Since Echo was announced as a spin-off from her live-action debut on Hawkeye, there’s been a huge wave of criticism over what many felt was an unnecessary mini-series. Echo first made her debut in the comics back in the Daredevil #9 issue. Her appearance in Hawkeye was the first time Marvel used her character and she wasn’t exactly met with high praise.
However, the first trailer just dropped from the spin-off series and fans are on board with the upcoming Marvel TV show. Why? Simply put, Echo looks great! It reminded fans of the early days of the Netflix Marvel shows, which are still considered top-tier in terms of superhero content. But Echo seems to have more going for it than just a TV-MA rating, and hopefully, The Marvel series is truly as good as it looks. It helps that the writer of the mini-series was a key successor of Better Call Saul.
The Show Seems To Follow The Original Source Material Closely
Echo has a simple story that grows more complex the deeper it grows. Long story short, Kingpin is a father figure to Echo, but unbeknownst to the character, Kingpin was originally the man who killed Echo’s real dad. This is why Matt Murdock (aka Daredevil) and Kingpin play a crucial role in the series. The complexity in both dynamics regarding Maya brings out the different dimensions of her character in a compelling manner.
Echo is a killing machine when she’s with Kingpin. However, she’s a softer person with Matt Murdock. This story arc with Echo is easily her best thus far. Maya Lopez isn’t exactly the best character in the comics because she isn’t anything particularly special. But her grounded story and Native American roots are what make her character stand out. If the creators are able to recapture that magic by not only bringing her story to life, but retelling the vital story beats that nicely develop Echo, Daredevil, and Wilson Fisk, then they will have a much-needed winner on their hands.
The Bold Decision To Make An Adult Television Show
Just because a television show has an adult rating doesn’t automatically mean it’ll be great. Still, the reason the rating is such a boost for the series here is due to Echo replicating what the Netflix Daredevil series did. Fans don’t love the series because it was a graphic show filled with violence and sex. People are fond of the series because it brought the best out of both Daredevil and Wilson Fisk. The latter fits the mature rating to a tee, and that sight of the gangster’s hand dripped in fresh blood means we won’t be getting the disappointing version of Fisk that Disney debuted in Hawkeye.
Daredevil hasn’t been showcased so great either. He was in Spider-Man: No Way Home to inform audiences that he was in the MCU. His time in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law was forgettable and silly. And if the rumors are true, the recently scrapped Daredevil: Born Again sounded like another misuse of the character. The mature rating allows the creators to write without restriction. Given Echo’s origin, the grittiness of the upcoming series is a key factor that helps the character stand out from the other Marvel/Disney Plus heroes.
Daredevil and Wilson Fisk
I’ve touched on these two for the entire article, but it can’t be emphasized enough how Daredevil and Fisk help boost the appeal of the mini-series. The big reason that their inclusion is so exciting is due to the fact that more details about their past will be revealed in the upcoming series. The trailer only had one shot with Daredevil, but Matt Murdock is such a vital ingredient in Echo’s origin story that it would be surprising if he was just a cameo in the series.
Echo allows Vincent D’Onofrio to flex his muscles as the Kingpin once again, but in a role that seems against the soulless and brutal nature that Fisk displayed during his time in Daredevil. It highlights the charming thief aspect of a dangerous man who can put a smile on your face and a knife in your heart. Murdock’s characterization doesn’t change much in his dynamic with Maya, but to see what he’s doing in the city of New York and how he’ll combat the string of chaos and disarray in Echo’s story will always be exciting. Echo has all the potential in the world to be one of Marvel’s best series in quite a while. Here’s hoping it lives up to the lofty expectations its recent trailer set.
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