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The MCU is coming up with multiple new Disney+ series, but the one that people know the least about is Echo. The series is expected to premiere as part of Phase Five of the MCU. As per reports, the Hawkeye spinoff series is unlikely to arrive in 2023.
Alaqua Cox is returning as Maya Lopez after making her MCU debut in Hawkeye. She is yet to fully transform into the antihero we know as Echo.
The last time we saw her, she was involved in a one-on-one face-off against her adoptive father, Wilson Fisk. It was implied that she killed him off-screen, but people are expecting his return alongside Lopez. Fans are still left wondering when the Echo series will arrive on Disney+, and what direction it will take for Maya Lopez.
The new release window of Echo
The series began production in early 2022 and was initially being fast-tracked for a 2023 release. According to the lineup that Kevin Feige revealed at San Diego Comic-Con in 2022, it was placed after Secret Invasion, only to be released sometime around Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
But with Marvel now actively focusing on the quality of their Disney+ shows, the series based on Maya Lopez went through heavy reshoots, which caused it to be delayed. So far, just two MCU series have been confirmed to arrive in 2023, Secret Invasion and Loki season 2. As per the Hollywood Reporter, Echo and the Wakanda Forever spinoff, Ironheart, are unlikely to arrive in 2023.
In an interview in February 2023, Feige told Entertainment Weekly that there will be fewer shows and that they will be more spaced out.
“The pace at which we’re putting out the Disney+ shows will change.”
However, Alaqua Cox may have suggested that Echo will, after all, release this year itself.
Last month, she took to Twitter, asking for October to arrive as soon as possible. Considering that Echo is the only major series she is involved with, many fans took it as a confirmation that it will indeed arrive in October 2023. However, this hasn’t been confirmed by Marvel, and a specific release date hasn’t been revealed yet.
The cast and synopsis of Echo
Besides Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez, Devery Jacobs will play Julie, and Zahn McClarnon will return to play William Lopez despite his character dying in Hawkeye. Another character who was left on the verge of dying in Hawkeye was Kingpin, whose return was later confirmed at Disney’s D23 Expo 2023.
The Hawkeye spinoff series is rumored to have six episodes, and the Marvel Updates Twitter account stated that Kingpin will appear in the last four of those. But along with him, we’ll also see the involvement of Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, in three episodes, setting up the narrative of his own series, Daredevil: Born Again.
As far as the narrative of Echo is concerned, here’s what the synopsis of the series states:
“The origin story of Echo revisits Maya Lopez, whose ruthless behavior in New York City catches up with her in her hometown. She 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.”
This series will give us another face-off between Maya and Wilson Fisk as it turns the titular character into an antihero with an interesting new ability.
What makes Maya an exciting character?
Maya Lopez continues diversity representation in the MCU. As a deaf Native American superhero, she also brings forward representation for people with disabilities. In the comics, she possesses photographic reflexes, which makes her similar to Taskmaster. However, we haven’t seen that in the MCU just yet.
But according to Marvel Updates, she will gain superhuman abilities by acquiring magical tattoos, and that’s what will make her character a bit more interesting for the viewers. It’d be safe to assume that she’d get one of those magical tattoos on her face, which would bring her appearance closer to what it is in the comics (with a hand imprint on her face).
