Everything to Know About the Echo on Disney+

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is just getting bigger and bigger. Not only are there TV shows, but countless new characters are also getting their chance to shine. No shade to the OGs—Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America—but is anyone else tired of seeing those same white men beating bad guys film after film?

That’s why I (and honestly, everyone else) should be excited over Maya Lopez, a.k.a. Echo. A Native American deaf superhero, Echo’s powers consist of mimicking the fighting styles of her opponents—100-percent badass if I do say so myself. MCU fans were introduced to Echo onscreen as she appeared in Disney+’s Hawkeye series.

Variety reported in March 2021 that the character would get her own Marvel TV series, and in November, Disney+ confirmed the show is “coming soon.” While we wait, we’ve gathered what we know so far about the upcoming release.

Who is Echo?

Echo, played by Alaqua Cox, made her character debut in Hawkeye, where it was revealed that she’s the mastermind behind Tracksuit Mafia, the criminal organization working under Wilson Fisk/Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio) that kidnapped Clint (Jeremy Renner) and Kate (Hailee Steinfeld). In the comics, she was introduced in 1999 as a supporting character for Daredevil.

Now, I know hyping up villains is not our forte (aside from Loki), but Echo’s situation is a bit different. She’s not a villain; she’s a hero doing villainous things i.e., finding the man who killed her father (hint: it’s Clint, guys!). In the comics, the pair do reconcile, and Echo forgoes her villainous ways and becomes a part of the Avengers.

When will Echo’s TV show debut?

Echo premieres November 29 on Disney+, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige announced. All episodes of the series will be released the same day, in a first for any MCU series.

What will the show be about?

The Echo series will be a Hawkeye spinoff that “will see Maya leave New York for her hometown, where she reconnects with her roots and ends up at the center of a new crisis,” Variety previously reported. We’re still waiting on more info.

Who else is in the Echo cast?

Cox will be joined by a mostly Indigenous cast, including Chaske Spencer (The Twilight Saga), Tantoo Cardinal (Wind River), Devery Jacobs (Reservation Dogs), Cody Lightning (Four Sheets to the Wind), Graham Greene (Wind River), and Zahn McClarnon (Westworld, Reservation Dogs). There will also be Indigenous creatives behind the scenes, with directors Sydney Freeland and Catriona McKenzie set to helm the series, per Variety.

Other castmembers include Vincent Donofrio as Kingpin and Charlie Cox as Daredevil.

Cox at the Hawkeye premiere in L.A.

Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Stephen Broussard, Richie Palmer, Marion Dayre, and Jason Gavin were also announced as executive producers. According to Variety, although writers and executive producers Etan Cohen and Emily Cohen were attached to the project, they no longer seem to be involved.

Mel Curry (she/her) is the current assistant editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers everything from lifestyle to politics. You can often find her watching The Real Housewives of Atlanta or discovering local coffee roasters. Before joining Cosmo, she was an editorial assistant at Hearst Magazines, writing for Women’s Health, Elle, and more. Follow her on Instagram and the bird app aka Twitter.  

Erica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There is a 75 percent chance she’s listening to Lorde right now.