The Big Picture

Echo is the first series under Marvel Spotlight, introducing Maya Lopez as a new anti-hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Echo’s story revolves around her past, identity discovery, and family connections, shedding light on her ties to Kingpin and her Choctaw roots. The series takes a bold and violent approach, featuring a mature rating with intense violence and a gritty feel more reminiscent of Netflix Marvel shows.

Dropping on both Disney+ and Hulu on January 9, Echo is the first series under the brand-new Marvel Spotlight banner, starring Alaqua Cox as the new anti-heroic addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Joining the ranks of other so-bad-they’re-good characters, like Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Loki (Tom Hiddleston), and Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), Maya kicks off her arc in a five-episode season that features a very special reintroduction to the MCU family. So, who is Echo?

Technically, Maya Lopez first appeared in the Disney+ miniseries, Hawkeye, with Hailee Steinfeld and Jeremy Renner. The young mafia leader had tragic ties to Clint Barton’s (Renner) vigilante identity, Ronin, which set Lopez up as the antagonist in the miniseries, and teased her relationship with Daredevil’s big bad, Wilson Fisk, i.e. Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio). In Echo, more of the teenager’s past is revealed as she goes on a journey of self-discovery, from the adoptive daughter of Kingpin, and one of his most trusted allies, to her estranged Choctaw family in Oklahoma. Echo also stars Charlie Cox, Graham Greene, Devery Jacobs, Zahn McClarnon, and Chaske Spencer.

In this interview with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, Cox addresses her morally gray antihero status, and how being the lead of Disney+’s first TV-MA series allows for a bold, violent look at the trauma experienced throughout Maya’s life on her road to becoming Echo. In another Collider interview, it was previously revealed that Echo won’t have the same powers featured in the comics, but Cox does tease how they change in the series, as well as discusses her relationship with D’Onofrio’s Kingpin and getting to work opposite the Emmy-nominee. Check out the video above, or the full transcript below, to find out more about the multiple underrepresented communities both Maya Lopez and Alaqua Cox give voice to, and more!

Echo Maya Lopez must face her past, reconnect with her Native American roots and embrace the meaning of family and community if she ever hopes to move forward. Release Date January 9, 2024 Main Genre Drama Seasons 1 Studio Marvel Studios

COLLIDER: Something that really surprised me about the show was that it’s not like the Disney+ shows before. This one has violence that is more representative of a Netflix Marvel show than a Disney+ show. Can you talk about how it’s more for adults?

ALAQUA COX: It’s gonna be more, of course, a lot of blood, violence, guns involved, as well. It’s very gritty. It’s a different feel compared to the other MCU stuff that we’ve seen. Now that it’s being maturely rated, it’s more intense.

‘Echo’s Maya Lopez is an MCU Antihero
Image via Marvel Studios

Do you view Maya as more of a hero or more as a villain?

COX: I would say she’s an in-between — an antihero. More like that.

Sure. You could see, though, how some people could view her sort of in both ways?

COX: Yes, you can definitely see it in both ways. She has this very nice balance that she’s trying to center. She’s starting to open up a little bit later. As the story progresses, we’ll see how she opens up and how she becomes an antihero at the end of the story.

I don’t wanna do spoilers; however, what do you think people will be thinking or saying after they see the finale?

COX: I think people will be like, “That’s all? That’s it? I want more! What’s gonna happen next?” We never know where Maya is gonna go next, so I think that they’ll all be curious about that.

When you were seeing what you were gonna film, you saw the schedule, what was the day that you had circled because you were incredibly excited to film it, or you were very nervous about filming it?

COX: I remember being so nervous doing the scene with Kingpin. I remember looking on the call sheet for the next day and seeing how it was such an intense, emotional scene, and I said, “Oh, crap.” Emotional scenes are always just so tough for me, especially with one of the top-rated actors, working alongside him, Vincent D’Onofrio, so I was very nervous about that particular scene, and I remember looking forward to it. And the stunt team, the training team we did at the skating rink, as well. Those were scenes I was looking forward to a lot.

Alaqua Cox Pinpoints Kingpin’s Weakness in ‘Echo’
Image via Marvel Studios

Why do you think Kingpin cares so much about Maya versus, say, some of the other people in his life?

COX: Because he trusts Maya so much. It’s obvious that Maya has bowed down to him and revered him as this high entity basically her whole life. They love each other so much, and it’s kind of crazy how Kingpin can forgive her after she shot him in the head, but they just love each other so much that it’s just very interesting to see that.

I’m curious what you might want to tease about Maya’s possible powers/things that have been hinted at in the first few episodes.

COX: Her powers are related to her culture. That’s all I kind of wanna give right now. You’ll see more in the series.

‘Echo’ Gives a Voice to Underrepresented Communities

One of the things, though, about the series is that — I say this all the time, but it’s so true — representation matters, and it matters for so many people. Can you talk a little bit about what it means to you to be a part of a show like this?

COX: I think it’s really important that we have this representation in the community. I have three different communities that I am able to represent: the indigenous, the deaf, and the amputee community. Those communities are all very underrepresented, so having this role and being able to educate people and uplift this awareness that we have for all of these communities I am able to represent is so great. The community deserves to have their voices and their stories be heard. So, I’m excited for the audience to be able to learn about all of those communities.

Echo will premiere all five episodes on Disney+ and Hulu on January 9.