Review
We’re in unprecedented times Super Friends. Today Marvel Studios drops its first binge-watch series, Echo. Pitched as a standalone story under the brand new Marvel Spotlight banner, Echo is a series long and anxiously awaited by fans of Alaqua Cox’s Maya Lopez. The series has survived rumours of behind-the-scenes turmoil to make it to screens as one of the MCU’s most compelling, yet still inherently flawed, series.
Echo spins out of the events of 2021’s Hawkeye. It takes the street level brawling made famous by the (previously) MCU-adjacent Netflix series and adapts it to fit the Marvel Studios mould. The experiment with a TV-MA rating is an interesting attempt to bring a more adult tone without compromising the MCU’s core sensibilities. The results of which are at times electrifying but in others can be a frustration, holding the show back.
At the forefront is Maya and her heritage as a member of the Native American Choctaw Nation. Marvel’s producers worked at length with the Choctaw Nation to bring an authenticity to the series. Much of Echo is set in the Choctaw Nation’s home of Oklahoma. Each episode painstakingly connects Maya to her roots, a key plot point, but also a huge step forwards in inclusivity and representation. Equally empowering is how Echo focusses on female members of the Choctaw Nation. With each of the first three episodes highlighting Choctaw figures and intertwining them with the story of Maya and how she comes to accept her heritage and the power which comes with it.
All of that indigenous culture is underpinned by the series casting. Cox already proved herself a capable Marvel lead with her recurring role in Hawkeye. Given the chance to headline a series she is beyond compelling. The role can and very much should make Cox a hero and icon to anyone living with a disability. Echo embraces her power as an amputee and its integration of sign language across the cast is unprecedented particularly in the super hero genre.
The Lopez family is fleshed out by Chaske Spencer as Henry “Black Crow” Lopez, Maya’s uncle. His role is central to forwarding the overarching narrative and his relationship with Maya is key in the absence of her father (Zahn McClarnon). Then there’s Tantoo Cardinal as Chula, Maya’s grandmother and Graham Greene as Skully, her grandfather. The pair have a diverse role in Maya’s life both in the past and the present. Whilst Skully is more willing to welcome Maya back to Omaha, Chula is more reluctant to embrace her granddaughter until later in the series. But Chula’s connection to Maya is a thread which runs deep in the blood of the series and again ties neatly in to the Choctaw Nation’s history.
Finally there’s Cody Lightning as Biscuits, Maya’s cousin and somewhat of a cookie cutter MCU comedy supporting character and Devery Jacobs as Bonnie, Maya’s childhood best friend. Also a cousin of the Lopez family, their connection seems key to Maya being able to open up to her family and her home once again.
Echo‘s strengths lie in its moments of originality. Beyond its exploration of Native American culture, its sporadic action sequences are some of the MCU’s best. Taking cues from the Netflix Daredevil series, fights are brutal but also feature some imaginative cinematography. The much publicised fight against Daredevil (Charlie Cox) forms part of a heavy exposition dump in episode one which catches viewers up on Maya’s story so far. But at the same time confirms just how capable Cox and the series are of breaking new ground. Whilst an enthralling fight in episode three featuring one of the MCU’s best needle drops alongside its stunning hand-to-hand fight choreography.
But moments of originality are often dogged by awkward character and sometimes story decisions. After initially pushing back against her granddaughters return, episode four suddenly finds Chula embracing Maya with open arms. Whilst it’s heartwarming to see bonds mended, it feels artificially engineered to move the story forwards.
Likewise the series outstanding dedication to its Native American roots feels somewhat sidelined in the final two episodes in order to synthesise a plot for Vincent D’Onofrio’s returning Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin. There was no doubt that the character needed to return. His history being intrinsically linked to Maya’s. It would be unfair to say the plot is nonsensical because there had to be repercussions to the events of the Hawkeye finale. But when Kingpin inserts himself in to the Lopez family drama it again feels artificially engineered in order to develop some kind of steaks for Echo‘s finale. There’s an uneasy balance between the joy of seeing D’Onofrio continue his intimidating interpretation of Kingpin and wondering why he is all of a sudden threatening mass murder at the Choctaw Pow Wow.
As such it’s Echo‘s finale which feels like the series at its weakest. The final conflict falls back on MCU tropes, gifting Maya with powers her comic book counterpart doesn’t traditionally wield. Again artificially concocting a connection between her powers and her heritage which doesn’t necessarily feel either earned or warranted. Combined with its inevitable credits scene, Echo episodes four and five feels like they circumvent the Marvel Spotlight brand. Something which the first three episodes handle meticulously.
But make no mistake. Despite its flaws, Echo is proof that there is still life in the MCU. Its resonance with minorities should not be overlooked. Neither should its incredible ability to mix character and action without compromise.
Verdict
Echo is a series which will take many by surprise. Its sublime handling of indigenous culture and heritage is often neatly nestled against some of the MCU’s most enticing and exhilarating action sequences.
⭐⭐⭐.5
