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Echo is a Marvel Comics character who first appeared in Daredevil #9 (Dec. 1999), created by writer David Mack and artist Joe Quesada. Also known as Maya Lopez, she first made her live-action debut in the Disney+ Hawkeye series. And now, on January 10, 2024, we will see the release of Marvel's Echo, the first entry in the MCU for the year.
The show will follow the deaf Native American superhero Maya Lopez, also known as Echo, as she returns to her hometown. Here, she must face her past and reestablish ties to her heritage. Among Echo's many fascinating features is her costume, which highlights a distinctive handprint on her face.
The article will look closely at her past to understand why this is a significant aspect of the character's personality.
Echo’s handprint explained
Maya Lopez, sometimes known as Echo, is a skilled marksman, acrobat, and martial artist who can perfectly mimic someone else's moves. When the Kingpin (Wilson Fisk) murdered her father, Willie "Crazy Horse" Lincoln, Maya Lopez was a young girl. The final dying request of Crazy Horse is for the Kingpin to raise Maya well, and he leaves a bloody handprint on Maya's cheek.
Treating her as his daughter, Kingpin carries out his final request. Maya is enrolled in a pricey school for those with learning problems since it is thought that she has a mental disability. There, she plays the piano version of a song flawlessly. After that, she is sent to another pricey prodigy school.
Lopez became acquainted with Daredevil during a trying period in his life. During the previous Guardian Devil storyline, bullseye killed the hero's longstanding friend and love interest, Karen Page.
Kingpin set up an unexpected meeting between Lopez and Murdock since he knew the latter was weak. As predicted by Fisk, a love relationship blossomed between the two. She grew up hating Daredevil for her father's passing and is determined to murder him thanks to Kingpin's influence. When Matt and Maya first started dating, Fisk informed Echo that Daredevil was the reason for her father's demise.
In return, she started watching old clips of Bullseye and Daredevil sparring to plan her retaliation. In honor of the bloody handprint her father left behind before he passed away, she also painted a white handprint on her face.
Echo defeats Daredevil and nearly shoots him in their first battle, stopping only because numerous young witnesses are there to witness if she did it. After they sparred again, Matt Murdock told her who he was, which prevented the conflict.
He pointed out that Maya must've realized right away that he was far too young to have slain Lincoln at the time of his death. Maya went against Kingpin after learning she had been duped, shooting him, which left him blind.
This sequence was also adapted in Disney+’s Hawkeye series, changing a few things from the source material (the missing-in-action hero Daredevil). The show, however, introduces the first iteration of Maya Lopez/Echo, played by the talented Alaqua Cox.
Marvel’s Echo is coming to Disney+ on January 10
Now, the star is set to return in her solo series, Marvel's Echo. This entry will also be the first Marvel Cinematic Universe TV show to run under the new Marvel Spotlights label from the studio. According to Marvel, the banner was created specifically for TV shows that are a part of the MCU canon.
However, it differs because it places a higher value on gritty, grounded, character-centered narrative than the universal and supernatural themes explored in the other MCU media. First, the show was scheduled to launch on Disney+ on November 29, 2023. However, the series' new premiere date is January 10, 2024.
Additionally, it's said that Maya Lopez will don a new outfit and get new abilities to go along with it. It's unclear whether the recognizable handprint will still be included in the outfit. Regarding the MCU hero's abilities, director Sydney Freeland has stated,
"Her power in the comic books is that she can copy anything, any movement, any whatever. It’s kind of lame. I will say, that is not her power. I’ll just kind of leave it at that."
Disney has also revealed that Hulu and Disney+ will simultaneously provide all five episodes, making for an excellent binge-watching opportunity when the first MCU entry of the year drops. Hawkeye, What if...? season 2, and other MCU-related media are currently available for fans to stream on Disney+
