Superhero Origins: Marvel's Echo
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VOICE OVER: Rudolph Strong
WRITTEN BY: Izhan Arif
With Echo getting her own spin-off series from "Hawkeye" in 2024, here's what you need to know. Expect some major spoilers ahead! We'll be having a look at abilities, rivalries, MCU appearances and more!
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re diving into the origins of Echo. Expect some major spoilers ahead! What's your favorite superhero origin story? Let us know in the comments!
Maya Lopez didn’t start life off very easy. She was raised alone by her father Willie “Crazy Horse” Lincoln due to the absence of her mother (only known as Ms. Lopez). Maya’s father led a less than reputable life. Frequently engaging in petty crimes, he crossed paths with Wilson Fisk, better known as the Kingpin, and worked for him as an enforcer. Fisk would eventually murder Willie when Maya was still a young child. But before he did, he promised to raise her as if she were his own daughter. The last time Maya saw her dad, he placed his bloody hand on her face, leaving a handprint which she would later incorporate in her visage. Those around Maya initially believed she had learning disabilities. So after being taken in by Fisk, she was sent to a special school. It was there that she and her teachers would discover that she was deaf. And when she perfectly recreated a song on the piano with little practice, they’d also discover she was gifted. She’d then get sent to another school, this time specifically for prodigies. As time went on, the now-adult Maya was tricked by Fisk into believing that Daredevil killed her father. Molded by her years of training and her lust for revenge, she began operating as “Echo”.
Since Maya has both photographic reflexes and a photographic memory, she can replicate anything she sees. This specific ability to copy people (and how they move) is also partially why she chose the name “Echo”. It’s even so great that she can arguably rival the skills of someone like Taskmaster. Maya has undergone intense mental and physical training. She’s skilled in acrobatics, martial arts, ballet, and a multitude of other intense disciplines. Besides her Olympic-level athletic prowess, her intellect is also next-level. She knows American Sign Language and can read, write, and speak in multiple other languages with incredible fluency. Maya is also capable of reading lips. However she does experience varying degrees of difficulty when speaking to people whose mouths are obscured by masks or helmets or other factors. Ultimately though, there’s very little that Maya’s deafness restricts her from.
Maya has had quite the love-hate relationship with Daredevil. After the Man without Fear lost Karen Page due to her death in “Guardian Devil”, Fisk capitalized on Matt Murdock’s despair. As the beginning of a scheme, he sent Maya to talk to the Hell’s Kitchen lawyer and the two eventually developed a relationship. All the while, Maya intended to hunt down and kill Daredevil, not knowing he was actually Matt. So once she discovered this during a climactic battle, you could bet things got a little bit awkward! While Matt was able to stop her and convince her that Fisk was actually lying to her, she didn’t take this revelation well. Let’s just say that she and Fisk didn’t exactly see eye to eye after this. Part of what makes the relationship between Echo and Daredevil so interesting is their dichotomy. Both characters experience the world in their own unique way. They’re characters that are on the surface pretty different yet also surprisingly similar, so it makes any interaction between them so much fun. Maya and Matt have since mended fences but their days as a couple are pretty much a thing of the past now.
While Maya is most well-known for being Echo, she’s had some stints as other characters as well. The most notable of her other aliases happens to be Ronin. In fact, she was the very first vigilante to call herself that. Interestingly, Ronin’s identity was initially kept a secret from her teammates and even fans. Readers actually thought Ronin was secretly Daredevil at first. “New Avengers” writer Brian Michael Bendis even later revealed that this was the intention! But regardless, Maya would be revealed to be the one underneath the mask in the end. She developed the persona after embarking on a vision quest. With this new alias, she would go on to fight the shadowy organization known as the Hand. As Ronin, her adventures entangled her with the New Avengers and she eventually joined the roster. Ronin was an interesting chapter of Maya’s life, however this rebranding wouldn’t be a permanent one. She’d relinquish the Ronin mantle during “Dark Reign” and appoint Clint Barton as her successor. Thus, Echo returned.
Maya is an incredibly diverse character in more ways than one. She’s half Cheyenne and half Hispanic. Her co-creator David Mack made sure that Maya’s Cheyenne heritage would be especially reflected in the comics. Maya has frequently worn feathers in her hair as a Cheyenne custom. Vision quests (like the one Maya performed prior to becoming Ronin) are also important experiences that are prevalent in many indigenous cultures. Maya has also broken molds and pushed back against stereotypes as one of Marvel's premier deaf superheroes. She’s strong, capable, and heroic, and that depiction makes her an inspiration for many in the deaf community. The Native American actress who plays Echo in the MCU, Alaqua Cox, is also deaf herself.
Speaking of the MCU, Echo made her live-action debut in 2021’s “Hawkeye”. In the series, Maya acted as a secondary antagonist. And much of her lore from the comics surrounding the death of her father and being raised by the Kingpin remained intact. The “Hawkeye” finale even recreated the scene from the comics where Maya shot Fisk after learning the truth. Beyond “Hawkeye”, Maya will be the star of her own show appropriately titled “Echo”. It’s not just Maya’s unique perspective that the show will explore. It also looks to be taking the MCU into some very not-so-family-friendly places. “Echo” will be Marvel’s first show under the “Marvel Spotlight” banner. While still firmly a part of the MCU continuity, it’s meant to focus more on grounded plots and character-driven stories, which is something fans have been clamoring for. The show will bring back Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk and even Charlie Cox’s Daredevil in some capacity. The “Echo” show begs the question: can the MCU actually tell truly dark and compelling stories in the same vein of the Netflix Marvel shows? We’ll have to wait and see, but what we can say for certain is that we’re excited to watch Maya Lopez’ story in the MCU unfold.
It should go without saying, but Echo has had quite the journey. She’s been a fierce rival of Daredevil, to one of his greatest allies, and has found a home on teams like the New Avengers. She might not check all of the boxes of a traditional Marvel hero, but if anything, that just makes her more iconic!
Becoming Echo
Maya Lopez didn’t start life off very easy. She was raised alone by her father Willie “Crazy Horse” Lincoln due to the absence of her mother (only known as Ms. Lopez). Maya’s father led a less than reputable life. Frequently engaging in petty crimes, he crossed paths with Wilson Fisk, better known as the Kingpin, and worked for him as an enforcer. Fisk would eventually murder Willie when Maya was still a young child. But before he did, he promised to raise her as if she were his own daughter. The last time Maya saw her dad, he placed his bloody hand on her face, leaving a handprint which she would later incorporate in her visage. Those around Maya initially believed she had learning disabilities. So after being taken in by Fisk, she was sent to a special school. It was there that she and her teachers would discover that she was deaf. And when she perfectly recreated a song on the piano with little practice, they’d also discover she was gifted. She’d then get sent to another school, this time specifically for prodigies. As time went on, the now-adult Maya was tricked by Fisk into believing that Daredevil killed her father. Molded by her years of training and her lust for revenge, she began operating as “Echo”.
Abilities
Since Maya has both photographic reflexes and a photographic memory, she can replicate anything she sees. This specific ability to copy people (and how they move) is also partially why she chose the name “Echo”. It’s even so great that she can arguably rival the skills of someone like Taskmaster. Maya has undergone intense mental and physical training. She’s skilled in acrobatics, martial arts, ballet, and a multitude of other intense disciplines. Besides her Olympic-level athletic prowess, her intellect is also next-level. She knows American Sign Language and can read, write, and speak in multiple other languages with incredible fluency. Maya is also capable of reading lips. However she does experience varying degrees of difficulty when speaking to people whose mouths are obscured by masks or helmets or other factors. Ultimately though, there’s very little that Maya’s deafness restricts her from.
History with Daredevil
Maya has had quite the love-hate relationship with Daredevil. After the Man without Fear lost Karen Page due to her death in “Guardian Devil”, Fisk capitalized on Matt Murdock’s despair. As the beginning of a scheme, he sent Maya to talk to the Hell’s Kitchen lawyer and the two eventually developed a relationship. All the while, Maya intended to hunt down and kill Daredevil, not knowing he was actually Matt. So once she discovered this during a climactic battle, you could bet things got a little bit awkward! While Matt was able to stop her and convince her that Fisk was actually lying to her, she didn’t take this revelation well. Let’s just say that she and Fisk didn’t exactly see eye to eye after this. Part of what makes the relationship between Echo and Daredevil so interesting is their dichotomy. Both characters experience the world in their own unique way. They’re characters that are on the surface pretty different yet also surprisingly similar, so it makes any interaction between them so much fun. Maya and Matt have since mended fences but their days as a couple are pretty much a thing of the past now.
Ronin
While Maya is most well-known for being Echo, she’s had some stints as other characters as well. The most notable of her other aliases happens to be Ronin. In fact, she was the very first vigilante to call herself that. Interestingly, Ronin’s identity was initially kept a secret from her teammates and even fans. Readers actually thought Ronin was secretly Daredevil at first. “New Avengers” writer Brian Michael Bendis even later revealed that this was the intention! But regardless, Maya would be revealed to be the one underneath the mask in the end. She developed the persona after embarking on a vision quest. With this new alias, she would go on to fight the shadowy organization known as the Hand. As Ronin, her adventures entangled her with the New Avengers and she eventually joined the roster. Ronin was an interesting chapter of Maya’s life, however this rebranding wouldn’t be a permanent one. She’d relinquish the Ronin mantle during “Dark Reign” and appoint Clint Barton as her successor. Thus, Echo returned.
Representation
Maya is an incredibly diverse character in more ways than one. She’s half Cheyenne and half Hispanic. Her co-creator David Mack made sure that Maya’s Cheyenne heritage would be especially reflected in the comics. Maya has frequently worn feathers in her hair as a Cheyenne custom. Vision quests (like the one Maya performed prior to becoming Ronin) are also important experiences that are prevalent in many indigenous cultures. Maya has also broken molds and pushed back against stereotypes as one of Marvel's premier deaf superheroes. She’s strong, capable, and heroic, and that depiction makes her an inspiration for many in the deaf community. The Native American actress who plays Echo in the MCU, Alaqua Cox, is also deaf herself.
MCU Appearances
Speaking of the MCU, Echo made her live-action debut in 2021’s “Hawkeye”. In the series, Maya acted as a secondary antagonist. And much of her lore from the comics surrounding the death of her father and being raised by the Kingpin remained intact. The “Hawkeye” finale even recreated the scene from the comics where Maya shot Fisk after learning the truth. Beyond “Hawkeye”, Maya will be the star of her own show appropriately titled “Echo”. It’s not just Maya’s unique perspective that the show will explore. It also looks to be taking the MCU into some very not-so-family-friendly places. “Echo” will be Marvel’s first show under the “Marvel Spotlight” banner. While still firmly a part of the MCU continuity, it’s meant to focus more on grounded plots and character-driven stories, which is something fans have been clamoring for. The show will bring back Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk and even Charlie Cox’s Daredevil in some capacity. The “Echo” show begs the question: can the MCU actually tell truly dark and compelling stories in the same vein of the Netflix Marvel shows? We’ll have to wait and see, but what we can say for certain is that we’re excited to watch Maya Lopez’ story in the MCU unfold.
Conclusion
It should go without saying, but Echo has had quite the journey. She’s been a fierce rival of Daredevil, to one of his greatest allies, and has found a home on teams like the New Avengers. She might not check all of the boxes of a traditional Marvel hero, but if anything, that just makes her more iconic!
