Echo is both Maya Lopez’s nickname and the title of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Disney Plus series about her that dropped Jan. 9, 2024.
Played by Alaqua Cox, the character has a deep history with one of the franchise’s most notable villains Wilson Fisk/Kingpin, played by Vincent D’Onofrio, and is Marvel’s first deaf protagonist (Eternals’ supporting character Makkari was the franchise’s first deaf superhero). If you’re a Marvel regular, you might recognize Maya from elsewhere in the MCU, but if you’re a first-timer, casual viewer, or fan of the Netflix shows hoping to get a glimpse of Matt Murdock/Daredevil, you can catch up with Echo’s MCU history right here.
What show or movie was Maya Lopez in before ‘Echo’?
Maya was first introduced in episode 2 of Hawkeye, titled “Hide and Seek. ” In the Disney Plus show about Clint Barton and his archer successor Kate Bishop, she is one of the ringleaders of the Tracksuit Mafia, working under Wilson Fisk.
Clint killed Maya’s dad, William Lopez, during his time off from the Avengers after Infinity War to be the deadly vigilante known as Ronin. This set the young gangster on a path to avenge her dad as she hunted Clint down. What Maya didn’t know, however, was that William had been ratted out by his partner, Fisk, in an attempt to get full control of their criminal operations. The betrayal was personal seeing as Fisk had been in Maya’s life since she was a child and was like an uncle to her.
Maya’s last appearance in Hawkeye happens during a confrontation with Fisk after Clint informs her of what he had done, where the vicious kingpin tries to convince her that “sometimes family doesn’t see eye-to-eye.” Like in the comics, his “niece” proceeds to shoot him in the eye, setting the events of Echo into motion.
Maya’s stand-alone show delves deeper into the two characters’ shared history and serves both as a Hawkeye spin-off and the inaugural project under the MCU’s Marvel Spotlight banner.
Echo is available to stream now on Disney Plus.