‘Echo’ Sticks the Superhero Landing Despite Marvel Studios Fatigue

Echo, much like Maya, is an antihero.

The series combats typical pitfalls of this superhero genre with a meaningful exploration of culture and communication. Alas, no matter how many barriers are overcome, Maya’s story deploys Marvel Studios’ cheaper TV ploys.

These one-shot mini-series still have a long way to go with small-screen storytelling. Especially when Disney’s Percy Jackson series is doing more profound work in one episode than these series do in a season. However, this character-centered study is a promising start toward something much better.

Sign of the Times

Alaqua Cox’s Maya Lopez is a dynamic presence on screen. This solo series cashes in on her memorable Hawkeye stint with a role worthy of her killer queen energy.

We need to see these kinds of voices spotlighted more in all genres. Still, there is something incredibly thrilling about seeing a superhero formula embrace cinematic diversity and artistry of different backgrounds.

The silence accompanying Maya during her climatic fight scenes, the show’s showcase of her various prosthetic legs, and the artistry of scenes where the actors almost exclusively sign build these emotional linchpin monologues.

While the action and violence are commendable, the drama is what shines, thanks to the captivating inclusion of sign language.

There is a brief panic that all hope for Marvel would be lost when a futuristic Stark-esque implant is offered in place of Fisk learning sign language. But instead of taking this easy out so everyone can understand Maya in future projects without accommodating her deafness, the show rightfully roasts Fisk for being so dense.

A New Neighborhood

That choice confirms this series isn’t skimping out on the unique culture and communication accommodations that make Maya’s superhero story so significant — but visually dynamic and stunning.

I cannot personally relate to the Indigenous and Choctaw Nation representation this series so earnestly and vividly champions. However, I don’t have to relate to know I desperately want to connect with and get to know this new world of characters and sets.

Most of us don’t relate to living in New York City, but after watching countless superhero shows and movies set in the historic city, we yearn for more of those stories. TV sets become a second home, and it’s about time we see a community as alive and attractive as Choctaw Nation’s.

Echo is not the first street-level superhero series but the first to feature such a unique landscape. With more exposure, culturally immersive spaces like Tamaha, Oklahoma, will also become like a second home to us.

Echo’s representation is a mighty superpower and one this series does not overlook.

New Series, Same Marvel

Unfortunately, there is no shortage of self-inflicted wounds for Maya’s story to tend to. Marvel Studios gets in the way of its momentum, and Echo is no outlier. It spotlights the issues every mini-series before it has faced.

The pacing of the first three episodes is slow and halting at times. This suits Maya’s slow-burn heroism as we soak in her world from a quiet, somber perspective.

However, few significant developments take place within the first two hours. The audience is not given much reason to care about her crusade to overtake Kingpin’s throne. By the end of the third episode, Maya’s journey has made little progress from the pilot.

The same issue extends to the captivating ensemble of characters populating her hometown.

They pose as a conscious in Maya’s emotional journey. Yet, most are criminally underutilized, especially Bonnie, who is used sparingly despite her connection to Maya being labeled an emotional linchpin. Regarding their friendship, the show would tell us instead of show us.

Continuity & Clip Shows

These story issues are not new for Marvel, and it is frustrating that the larger powers aren’t doing more to correct these common missteps. Lack of continuity continues to be a significant recurring problem, Spotlight series or not.

I liked Hawkeye, and I liked Maya’s role in Hawkeye as an antagonist. Ignoring and contradicting details from her time on the show because Marvel Studios is choosing to separate this project from others is precisely why Multiverse of Madness failed.

There must be a common ground when introducing a secluded, street-level story without isolating it from previous developments.

I have witnessed successful Marvel recapping, most recently with The Marvels, which expertly summarized three separate projects. However, Echo tediously spends half the pilot recapping Maya’s backstory with clips rather than building on it with new content.

I’m not saying we should force people to watch Hawkeye, but we need to operate as if most fans did for the sake of not reducing an entire project to an out-of-context clip show.

Sticking the Landing

That said, there is one element not many of these mini-series have managed to execute successfully until Echo, and that’s the ending.

The final two episodes change the season’s momentum for the better by narrowing in on Maya’s inner struggle with her revenge plot and subsequent disconnect from her ancestors.

We see the show stop trying to draw out her revenge plot and finally ignite the fire Maya’s all-consuming anger longed for.

And each character, regardless of underutilization, gets a super showcase during the finale. Henry’s little wink right before he takes the bad guy out is something, and Skully’s romantic triumph with Chula and her long-lost sewing machine is downright adorable.

Most of all, these little victories throughout the final stretch provide us with closure.

I also cannot get over the choice to have the code name Echo reflect her ancestor’s ability to echo through her. That beautiful collaboration of the superhero and Indigenous lore is gorgeous.

Even her costume reveal plays to the iconic genre trope while finding powerful ways to nod to Echo’s disabilities and heritage.

Ultimately, the choice to frame the showdown at the center of the community with the Choctaw Nation’s Pow Wow lends an authenticity and vibrancy to the story that you cannot fake. An authenticity that will save these series when the formula no longer can.

Echo has its stumbles, but the back half of the season solidifies it as a satisfying trailblazer.

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What did you think of Echo? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Echo is streaming now on Disney+.

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