The stories that make up our origin story usually start long before we are born, often going back hundreds of years, and they connect us to ancestors we may never meet and locations we may never see. The assassinous former head of Wilson Fisk’s (Vincent D’Onofrio) Tracksuit Mafia gang, Maya Lopez, nicknamed Echo (Alaqua Cox), began her ascent long before she made her debut in Disney+’s “Hawkeye.”
Following the events of “Hawkeye,” viewers can discover more about the character in “Echo,” a five-chapter limited series published under the new Marvel Spotlight label, along with flashbacks to earlier events that shaped her. Regretfully, none of it is very interesting.
Maya had lost her leg as a small child in Tamaha, Oklahoma, due to a family tragedy before she pulled her revolver on Fisk, the man she had named her uncle for most of her life, in the “Hawkeye” finale. Her father, William Lopez (Zahn McClarnon), and she leave the South Central state for the soaring pillars of New York City after the incident tears apart their family.
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William swiftly becomes a part of Fisk’s crime crew after being indoctrinated into the world of crime. But when her father passes away, around twenty years later, Maya is forced to reevaluate what she previously believed to be true about Fisk and his group. Maya is a skilled fighter with precise, lethal combat techniques. Her anguish turns into a deep, dark rage.
Echo can be seen in Hawkeye by Marvel.
The story of “Echo,” which centers on a deaf amputee main character, shows how easily Maya’s physical prowess is underestimated. There are many complex fight scenes in the episode where Maya makes good use of her prosthetic limb. However, the series’ masterful use of American Sign Language and sound is far more amazing than any fight scene.
There are situations where ASL is used in its entirety and others where the sound is completely muted and the audience, like Maya, can only feel the heartbeats of those around her. These sequences, which showcase diversity and the possibilities of film and television, are masterfully directed and envisioned by lead director and executive producer Sydney Freeland.
The core of the story is thoughtfully infused with Maya’s Choctaw background by Freeland, writer Amy Rardin, and creator Marion Dayre. “Echo” encompasses the initial Choctaw people’s appearance. The Choctaws are highlighted in a number of historical eras throughout the episodes, including the 13th, 18th, and modern times. These historical scenes show Maya’s suffering, which extends well beyond the death of her father and links her to her predecessors who have endured injustice throughout history. She has a deep-seated thirst for retribution.
The return of D’Onofrio, who played the imposing and terrifying Wilson Fisk in Netflix’s “Daredevil,” and Charlie Cox, who played the title character in the series, are two other noteworthy elements of “Echo.” The two will play the same characters in the upcoming Disney+ series “Daredevil: Born Again.” Even with the lively cast and Maya’s intriguing past, “Echo” doesn’t seem promising for a five-episode run.
The goal of the opening sequence is to bring the audience up to date on Maya’s story, and it is exposition-heavy throughout. A five-minute montage would have been equally effective. The only significant change in the story by Episode 3 is Maya’s return to Tamaha, her hometown. Her existence completely upends the lives of her grandmother Chula (Tantoo Cardinal), cousins Biscuits (Cody Lightning) and Bonnie (Devery Jacobs), and uncle Henry “Black Crow” Lopez (Chaske Spencer).
Even though “Echo” is a masterfully shot film, its emotional impact might have been amplified if it had been condensed into a two-hour event and several unnecessary displays removed. Additionally, if the show had explored Maya’s inner monologue, viewers might have developed a closer bond with a character who has closed off the world. It is difficult to understand her motivations when her ultimate goal appears so unclear in the absence of this psychological foundation.
If the show had been trimmed down, the pacing would have helped portray Maya’s repressed feelings and vulnerability, retaining viewers’ interest in the antihero as a whole rather than just in the action and combat scenes. Unfortunately, “Echo” feels largely like filler despite its worthwhile and positive aspects.