Disney More ” Hawkeye Streaming Series brings the mysterious Marvel comic book hero Echo into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, played by actor Alaqua Cox. A relatively new character that the general public has probably never heard of, Echo’s comic book story has already played a role that fans of the MCU are familiar with thanks to the inclusion of the Ronin identity in 2019 Avengers: Endgame.
It was the costume Clint Barton wore when playing deadly vigilante against crime lords around the world due to the heartbreak over the loss of his entire family in the Snap.
But it was actually Echo who created Ronin’s identity before passing it on to the Clint Barton comic book and then later to other heroes, including Blade. But Echo is more than the well-traveled inventor of the ninja appearance.
As a longtime Avenger with ties to Daredevil, Wolverine, the criminal organization The Hand, and of course the cosmic embodiment of the life, death, and rebirth of the Phoenix, Echo has his own Marvel heritage. Comics, which in many ways is just beginning.
With the introduction of Echo’s MCU in the new Hawkeye show starting on November 24, and after official confirmation from Marvel Studios, she’ll be getting her own post-Hawkeye Disney Plus streaming series, we’re going to break down everything you need to know. on the character right now.
Who is Echo?
Echo didn’t start out as a hero per se, but as an antagonist for daredevil. After her father (an executor of the Kingpin) was murdered by his own boss, Maya Lopez (the future Echo) was taken in by Kingpin himself, who promises to raise her as his own child. Although initially believed to have a learning disability, Maya attends a special school where she learns that not only is she deaf, but that she is in fact a prodigy in both the creative arts and the arts. Martial Arts.
Under Kingpin’s manipulation, Maya grows up blaming Daredevil for her father’s death, ultimately swearing revenge on the vigilante. Taking the name “Echo” thanks to her natural talent for mimicking the movements of others (similar to another new MCU character Taskmaster), Maya adorns her face with a handprint that resembles the bloody handprint left on his face by his dying father, and sets to kill Daredevil.
First meeting with Matt Murdock (through the Machinations of the Kingpin), Echo begins a relationship with Matt while hunting Daredevil. But when she discovers Daredevil’s secret – his blindness – she sets a trap designed to take the advantage of his radar sense and fight him almost to the death.
Echo stops before killing Daredevil when she realizes that he and Matt Murdock are one, going after Kingpin and shooting him, leaving him for dead.
Fleeing the country, Maya eventually returns to find that Matt Murdock has moved on with his life and is with another woman, while Kingpin, who survived his injuries, is incarcerated.
Kingpin forgives Maya for trying to kill him, and she sets out on another journey of soul-searching, eventually meeting Wolverine and discovering the evil ninjas The Hand.
Maya finds a new purpose in her life by fighting the Hand, assuming the identity of Ronin, and eventually joining the Avengers – a team she still associates with.
Echo in the Marvel Universe
As we said, Maya Lopez was the original secret identity of the character of Ronin, a masked ninja who debuted as a mystery member of the New Avengers, with readers knowing that a recognizable character was in the costume, but not who.
Although the plans originally called for Daredevil to be revealed as the secret hero operating as Ronin, the plot was reversed and Echo was cast in the role (although, in another bizarre controversy, the secret was accidentally messed up before the story was released).
Maya, as Ronin, first came into contact with the Avengers while she was fighting the Hand in Japan. After taking over the management of the Main, including Silver Samurai and Viper, alongside the Avengers, Echo remains in Japan as Ronin to oversee the activities of the Main.
But she was captured, which led to the Avengers attempting to save Echo from the hand before she could be hijacked to become one of their brainwashed assassins.
Upon meeting Elektra, herself a brainwashed hand-murderer herself, things take a dark turn when Echo actually stabs her – and reveals that the Elektra in question was not the real Elektra Natchios. , but a Skrull masquerading as her.
This discovery kicks off Secret invasion storyline (itself soon to be adapted as a Disney Plus MCU show) in which the Skrulls are revealed to have infiltrated Earth society in the guise of known heroes and other people from the Marvel Universe, leading to its turn to the era “Dark Reign” which entrust to Norman Osborn the responsibility of a new group of type SHIELD called HAMMER.
During the “Dark Reign” era, Echo passed the Ronin mantle down to Clint Barton. From there, Echo continued to infiltrate undercover criminal groups, teaming up with Moon Knight to take on the evil Count Nefaria, before returning to New York and teaming up with Daredevil again.
Most recently, Echo was once again a member of the Avengers, a membership that brought her to a whole new role in the Marvel Universe as the current host of the Cosmic Force Phoenix, after winning favor with the Phoenix in the tournament shown in history ‘Avengers: Enter the Phoenix. ‘
She’s in the middle of her own limited series starring Phoenix Song: Echo, which explores how Echo uses her newfound Phoenix Force powers.
Echo in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Echo will make her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut on Disney Plus’s upcoming Hawkeye streaming show, played by Native American actor Alaqua Cox, of the Menominee and Mohican Nations, making her the first Native American hero in the MCU. Echo will also be the MCU’s second deaf hero, following actress Lauren Ridloff’s debut as Makkari in Eternals. Cox and Ridloff are deaf themselves.
As we said earlier, while Echo is not yet in the MCU, aspects of his comic book history are already present – and appear to play a key role in Hawkeye.
Namely, it’s Echo’s legacy as Ronin that most directly connects her to Hawkeye, at least in comic book terms. In the MCU, Ronin is the identity Clint Barton took on during the five-year span between when Thanos wiped out half of all life in the universe with “the Snap” and when the Avengers built their own Infinity Gauntlet to undo The Decimation of Thanos.
On the Hawkeye show, it looks like Clint’s past as Ronin will come after him, leading him to cross paths with his comic book protege Kate Bishop, who will follow in his comedic footsteps and become Clint’s student. in the series. It’s also likely the connection that will bring Echo into the story – although Marvel Studios has yet to reveal how it will connect to the story.
It’s hardly shocking that the mysteries surrounding Echo’s inclusion in Hawkeye, and the potential stories that could be adapted for his own spinoff show that will follow, have led to rampant speculation from fans – especially about the connections between the Echo and Daredevil comics.
Thanks to Echo’s comic book history as Daredevil’s foe and lover, and a single performer for the Kingpin, rumors have mostly circulated since Echo’s inclusion in Hawkeye was announced that the series could also feature Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk themselves – possibly even played by Netflix Daredevil actors Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio, respectively.
At this point, however, everything remains strictly in the realm of rumor, hearsay, and perhaps wishful thinking – although nothing is impossible. And with Echo’s recent connection to the Phoenix Force, which is traditionally associated with the X-Men (another Marvel Comics property that will soon enter the MCU), Echo could become an unlikely hub to bridge the character gap. of the Avengers and several existing Marvel franchises.
Echo began as an executor for Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin, one of the best villains Daredevil ever (OK, THE best).
