The MCU is getting even grittier on the television side of the things. Watch the above trailer for Echo, an upcoming Hawkeye spinoff series that focuses on Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox).
The series reunites us with the aforementioned deaf character that we met in Disney+ series Hawkeye, which had a very different tone from what’s on offer here. The plot of Echo finds Maya being persued by Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio, reprising the role) and his criminal empire. When the journey brings her home, she must confront her own family and legacy.
The cast of Echo also includes Chaske Spencer (Wild Indian, The English), Graham Greene (1883, Goliath), Tantoo Cardinal (Killers of the Flower Moon, Stumptown), Devery Jacobs (FX’s Reservation Dogs, American Gods), Zahn McClarnon (Dark Winds, FX’s Reservation Dogs), and Cody Lightning (Hey, Viktor!, Four Sheets to the Wind).
Episodes of the series are directed by Sydney Freeland (Navajo) and Catriona McKenzie (Gunaikurnai). Executive producers are Kevin Feige, Stephen Broussard, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Victoria Alonso, Richie Palmer, Jason Gavin (Blackfeet), Marion Dayre and Sydney Freeland. Co-executive producers are Jennifer L. Booth and Amy Rardin.
This is the first series under a new Marvel banner, named Marvel Spotlight, that aims to present more standalone projects. Said Marvel Studios’ Head of Streaming Brad Winderbaum at the Choctaw Nation’s annual Powwow, where the first two episodes were shown:
“Marvel Spotlight gives us a platform to bring more grounded, character-driven stories to the screen, and in the case of Echo, focusing on street-level stakes over larger MCU continuity. Just like comics fans didn’t need to read Avengers or Fantastic Four to enjoy a Ghost Rider Spotlight comic, our audience doesn’t need to have seen other Marvel series to understand what’s happening in Maya’s story.”
A few firsts here. It’s the first Marvel Studios Disney+ series that’s been rated TV-MA in the United States for its graphic violence (shows such as Daredevil and The Punisher were produced by Netflix). Echo will also be the first Marvel Studios series to drop all episodes at once: you can binge all five eps from January 10, 2024, on Disney+ and Hulu.
