Make sure you’re all caught up on Maya Lopez’s story before the new Echo series begins.
Disney’s latest Marvel series, Echo, is set to premiere on Disney+ and Hulu on January 9. This will begin the “Marvel Spotlight” initiative, which will focus on individual characters rather than team-up movies. It’s also the first series produced by Disney to receive a TV-MA rating due to the increased level of violence. Echo looks like an intense show. I got chills just from watching the trailer.
The show follows Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) after the events of Hawkeye, during which she finds out her beloved “uncle,” Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio), who has always taken care of her, played a part in her father’s death. Reeling from that news, she takes some time off from heading up the Tracksuit Mafia to find herself. Maya is filled with rage and loss without an outlet, and she leaves New York to go back to her hometown and reconnect with her Native American roots.
Here’s what to watch to ensure you are caught up on Maya’s story before Echo drops.
Hawkeye (2021)
Hawkeye brought Clint Barton’s (Jeremy Renner) story to a close and wrapped up the loose ends of his Ronin identity, and it introduced Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) as the new version of Hawkeye in the MCU. The series also brought another character from Marvel Comics to life: Maya Lopez. Maya is the leader of the Tracksuit Mafia, who operate under the Wilson Fisk crime family umbrella. When the Ronin suit reappears, it opens up old wounds for Maya, as Ronin is responsible for her father’s death.
Daredevil (2015-2018)
The Daredevil series originally premiered on Netflix and has since moved over to Disney+. Maya doesn’t figure into the Daredevil story at all. However, since Matt Murdock, a.k.a. Daredevil (Charlie Cox), will appear in Echo, it provides more context for his character. Daredevil was also the first introduction of Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk, otherwise known as Kingpin, a very prominent figure in Maya’s life.
If you’d like to see a bit more of Matt Murdock in the MCU before Echo, be sure to check out his brief appearance in She-Hulk, as well.
(featured image: Disney+)
