider running as New York City's mayor to amass more power. After gaining for the role in Daredevil, D'Onofrio chose to wear a fat suit for Echo, having chosen to do this with his appearance in Hawkeye. D'Onofrio thought the suit had progressed with modern technology to give him a more realistic look while also being lighter to wear, which allowed him to not have to gain the weight.
Additionally, Katarina Ziervogel portrays Taloa, Maya's mother. Julia Jones, Morningstar Angeline, and Dannie McCallum appear, in vignettes and flashes, as Maya's ancestors , , and : per variations of the Choctaw origin story, Chafa was the first Choctaw, helping her people emerge to the world from a cave-in at Nanih Waiya; Lowak was a Choctaw tribeswoman in 1200 who competed in a game of Choctaw Stickball; and Tuklo was the first female Lighthorseman. Andrew Howard, who previously portrayed Luther Banks in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013–2020), recurs as Zane, one of the leaders of the Black Knife Cartel who is loyal to Fisk. Thomas E. Sullivan, who previously portrayed Nathaniel Malick in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., appears as Victor "Vickie" Tyson, an employee at Henry's bowling rink. Jeremy Renner appears as Clint Barton / Ronin in the first episode through archive footage from Hawkeye, while Richie Palmer Sr. and ML Gemmill, respectively, voice Fisk's parents Bill and Marlene Fisk in the final episode, replacing Domenick Lombardozzi and Angela Reed, who portrayed the characters in Daredevil. Pat Kiernan and Errol Louis portray themselves in the mid-credits scene of "Maya".
Episodes
Production Development In December 2020, deaf and amputee newcomer Alaqua Cox was announced as having been cast as the Marvel Comics character Maya Lopez / Echo in Marvel Studios' Disney+ series Hawkeye (2021). By March 2021, Marvel Studios was in early development on a spin-off from Hawkeye centered on Cox's Lopez for Disney+, with Etan Cohen and Emily Cohen set to write and executive produce. During the Disney+ Day event in November 2021, the series was officially announced as Echo, and Marion Dayre was serving as head writer by then instead of the Cohens. Amy Rardin would also join the series to serve as head writer alongside Dayre. Bert & Bertie, who directed the Hawkeye episode "Echoes" in which Lopez is introduced, did not believe they would be involved with the spin-off series and felt it would be appropriate for someone in the Native American community to further tell the character's story. In March 2022, Sydney Freeland shared a casting call on her Instagram page, indicating her involvement in the series as a director. Marvel Studios confirmed Freeland as a director in May, while also announcing that Catriona McKenzie would also direct for the series. Freeland directed all episodes except the third, which was directed by McKenzie. Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige, Stephen Broussard, Louis D'Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Victoria Alonso, and Richie Palmer serve as executive producers along with Dayre, Jason Gavin, and Freeland, while Rardin is a co-executive producer. The series consists of five episodes, which reportedly had a budget of $40 million, the lowest for a Marvel Studios series at the time of its release.
Writing