A groundbreaking collaboration with the Choctaw Nation, Marvel’s “Echo” TV show brings with it an authentic and healthy representation of indigenous, deaf, and disabled folk. Some say the storyline along with the cinematography and sound design make the show worthwhile to watch after a long line of disappointing Marvel TV shows.
First introduced in the “Hawkeye” miniseries released in 2021, Echo sees Alaqua Cox return as Maya Lopez. In addition, Vincent D’Onofrio reprises his role as Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin, after playing the same character in the “Daredevil” TV show, released in 2015, as well as in “Hawkeye”. The show has also received praise for the abundance of indigenous actors in the cast of Echo including Zahn McClarnon, Tanto Cardinal, and Graham Greene to name a few. The entire cast also came together to make the show feasible as many of them learned ASL to better communicate with Cox.
One of the wins that both indigenous and deaf people get from this show is due to the representation found in both the creators and actors of the show. Historically in American media, the story of indigenous people has always been portrayed by white creators and actors. “Echo” breaks that by not only casting indigenous folk to play indigenous characters but is also directed by a native director, Sydney Freeland, adding to its genuineness when it comes to representation. This holds true when it comes to representing disabled folk as well since Alaqua Cox is deaf and an amputee in real life. Moreover, “Echo” was a collaborative project between Marvel and the Choctaw Nation, and many Choctaw tales ranging from the stories of creation to the stories of individual historical characters are all incorporated into the show with accuracy.
When it comes to the plot and storyline, the identity of the characters is central to their development. Being a 5-episode show, the story was meant to be specific and personal to Maya Lopez, without any filler episodes or unnecessary humor. After the letdown of previously released MCU TV shows like “Secret Invasion”, Echo brings in a breath of fresh air and does not let down its audience.
“Echo” also develops the character of Kingpin in much more detail than in previous shows such as “Hawkeye”. While audiences get to see Kingpin’s iconic violent tendencies, they are also exposed to a new side of him, one that includes love and compassion for his adopted daughter, Maya.
A disclaimer that definitely needs to be made is that if audiences were expecting Daredevil to be a central part of the show, they would be disappointed. Apart from around a 100-second cameo during a fight scene in the first episode, Daredevil remains absent from the rest of the show, which some see as a letdown.
But like its predecessor “Daredevil”, “Echo” is also rated TV-MA with more violent, gory, and overall more realistic action and fight sequences. More importantly, the creators of the show didn’t have to worry about making it family-friendly as previous attempts to cater to a family-friendly audience have largely been blamed for many of Marvel’s recent failures. On the other hand, this does however limit “Echo” from being viewed by indigenous or deaf children, especially considering how little representation there is for indigenous and deaf communities.
Overall, I would rate the show 4 ⁄ 5 stars as it provides indigenous, deaf, and disabled folk a long-needed healthy representation in mainstream media. “Echo” also succeeds where its predecessors failed and manages to bring together a cohesive story and plotline that develops the complexity of both new and familiar characters.
