Echo on Disney+: What’s the value of a series that risks reconciling you with Marvel?

What are you doing?

The origin of the character of Maya Lopez, whose behavior in New York is even in her hometown. Pursued by Wilson Fisk’s criminal empire, he must confront his past, reconnect with his Native American roots, and embrace his sense of family and community…

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Introduced in the Hawkeye series, her first screen role, Alaqua Cox returns to the Marvel Universe alongside Echo. The American-born actor, a former disabled athlete at the university, got the first major role of his career on this occasion.

Acting experience combined with a real physical challenge for the 28-year-old actor, who prepared for the shoot by training five days a week with a trainer. Intensive preparation, but still rewarding, allowing Echo’s translator to do most of his stunts himself.

The Marvel series also sees the return of Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk. The unforgettable villain of the Daredevil series, the Kingpin was left dead at the end of Hawkeye. Charlie Cox also returns as Daredevil for a brief appearance.

Also in the cast are former Twilight star Chasken Spencer as Henry, or Zan McClarnon, who appears as William Lopez – the heroine’s father, who was killed by Hawkeye while working as Ronin in the years following the Thanos shoot. .

Is it worth checking out?

2023 will be remembered as true annus horribilis For Marvel, between the critical (She-Hulk) and commercial (The Marvels) failures of several of its titles and Jonathan Majors’ conviction for domestic violence.

The firing of Kang’s translator (who is supposed to be the big villain of Avengers 5) forces the superhero franchise to undergo profound changes. And the new Echo series is tasked with embodying the face of this new change made by the MCU.

This spin-off of the Hawkeye series, also designed as an extension of the Daredevil universe, is under the new Marvel Spotlight label. This label is designed to differentiate works that can be seen independently and do not affect the continuity of other Marvel productions.

The label also offers work that deals with greater tonal freedom, particularly in terms of on-screen violence.

Marvel 2.0

Many fans feared that the repatriation of Daredevil and company to Disney would come at the expense of the darkness and brutality that made the production so successful on Netflix. Fears were confirmed by the appearance of Matt Murdoch in She-Hulk, a return that didn’t really do justice to the character played by Charlie Cox.

Is there an Echo series that will revolutionize the MCU? No, and it won’t be enough to make us forget about 2023. But for what it is – an action spin-off centered on a character little known to the general public – the new Disney+ production, against all evidence, does. some efficiency.

The series begins with an episode that traces the origins of Maya Lopez, Eco’s alter ego. An opportunity to explore his childhood, the accident that cost him his right leg, but also to remind us of the key facts of his appearance in the series Hawkeye and more specifically his complicated relationship with Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin.

In form, Echo seems to be breaking away from the usual constraints of superhero production. Instead, the new Marvel series borrows the codes of the thriller and action movie, a risky bet, but one that succeeds in large part thanks to the convincing interpretation of Alaqua Cox.

The first disabled actor to take on a lead role in a Marvel production, he has the charisma but also the physicality to add dimension to this action hero role. Thanks to him, the series does not need to multiply digital effects to impress us.

Marvel: Reborn?

The return to the binge-watch format (5 episodes available at once) also indicates a change in distribution strategy on Disney+. Based on a story that is pleasing to the eye and supported by an effective rhythm, the Echo series thus exceeds the low expectations that the project has awakened among the most unconditional fans of the MCU.

Even better, the series offers a successful debut for the Marvel Spotlight label. This shift by the franchise, which now seems poised to produce darker works aimed at mature audiences, can only bode well for Daredevil’s big return in a series titled Daredevil: Born Again.

Five episodes of Echo has yet to erase all our fears about the future of the Marvel Universe. But this mini-series will at least allow us to regain hope in the franchise’s ability to rise from the ashes and begin again with a vengeance for years to come.

Marvel Studios’ Echo series is now available exclusively on Disney+.

Discover the list of series currently available on the platform!