‘Echo’: Star Alaqua Cox Shines And Should Return

Despite currently housing a number of A-list actors, Marvel films have a history of hiring relatively unknown names for some pretty big roles. This practice dates all the way back to the first Thor film when Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston were hired as the two main leads. Both men weren’t nearly as popular then as they are now, but their fame rose alongside their status in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Surprisingly, this practice continues today. The studio hired Iman Vellani to star in Ms. Marvel, and they also hired newcomer Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez — aka Echo –in Hawkeye. Cox checks off a lot of boxes as a deaf Native American amputee (she shares heritage and deafness with the comic book version of the character). Nevertheless, it was a big risk giving her a spinoff show, but she does surprisingly well in the role and is one of Echo‘s highlights.

The show serves as both prequel and sequel to Maya’s place in the MCU, revealing her early days in Oklahoma and the accident that took her mother’s life as well as her leg. The first episode primarily chronicles her time in New York City while working for the Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio). After the events of Hawkeye, Maya heads back to Oklahoma, where she plans to launch a war against Kingpin’s empire. While there, she reconnects with family and friends — often begrudgingly — and ultimately connects with her ancestors in a fantastical way.

It’s surprising to learn that Cox was hired through an open casting call. She seems to completely embody Maya in that way many MCU actors perfectly fit their characters. She doesn’t speak lines of dialogue, but Cox delivers forceful emotion through her sign language, physical presence, and expressive face. It’s a tricky performance that she nails while also tackling the action side of things well. Cox brings a ferociousness to the character that’s both strong and sentimental. Maya’s story wraps up fairly nicely, so it’s unclear whether or not Marvel Studios would want to pursue her in future storylines. Hopefully they do because Cox is a great addition to the universe that they shouldn’t forget about.

Echo is now streaming on Disney+.