‘Echo’ Balances The Old And The New

Marvel Studios is entering dangerous territory with their releases. As the A-listers like Doctor Strange, Iron Man, and Captain America have become spent, they are looking to their expanded roster of characters for support. Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) certainly falls into this category. Although she wasn’t the main feature of the Hawkeye series, the actor did a great job in a supporting role. Nevertheless, many were still skeptical as to whether or not she could handle her own series. This concern has become confounded by the fact that many Marvel releases have languished in recent days. But the studio should be commended for at least trying to give each of these characters their own breathing room in a new setting.

The first episode of Echo has a lot of scenes in New York, but only because it has to. The series as a whole works as both a prequel and a sequel for Maya’s life, so the events of Hawkeye are extremely pertinent. After attempting to kill the Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio), Maya fleas to where she grew up in Oklahoma. This transitions the series from a crime story on the streets of New York to something different. It heavily highlights Native American culture while also giving the story a different kind of setting. So many MCU projects either take place within New York City itself or another urban environment. These episodes slow that pacing down a bit so that the community is almost its own character.

Echo has an interesting mix of old and new. It’s clear that the show is going to want to give Maya her own setting and locale as opposed to just having another NYC adventure. Setting a large portion of the story in Oklahoma is the new. The old involves providing fan service through Kingpin and a pleasant Daredevil (Charlie Cox) cameo. He and Maya have an excellent fight scene that highlights her ability as a superhero contender. There’s still a lot to criticize about the show, but at least it tries to balance fan service and originality.

Echo is now streaming on Disney+.