Maya (Echo)
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''Echo'' is an American television
miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...
created for the streaming service
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
, based on
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
featuring the character of the same name. A
spin-off Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media *Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work *''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine * ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...
from the series '' Hawkeye'' (2021), it is the 10th television series in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
(MCU) produced by
Marvel Studios Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...
, sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. It sees Maya Lopez return to her hometown where she must come to terms with her past, reconnect with her Native American roots, and embrace her family and community.
Marion Dayre Marion Dayre (born Heather Williams), also known as Heather Marion, is an American television writer and producer. She is best known for her contributions to AMC's ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–2022) and as the creator and showrunner of the 2024 ...
and Amy Rardin serve as
head writer A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio ...
s and
Sydney Freeland Sydney Freeland (born October 29, 1980) is a Native American filmmaker. She is a citizen of the Navajo Nation. She wrote and directed the film '' Drunktown's Finest'' (2014), which garnered numerous acclaims after premiering at the Sundance Film ...
leads the directing team. Alaqua Cox reprises her role as Maya Lopez / Echo from ''Hawkeye'', with
Chaske Spencer Chaske Spencer is an American actor. He gained prominence through his role as List of Twilight characters#Sam Uley, Sam Uley in the ''The Twilight Saga (film series), Twilight'' films (2009–2012). For his performance in the BBC and Amazon Prim ...
,
Tantoo Cardinal Tantoo Cardinal CM (born July 20, 1950) is a Canadian actress. Of Cree and Métis heritage, in 2009 she was made a member of the Order of Canada "for her contributions to the growth and development of Aboriginal performing arts in Canada, as a s ...
,
Charlie Cox Charlie Thomas Cox (born 15 December 1982) is an English-American actor. He is best-known for portraying Matt Murdock / Daredevil in seven projects of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, leading the television series '' Daredevil'' (2015–2018) a ...
,
Devery Jacobs Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs (born August 8, 1993) is a Mohawk actress. For her performance in '' Rhymes for Young Ghouls'' (2013), she garnered a Canadian Screen Awards nomination for Best Actress. In 2023 and 2024, for her role on ''Reservation ...
,
Zahn McClarnon Zahn Tokiya-ku McClarnon is a Native American actor. Since 2022, he has played the lead role of Joe Leaphorn in the AMC series ''Dark Winds'', of which he is also an executive producer. He first came to prominence with key supporting performanc ...
, Cody Lightning,
Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquired a re ...
, and
Vincent D'Onofrio Vincent Philip D'Onofrio (; born June 30, 1959) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his supporting and leading roles in both film and television. He has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. His roles include Private Leona ...
also starring. Development of the spin-off began by March 2021, when Alaqua Cox was confirmed to be returning and Etan and Emily Cohen were attached as head writers. The series was formally announced in November 2021, when Dayre was revealed to be serving as head writer, with Freeland set to direct by March 2022. Filming took place from late April to late August 2022, in the
Atlanta metropolitan area Metro Atlanta, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell metropolitan statistical area, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the sixt ...
including
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, Peachtree City, Social Circle, and
Grantville, Georgia Grantville is a city in Coweta County, Georgia, Coweta County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The 2020 census shows a population of 3,103. Geography Grantville is located along the southern border of Coweta County. U.S. Route 2 ...
. In May 2022, Marvel revealed further cast members and that
Catriona McKenzie Catriona McKenzie is an Australian filmmaker. She is known for her film '' Satellite Boy'' and television series '' Kiki and Kitty'' (written by Nakkiah Lui) and '' Wrong Kind of Black''. Her production company is called Dark Horse. Early life ...
would also direct for the series, while Rardin's involvement was revealed in September. ''Echo'' was released in its entirety simultaneously on Disney+ and
Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
on January 9, 2024, consisting of five episodes. It is Marvel Studios' first television release to debut on Hulu and to receive a
TV-MA The TV Parental Guidelines are a television content rating system in the United States that was first proposed on December 19, 1996, by the United States Congress, the American television industry, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ...
rating. It is part of Phase Five of the MCU and the first series under the "
Marvel Spotlight ''Marvel Spotlight'' is a comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics as a try-out book. It stood out from Marvel's other try-out books in that most of the featured characters made their first appearance in the series. The series or ...
" banner. The series received generally positive reviews from critics.


Premise

Five months after the events of '' Hawkeye'' (2021), Maya Lopez is being pursued by Wilson Fisk's organization, leading her to return to her hometown in
Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
, where she must come to terms with her past, reconnect with her Native American roots, and embrace her family and community.


Cast and characters

* Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez / Echo:
A deaf Native American
Choctaw The Choctaw ( ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States, originally based in what is now Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The Choctaw language is a Western Muskogean language. Today, Choct ...
and the former leader of the
Tracksuit Mafia The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several fictional teams and organizations and this page lists them. 0–9 198 A A-Force A-Next A.I. Army The A.I. Army is a fictional organization appearing i ...
, a criminal gang working for Wilson Fisk. Director and executive producer
Sydney Freeland Sydney Freeland (born October 29, 1980) is a Native American filmmaker. She is a citizen of the Navajo Nation. She wrote and directed the film '' Drunktown's Finest'' (2014), which garnered numerous acclaims after premiering at the Sundance Film ...
noted that Maya is in "a very vulnerable, emotional place" and has "all this bottled-up emotion and rage and feeling inside of her", which Fisk is able to exploit. Maya does not have the ability to perfectly copy another person's movements from the comics, which Freeland felt was "kind of lame". Stunt coordinator Mark Scizak was able to incorporate Cox's prosthetic leg into her fights, with Scizak describing Maya's fighting style as "a very grounded mix of MMA and a bunch of martial arts". Darnell Besaw, Cox's cousin, portrays a young Maya Lopez. *
Chaske Spencer Chaske Spencer is an American actor. He gained prominence through his role as List of Twilight characters#Sam Uley, Sam Uley in the ''The Twilight Saga (film series), Twilight'' films (2009–2012). For his performance in the BBC and Amazon Prim ...
as Henry "Black Crow" Lopez:
Maya's uncle and William's brother, who owns a local roller-skating rink and is still connected to Fisk's criminal empire. Spencer said Henry "feels guilty" that William died and Maya's return makes him face things he is not ready to yet. *
Tantoo Cardinal Tantoo Cardinal CM (born July 20, 1950) is a Canadian actress. Of Cree and Métis heritage, in 2009 she was made a member of the Order of Canada "for her contributions to the growth and development of Aboriginal performing arts in Canada, as a s ...
as Chula:
Maya's estranged grandmother. Cardinal explained that at the start of the series, the two's relationship "is pretty fractured and they are not in a good place" given Chula's anger following the death of her daughter, Maya's mother, which led to Maya and her father leaving. Isabella Madrigal portrays a young Chula. *
Charlie Cox Charlie Thomas Cox (born 15 December 1982) is an English-American actor. He is best-known for portraying Matt Murdock / Daredevil in seven projects of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, leading the television series '' Daredevil'' (2015–2018) a ...
as Matt Murdock / Daredevil:
A blind lawyer with superhuman senses from
Hell's Kitchen Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton, or Midtown West on real estate listings, is a neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York. It is considered to be bordered by 34th Street (or 41st Street) to the south, ...
who leads a double life as a masked vigilante. Daredevil appears in a flashback sequence where he fights Maya while she is on an early assignment for Fisk. Executive producer
Richie Palmer Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...
explained that Daredevil's inclusion was done in a way that the creatives hoped would feel like it was part of his story that had been established in
Marvel Television Marvel Television was an American television production company responsible for live-action and animated television shows and direct-to-DVD series based on characters from Marvel Comics. Marvel Television was formed as a division of Marvel En ...
's Netflix series, though still accessible for viewers who had not seen those series. He said, "we just wanted to make sure that it honored what came before it, but hopefully pushed it forward also" and helped lead into the Disney+ series '' Daredevil: Born Again''. It was previously reported that the character's appearance in the series would see him searching for a former ally, which was reported to be
Jessica Jones Jessica Campbell Jones-Cage, professionally known as Jessica Jones, is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Gaydos and first appea ...
. *
Devery Jacobs Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs (born August 8, 1993) is a Mohawk actress. For her performance in '' Rhymes for Young Ghouls'' (2013), she garnered a Canadian Screen Awards nomination for Best Actress. In 2023 and 2024, for her role on ''Reservation ...
as
Bonnie Bonnie is a Scottish given name and is sometimes used as a descriptive reference, as in the Scottish folk song, My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean or Bonnie Dundee about John Graham, 7th Laird of Claverhouse. It comes from the Scots language word "bon ...
:
A "resilient and strong willed" person who is a child of deaf adults (CODA), Maya's estranged cousin, and an EMT. She "took it hard" when Maya first left given they were so close, and is hopeful to rekindle that relationship once she returns. Jacobs previously voiced Kahhori in the second season of
Marvel Studios Animation Marvel Studios Animation (also known as Marvel Animation) is a division of American production company Marvel Studios centered on development of its animated projects based on Marvel Comics. The division was created by Marvel Studios as a "min ...
's '' What If...?'', which she called a "coincidence" that she was part of two Marvel Studios projects and noting the two characters were not related. Wren Zhawenim Gotts portrays a young Bonnie. *
Zahn McClarnon Zahn Tokiya-ku McClarnon is a Native American actor. Since 2022, he has played the lead role of Joe Leaphorn in the AMC series ''Dark Winds'', of which he is also an executive producer. He first came to prominence with key supporting performanc ...
as William Lopez: Maya's deceased father and a former commander of the Tracksuit Mafia. * Cody Lightning as
Biscuits A biscuit is a Flour, flour-based baked food item. Biscuits are typically hard, flat, and Unleavened bread, unleavened. They are usually sweet and may be made with sugar, chocolate, icing (food), icing, jam, ginger, or cinnamon. They can also ...
:
Maya's "well-meaning" cousin, who is "fun-loving and good natured". Lightning said that Biscuits becomes Maya's "sidekick who provides some comic relief for her", calling him "a big earnest puppy dog" who has a strong loyalty to family. *
Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquired a re ...
as Skully: A grandfather-figure to Maya, who owns the town pawn shop. Unlike other members of Maya's estranged family, Skully is more willing to find a way forward in their relationship. *
Vincent D'Onofrio Vincent Philip D'Onofrio (; born June 30, 1959) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his supporting and leading roles in both film and television. He has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. His roles include Private Leona ...
as Wilson Fisk / Kingpin:
A crime lord in New York who is Maya's adoptive uncle and the man responsible for her father's death. After he was shot by Maya during the events of '' Hawkeye'' (2021), Fisk begins to wear an eyepatch on one eye, an homage to a point in the comics where he was blinded in both eyes. Despite being shot by Maya, D'Onofrio noted that Fisk is working hard to get her back in his life, saying the series shows the two in a "very father-daughter trepidatious period". Palmer enjoyed being able to see a different side of the character's "emotionality" in the series, since he was "humbled" by Maya at the end of ''Hawkeye'', which made him a "bit of a changed man". D'Onofrio believed he portrayed the character in a way that it elicited the same "uneasy" feelings about him as he did in his portrayal on the Marvel Netflix series '' Daredevil'' (2015–2018), and wanted to show that he can "care for people in a real way", which enhances Fisk's intrigue and scariness. When asked if Fisk was being set up as the
Thanos Thanos () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in '' The Invincible Iron Man'' #55 (cover date February 1973). An Eternal– Devia ...
of the MCU's street-level projects, executive producer
Brad Winderbaum Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...
agreed, calling the series a "crucial chapter" in the character's journey, and that ''Echo'' would "set the stage in some remarkable ways" for his next appearances. At the end of the series, when Maya uses her powers on Fisk to try to heal his childhood trauma, D'Onofrio believed this had "enlightened" Fisk, rather than changed him, which leads him to consider running as New York City's mayor to amass more power. After gaining for the role in ''Daredevil'', D'Onofrio chose to wear a
fat suit A fatsuit, also known as a fat suit or a fat-suit, is a bodysuit-like undergarment used to thicken the appearance of an actress or actor of light to medium build into an overweight or obese character, in conjunction with prosthetic makeup. Fatsui ...
for ''Echo'', having chosen to do this with his appearance in ''Hawkeye''. D'Onofrio thought the suit had progressed with modern technology to give him a more realistic look while also being lighter to wear, which allowed him to not have to gain the weight. Additionally, Katarina Ziervogel portrays Taloa, Maya's mother.
Julia Jones Julia Jones (born January 23, 1981) is an American actress. She may be best known for playing Leah Clearwater in '' The Twilight Saga'' film series and Angela Bishop in the television series '' Dexter: New Blood''. Early life and education Jul ...
, Morningstar Angeline, and Dannie McCallum appear, in vignettes and flashes, as Maya's ancestors , , and : per variations of the Choctaw origin story, Chafa was the first Choctaw, helping her people emerge to the world from a cave-in at
Nanih Waiya Nanih Waiya (alternately spelled Nunih Waya; Choctaw for 'slanting mound') is an ancient platform mound in southern Winston County, Mississippi, constructed by indigenous people during the Middle Woodland period, about 300 to 600 CE. Since the ...
; Lowak was a Choctaw tribeswoman in 1200 who competed in a game of Choctaw Stickball; and Tuklo was the first female Lighthorseman.
Andrew Howard Andrew Howard (born 12 June 1969) is a Welsh theatre, television and film actor. Training Howard trained at Cygnet Training Theatre in Exeter in the late 1980s, touring in productions of ''A Christmas Carol'', ''Twelfth Night'', '' Beggar's Oper ...
, who previously portrayed
Luther Banks ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' is an American television series created for American Broadcasting Company, ABC by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen, based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervent ...
in '' Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' (2013–2020), recurs as Zane, one of the leaders of the Black Knife Cartel who is loyal to Fisk. Thomas E. Sullivan, who previously portrayed Nathaniel Malick in ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'', appears as Victor "Vickie" Tyson, an employee at Henry's bowling rink.
Jeremy Renner Jeremy Lee Renner (born January 7, 1971) is an American actor. He began his career by appearing in independent films such as ''Dahmer (film), Dahmer'' (2002) and ''Neo Ned'' (2005), then supporting roles in bigger films, such as ''S.W.A.T. (20 ...
appears as Clint Barton / Ronin in the first episode through
archive footage Stock footage, and similarly, archive footage, library pictures, and file footage is film or video footage that can be used again in other films. Stock footage is beneficial to filmmakers as it saves shooting new material. A single piece of stock ...
from ''Hawkeye'', while Richie Palmer Sr. and ML Gemmill, respectively, voice Fisk's parents
Bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Pl ...
and Marlene Fisk in the final episode, replacing Domenick Lombardozzi and Angela Reed, who portrayed the characters in ''Daredevil''. Pat Kiernan and
Errol Louis Errol T. Louis (born August 24, 1962) is a New York City journalist and television show host. He has unsuccessfully run for office several times. Early life Louis was born in Harlem and raised in New Rochelle, New York, by his father, Edward J. ...
portray themselves in the mid-credits scene of "Maya".


Episodes


Production


Development

In December 2020, deaf and amputee newcomer Alaqua Cox was announced as having been cast as the
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
character Maya Lopez / Echo in
Marvel Studios Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...
'
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
series '' Hawkeye'' (2021). By March 2021, Marvel Studios was in early development on a spin-off from ''Hawkeye'' centered on Cox's Lopez for Disney+, with
Etan Cohen Etan Cohen (; born March 14, 1974) is an Israeli-American screenwriter and film director who has written scripts for Hollywood movies, including '' Idiocracy'' (2006), '' Tropic Thunder'' (2008), '' Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa'' (2008), '' Men ...
and Emily Cohen set to write and executive produce. During the Disney+ Day event in November 2021, the series was officially announced as ''Echo'', and
Marion Dayre Marion Dayre (born Heather Williams), also known as Heather Marion, is an American television writer and producer. She is best known for her contributions to AMC's ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–2022) and as the creator and showrunner of the 2024 ...
was serving as
head writer A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio ...
by then instead of the Cohens. Amy Rardin would also join the series to serve as head writer alongside Dayre. Bert & Bertie, who directed the ''Hawkeye'' episode " Echoes" in which Lopez is introduced, did not believe they would be involved with the spin-off series and felt it would be appropriate for someone in the Native American community to further tell the character's story. In March 2022,
Sydney Freeland Sydney Freeland (born October 29, 1980) is a Native American filmmaker. She is a citizen of the Navajo Nation. She wrote and directed the film '' Drunktown's Finest'' (2014), which garnered numerous acclaims after premiering at the Sundance Film ...
shared a casting call on her
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page, indicating her involvement in the series as a director. Marvel Studios confirmed Freeland as a director in May, while also announcing that
Catriona McKenzie Catriona McKenzie is an Australian filmmaker. She is known for her film '' Satellite Boy'' and television series '' Kiki and Kitty'' (written by Nakkiah Lui) and '' Wrong Kind of Black''. Her production company is called Dark Horse. Early life ...
would also direct for the series. Freeland directed all episodes except the third, which was directed by McKenzie. Marvel Studios'
Kevin Feige Kevin Feige ( ; born June 2, 1973) is an American film and television producer. He has been the president of Marvel Studios and the primary producer of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise since 2007. The films he has produced have a co ...
,
Stephen Broussard Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...
,
Louis D'Esposito Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...
,
Brad Winderbaum Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...
,
Victoria Alonso Victoria Alonso (born 22 December 1965) is an Argentine film producer who formerly served as the president of physical and post-production, visual effects, and animation at Marvel Studios. Early life and education Victoria Alonso was born on ...
, and
Richie Palmer Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...
serve as executive producers along with Dayre, Jason Gavin, and Freeland, while Rardin is a co-executive producer. The series consists of five episodes, which reportedly had a budget of $40 million, the lowest for a Marvel Studios series at the time of its release.


Writing

A
writers' room A writers' room is a space where writers, usually of a television series, gather to write and refine scripts. It is a common method of writing television series in the US, but is much less widespread in countries like the UK. Composition The ...
for the series had been formed by the time development of the project was revealed in March 2021. In addition to Dayre and Rardin, writers for the series include Josh Feldman, Steven P. Judd, Ken Kristensen, Rebecca Roanhorse, Bobby Wilson, Ellen Morton, Jason Gavin, Shoshannah Stern, and Chantelle Wells. In November 2021, Dayre indicated that Dara Resnik, Jessica Mecklenburg, Kaitlyn Jeffers, and Paloma Lamb would also be writers on the series, though they were not credited for any episodes. At least two episodes had been written by mid-February 2022, while writing for the other episodes was still continuing. Marvel said the series would explore the consequences of Lopez's actions in ''Hawkeye'' and reveal her origin story. Lopez's Indigeneity is reimagined for the MCU, having her be a member of the
Choctaw The Choctaw ( ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States, originally based in what is now Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The Choctaw language is a Western Muskogean language. Today, Choct ...
tribe in Oklahoma rather than being from the
Blackfeet Nation The Blackfeet Nation (, ), officially named the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana, is a federally recognized tribe of Siksikaitsitapi people with an Indian reservation in Montana. Tribal members primarily belong ...
as in the comics. Freeland explained that the visuals in the comics "amounted to a 'hodgepodge' of imagery that made for a 'muddied' and ultimately inauthentic backstory for the character". She described the series as an exploration of trauma. Judd, who is Choctaw, helped bring authenticity to the writing of the series. The first episode employs flashbacks to help explain Lopez's backstory as well as including her appearances on ''Hawkeye'', which is "touch don in a way that you just know what you need to know upfront". The series is set five months after ''Hawkeye'', in May 2025. Location manager Ryan Schaetzle said the story would focus on a small town. Supervising producer Eleena Khamedoost said setting ''Echo'' in Tamaha, Oklahoma was "attractive" as it allowed the writers to make it a character in the series, and "showcase a world we have never seen in the MCU". Borys Kit of ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' described ''Echo'' as "a grounded crime story", while his colleague Aaron Couch compared its tone and footage to '' Daredevil'' (2015–2018), ''
Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan for AMC (TV channel), AMC. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Breaking Bad), Walter White (Bryan Cran ...
'' (2008–2013), and ''
John Wick ''John Wick'' is an American media franchise created by Derek Kolstad. It centers on a neo-noir action thriller film series featuring titular character portrayed by Keanu Reeves. Wick is a legendary hitman who is reluctantly drawn back int ...
'' (2014), calling it "Marvel's version of a cable drama rather than an MCU streaming series". The series is the first Marvel Studios project to receive a
TV-MA The TV Parental Guidelines are a television content rating system in the United States that was first proposed on December 19, 1996, by the United States Congress, the American television industry, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ...
rating, which executive producer Brad Winderbaum called "a new direction for the arvel Studiosbrand". Freeland added that this rating allowed the characters to be shown as "people", ones that "bleed, they die, they get killed and there are real consequences". Freeland drew inspiration from ''Daredevil'' and ''
The Punisher The Punisher (Francis "Frank" Castle, born Castiglione) is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The Punisher mad ...
'' (2017–2019). Winderbaum and Freeland noted that the series would have "street-level stakes" that would be less focused on the larger MCU narrative and "cosmic consequences", with Freeland adding it was "not the fate of the universe" but "the fate of family". Much of the series is set after the events of ''Hawkeye'' while also exploring a "seismic event" in Lopez's family history and how that leads her towards Wilson Fisk / Kingpin. Family is one of the main themes of the series, specifically how it is defined, with a spectrum of family dynamics shown in the series: Fisk and Lopez's conditional, "unhealthy family relationship" on one side, and Lopez's biological family on another. Freeland said, at the start of ''Echo'', Lopez has "one definition of family, and over the course of the show we're going to challenge that definition and see if she's able to see things in a different way". Echo is initially portrayed as a villain in the comics, something Freeland was drawn to and Marvel Studios encouraged her to further explore and "push the envelope" with.


Casting

Alaqua Cox was expected to reprise her role in the series with the reveal of its development in March 2021, which was confirmed with the series' official announcement in November 2021 for Disney+ Day. By August 2021, casting for the series was underway, with Marvel Studios looking to cast deaf Native American or Latinx women. In April 2022,
Vincent D'Onofrio Vincent Philip D'Onofrio (; born June 30, 1959) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his supporting and leading roles in both film and television. He has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. His roles include Private Leona ...
and
Charlie Cox Charlie Thomas Cox (born 15 December 1982) is an English-American actor. He is best-known for portraying Matt Murdock / Daredevil in seven projects of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, leading the television series '' Daredevil'' (2015–2018) a ...
were revealed to be involved with the series, reprising their roles as Wilson Fisk / Kingpin and Matt Murdock / Daredevil from prior MCU media. By the end of the month,
Devery Jacobs Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs (born August 8, 1993) is a Mohawk actress. For her performance in '' Rhymes for Young Ghouls'' (2013), she garnered a Canadian Screen Awards nomination for Best Actress. In 2023 and 2024, for her role on ''Reservation ...
was cast in an undisclosed role, reported to be a lead of the series named Julie, which ''
Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. It is updated several times a day, with en ...
'' described as "resilient and strong willed". In May 2022, Marvel confirmed Jacobs's casting and announced that
Chaske Spencer Chaske Spencer is an American actor. He gained prominence through his role as List of Twilight characters#Sam Uley, Sam Uley in the ''The Twilight Saga (film series), Twilight'' films (2009–2012). For his performance in the BBC and Amazon Prim ...
,
Tantoo Cardinal Tantoo Cardinal CM (born July 20, 1950) is a Canadian actress. Of Cree and Métis heritage, in 2009 she was made a member of the Order of Canada "for her contributions to the growth and development of Aboriginal performing arts in Canada, as a s ...
, Cody Lightning, and
Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquired a re ...
would also star in the series, with
Zahn McClarnon Zahn Tokiya-ku McClarnon is a Native American actor. Since 2022, he has played the lead role of Joe Leaphorn in the AMC series ''Dark Winds'', of which he is also an executive producer. He first came to prominence with key supporting performanc ...
reprising his role as Echo's father William Lopez from ''Hawkeye''. Charlie Cox and D'Onofrio were confirmed to be returning for the series in July 2022. In September 2023, a
United States Copyright Office The United States Copyright Office (USCO), a part of the Library of Congress, is a United States government body that registers copyright claims, records information about copyright ownership, provides information to the public, and assists ...
filing for the series revealed that Spencer was playing Henry, Cardinal playing Chula, Greene playing Skully, Lightning playing Cousin Biscuits, and Jacobs playing Bonnie.
Andrew Howard Andrew Howard (born 12 June 1969) is a Welsh theatre, television and film actor. Training Howard trained at Cygnet Training Theatre in Exeter in the late 1980s, touring in productions of ''A Christmas Carol'', ''Twelfth Night'', '' Beggar's Oper ...
, who previously portrayed
Luther Banks ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' is an American television series created for American Broadcasting Company, ABC by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, and Maurissa Tancharoen, based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervent ...
in '' Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' (2013–2020), recurs in the series as Zane, one of Fisk's henchmen.
Archive footage Stock footage, and similarly, archive footage, library pictures, and file footage is film or video footage that can be used again in other films. Stock footage is beneficial to filmmakers as it saves shooting new material. A single piece of stock ...
of
Jeremy Renner Jeremy Lee Renner (born January 7, 1971) is an American actor. He began his career by appearing in independent films such as ''Dahmer (film), Dahmer'' (2002) and ''Neo Ned'' (2005), then supporting roles in bigger films, such as ''S.W.A.T. (20 ...
as Clint Barton / Ronin from ''Hawkeye'' is featured in the first episode, while Richie Palmer Sr. and ML Gemmill respectively voice Fisk's parents
Bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Pl ...
and Marlene Fisk in the final episode, replacing Domenick Lombardozzi and
Phyllis Somerville Phyllis Jeanne Somerville (December 12, 1943 – July 16, 2020) was an American stage, film, and television actress. She is best known for her roles in '' Little Children'' (2006), '' The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'' (2008), '' Surviving Fami ...
, who portrayed the characters in ''Daredevil''. Deaf actress Katarina Ziervogel portrays Maya's mother Taloa. By April 2022, Marvel Studios was looking to cast background performers and extras, particularly Native Americans, for two waves of filming. The first group of around 30 people would portray a "core group" of townspeople, while background casting for actual
powwow A powwow (also pow wow or pow-wow) is a gathering with dances held by many Native Americans in the United States, Native American and First Nations in Canada, First Nations communities. Inaugurated in 1923, powwows today are an opportunity fo ...
dancers and singers occurred to give the series an additional level of authenticity. The series worked with hundreds of Native Americans from all around the country. Freeland revealed that ''Echo'' features a number of cameos from other films and series that are in service to Lopez and "have a story motivation behind" their appearance.


Design

The
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (Choctaw language, Choctaw: ''Chahta Okla'') is a Indian reservation, Native American reservation occupying portions of southeastern Oklahoma in the United States. At roughly , it is the second-largest reservation ...
along with advisers from the woman-led organization IllumiNative were consulted on the representation of
Choctaw culture The culture of the Choctaw has greatly evolved over the centuries combining mostly European-American influences; however, interaction with Spain, France, and England greatly shaped it as well. The Choctaws, or Chahtas, are a Native American peopl ...
, legends, and history portrayed in the series. The various department heads were able to travel to the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma to learn more about the language and culture of the Choctaw, as well as experience it first hand while attending a powwow. They worked with Choctaw Chief Gary Batton, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer Dr. Ian Thompson, and executive director of Cultural Services Seth Fairchild. Fairchild said the Choctaw Nation saw ''Echo'' as "an opportunity to really lend our voice and culture on a scale that would otherwise not have been possible." Ambre Wrigley serves as the costume designer for the series, and called it "critical" to be able to collaborate with the Choctaw on the look of the costumes. Wrigley spoke with "at least five different tribal leaders and historians" and employed a group of Choctaw artisans to make costume items. Lopez's hero suit was designed alongside Choctaw artists, who made sure it represented their people and still provided a "powerful reveal" upon its debut towards the end of the series. Cox explained that it features symbolism for happiness and power from Choctaw culture, along with bead work and gems that are meant to represent the skin from a
western diamondback rattlesnake The western diamondback rattlesnake or Texas diamond-backWright AH, Wright AA. (1957). ''Handbook of Snakes''. Comstock Publishing Associates. (7th printing, 1985). . (''Crotalus atrox'') is a rattlesnake species and member of the viper family, ...
, "a very power animal" respected by the Choctaw. Daredevil's costume in the series is a "new take" on his costume from the Netflix series, with the design closer to the one he wore in '' She-Hulk: Attorney at Law'' (2022) with more red. The Netflix costume was originally designed by Marvel Studios' head of visual development
Ryan Meinerding Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...
, who "tweaked" it for ''Echo'' to "honor classic Daredevil" and bring the "quintessential" look of the character to this series. Chris Trujillo serves as the production designer. The department heads were able to buy items directly from the Choctaw people, adding to the authenticity.


Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
began on April 21, 2022, at
Trilith Studios Trilith Studios is an American film and television production studio located south of Atlanta, Georgia, Atlanta in Fayette County, Georgia. Originally known as Pinewood Atlanta Studios, the studio has been used to produce many films and televisio ...
in
Fayetteville, Georgia Fayetteville ( ; locally ) is a city in and the county seat of Fayette County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 18,957, up from 15,945 at the 2010 census. Fayetteville is located south of downtown ...
, as well as throughout the
Atlanta metropolitan area Metro Atlanta, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Roswell metropolitan statistical area, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the sixt ...
, in
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, with Freeland and McKenzie directing. Cinematographers include
Kira Kelly Kira Kelly is an American cinematographer. She is perhaps best known for her work on ''13th'', which earned her an Emmy Award nomination, and the cable series ''Queen Sugar''. Career Kelly is a graduate of Northwestern University with a major in ...
for Freeland's episodes, and Magdalena Gorka for McKenzie's episode. The series was filmed using the
working title A working title is a preliminary name for a product or project. The usage is especially common in film and TV, gaming, music and publishing. It is often styled in trade publications as (wt) and is synonymous with production title and tentative ...
s ''Grasshopper'' and ''Whole Branzino''. A traditional Choctaw blessing ceremony was performed before the start of production. Filming was set to occur along the Great Walton Railroad in
Social Circle, Georgia Social Circle is a city in southern Walton County, Georgia, Walton County, extending into Newton County, Georgia, Newton County, in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, 45 miles east of Atlanta, Georgia, Atlanta. History It is unc ...
in April, as well as in and around
Peachtree City, Georgia Peachtree City is the largest city in Fayette County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 38,244. Peachtree City is located in southern Metro Atlanta. Golf carts are widely used in the city. Over 10,000 hous ...
from late April to late August 2022. Filming was previously expected to begin in February 2022, as well as in early April. Filming
establishing shot An establishing shot in filmmaking and television production sets up, or establishes, the context for a scene by showing the relationship between its important figures and objects. It is generally a long or extreme-long shot at the beginning of ...
s for two episodes took place in
Grantville, Georgia Grantville is a city in Coweta County, Georgia, Coweta County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The 2020 census shows a population of 3,103. Geography Grantville is located along the southern border of Coweta County. U.S. Route 2 ...
from May 16 to 20, on various streets in the town, the Grantville water tower, and Bonnie Castle. Filming outside Atlanta occurred with the first group of extras around June 1, with the second group for three weeks in July, and with the dancers and singers extras for around two-to-three weeks in July. The powwow set was built on a rural county fairground that Trujillo felt "had this great tone, texture and character". It was initially difficult to find locations in Georgia to double as Oklahoma, but the creatives were able to use their trip to the Choctaw Nation and scout the surrounding areas to gather reference photos and information that helped inform them on locations in Georgia that would work for shooting. Filming occurred over 92 days, and wrapped on August 26, 2022. Freeland worked to ensure her close-up shots included actors signing, with many on the crew taking
American Sign Language American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States and most of Anglophone Canadians, Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual language that i ...
classes. They learned that unlike speaking, which conveys text and subtext, signing conveys the text while a person's face convey's the subtext, which changed Freeland's approach to filming Lopez. Douglas Ridloff served as the ASL consultant and a consulting producer, after previously doing so on ''Hawkeye'' and '' Eternals'' (2021), with the series employing ASL and Indigenous ASL interpreters. Ridloff, who is the husband of ''Eternals'' actress
Lauren Ridloff Lauren Ridloff (; born April 6, 1978) is a deaf American actress known for her roles in the TV series ''The Walking Dead (TV series), The Walking Dead'' and the film ''Eternals (film), Eternals''. She gained prominence in 2018 with a lead role in ...
, would adjust his translations of English to sign language depending on each character, taking into account things such as what their proficiency should be or familial or regional dialects. For example, Bonnie signs without speaking as she is proficient while the elder characters such as Chula sign slower and use SimCom, which is signing and speaking at the same time. Ridloff was also able to incorporate
Plains Indian Sign Language Plains Indian Sign Language (PISL), also known as Hand Talk, Plains Sign Talk, Plains Sign Language, or First Nation Sign Language, is an endangered sign language common to the majority of Indigenous nations of North America, notably those of ...
and other Indigenous sign languages that "date back to pre-colonization" into the series.


Post-production

In May 2023, journalist
Jeff Sneider Jeff Sneider (born 1983 or 1984) is an American entertainment journalist who founded the entertainment newsletter ''The InSneider''. A 2006 graduate from the Tisch School of the Arts, Sneider had previously held tenures at ''Ain't It Cool News'' ...
reported that the series was originally filmed as eight episodes and after various production issues, had been found by Feige to be "unreleasable"; discussions were then had about possibly editing what had been filmed into four or six episodes during post-production before it was ultimately decided to reshoot much of the series. The series ultimately consists of five episodes. Due to its grounded story, it was reported as having fewer visual effects compared to Marvel Studios' other series. Editors for the series are Joel Pashby,
Chris McCaleb Chris McCaleb (born March 14, 1978) is an American film editor, director and producer best known as the co-creator of the web series ''Prom Queen'' and co-host of the ''Better Call Saul Insider'' and ''New Mediacracy'' podcasts. McCaleb was nom ...
, Amelia Allwarden, Shelby Hall, and Tania Goding.


Music

By February 2023, Mato Wayuhi was working on the score for the series, but was no longer involved by the end of July or start of August. Dave Porter revealed in December that he was serving as the composer for the series. The title track was released by
Hollywood Records Hollywood Records is an American record label owned by the Disney Music Group which focuses on pop, rock, alternative, hip hop and country genres, also specializing in recordings for a more mature audience not suitable for the flagship Wal ...
and
Marvel Music Marvel Music was a short-lived imprint of Marvel Comics, introduced in 1994 to publish comics developed in collaboration with musicians. The concept descended from previous Marvel collaborations with Kiss (which starred in a ''Marvel Comics S ...
on January 5, 2024, followed by the series' soundtrack album on January 12, 2024. "
Burning Combustion, or burning, is a high-temperature exothermic redox chemical reaction between a fuel (the reductant) and an oxidant, usually atmospheric oxygen, that produces oxidized, often gaseous products, in a mixture termed as smoke. Combust ...
" by
Yeah Yeah Yeahs Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O (born Karen Lee Orzolek), guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are compleme ...
is heard over the main titles. The soundtrack heavily featured several pre-existing vocal songs, as opposed to prior MCU Disney+ series which traditionally featured original scores.


Marketing

Alaqua Cox, D'Onofrio, Jacobs, Greene, Cody Lightning, Chaske Spencer, and Feige presented the first footage of the series in a first-look video at the
D23 Expo D23: The Official Disney Fan Club, also known as Disney D23 or simply D23, is the official fan club for The Walt Disney Company. Founded in 2009, the organization is known mainly for its biennial exposition event, D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Eve ...
in September 2022, which included subtitles. Wilson Chapman of ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' highlighted many scenes featuring Echo "kicking ass" and of the Native American people, and the appearance of Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin with an eyepatch. Aidan Kelley from ''
Collider A collider is a type of particle accelerator that brings two opposing particle beams together such that the particles collide. Compared to other particle accelerators in which the moving particles collide with a stationary matter target, collid ...
'' said the footage perfectly set up the series' tone and made it clear that Lopez's Native American heritage would be prominent throughout. Kelley also said the footage showed Lopez being "a total badass with an incredible performance from Alaqua Cox who just exudes charisma without uttering a single word". The first trailer was released on November 3, 2023. Michael McWhertor at ''
Polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure made up of line segments connected to form a closed polygonal chain. The segments of a closed polygonal chain are called its '' edges'' or ''sides''. The points where two edges meet are the polygon ...
'' called the footage "shockingly violent" and pointed out its inclusion of a brief Daredevil cameo. Later that day, the first two episodes were screened at the District area of the
Choctaw Casinos & Resorts Choctaw Casinos & Resorts is a chain of seven Native American gaming, Native American casinos and hotels located in Oklahoma, owned and operated by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. The original location in Durant, Oklahoma, Durant has of gaming ...
in
Durant, Oklahoma Durant () is a city in Bryan County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 18,589 in the 2020 census. It serves as the capital of the Choctaw Nation, and is the largest settlement on the reservation, ranking ahead of McAlester and Po ...
, with Freeland also participating in a Q&A. The MOWA Choctaw Cultural Center also began one of the Choctaw Nation's largest annual powwows to promote the series and celebrate National American Indian Heritage Month. A trailer released on December 16, 2023, that indicated the series' earlier release date, was noted for its brutal and bloody violence, which Ray Flook of ''
Bleeding Cool ''Bleeding Cool'' is an Internet news site, focusing on comics, television, film, board games, and video games. Owned by Avatar Press, it was launched by Rich Johnston in 2009. Avatar Press also publishes an associated magazine, also called ''B ...
'' believed was the most seen in a Marvel series since Marvel Television's Netflix series. ''
ComicBook.com ''ComicBook.com'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of comic books, television, films, video games, and anime. The site came online in 1996 serving as a holding page for sales links and press releases related to comic b ...
''s Adam Barnhardt pointed out the use of narration in the trailer, "a rare occurrence for a Marvel Studios show", to note ''Echo''s use of violence. A teaser released a week before the series' premiere included footage of Fisk and Daredevil from ''Daredevil''. James Whitbrook at ''
Gizmodo ''Gizmodo'' () is a design, technology, science, and science fiction website. It was originally launched as part of the Gawker Media network run by Nick Denton. ''Gizmodo'' also includes the sub-blogs ''io9'' and ''Earther'', which focus on pop ...
'' opined that this, along with comments from Winderbaum about personally believing ''Daredevil'' should be part of the MCU's Sacred Timeline, was " ddling ''Echo'' as proto-''Daredevil'' sequel" that "speaks to the complex, complicated ways Marvel now has to deal with the shared universe boom". He also found it "funny" that ''Echo'' was focusing on its connections to ''Daredevil'' when it was supposed to be the first "
Marvel Spotlight ''Marvel Spotlight'' is a comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics as a try-out book. It stood out from Marvel's other try-out books in that most of the featured characters made their first appearance in the series. The series or ...
" series that was created to be largely standalone and free from needing to know other films or series to understand and watch. Following the series' release, Cox promoted it with several talk show appearances while Freeland was set to discuss the series at the
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...
and at the racial justice organization IllumiNative's Indigenous House.


Release

''Echo'' was simultaneously released in its entirety on Disney+ and Hulu on January 9, 2024, at 9 p.m.
Eastern Time The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, and the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico. * Eastern Standard Time (EST) is five hours behi ...
, consisting of five episodes. The series was the first Marvel Studios series to release all of its episodes at once, as the studio's previous series were released weekly. ''Echo'' was available on Hulu until April 9, 2024. A
Choctaw language The Choctaw language (Choctaw: ), spoken by the Choctaw, an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, US, is a member of the Muskogean languages, Muskogean language family. Chickasaw language, Chickasaw is a separate but closely related l ...
dub of the episodes became available on November 1, 2024. Consultant Terry Billy explained that translating between English and Choctaw was about getting as close as possible to the intended verbiage or context and, when that was not possible, interpreting the context into "everyday" Choctaw. The series was originally scheduled to be released in mid-2023, before Dayre stated in December 2022 that the series would likely be released around a year from then, indicating a late 2023 premiere, which Marvel Studios subsequently announced as November 29, 2023, before it was delayed in September 2023 to January 10, 2024. Marvel Studios later announced the series would debut the night before on January 9. It is part of Phase Five of the MCU, and the first series released under the "
Marvel Spotlight ''Marvel Spotlight'' is a comic book anthology series published by Marvel Comics as a try-out book. It stood out from Marvel's other try-out books in that most of the featured characters made their first appearance in the series. The series or ...
" banner.


Reception


Viewership

''Echo'' premiered at number one on both Disney+ and Hulu. Its release also led to increased viewership for ''Hawkeye'', the first two seasons of ''Daredevil'', and the first season of ''The Punisher'' on Disney+. TVision, which utilizes its TVision Power Score to evaluate CTV programming performance by factoring in viewership and engagement across over 1,000 apps and incorporating four key metrics—viewer attention time, total program time available for the season, program reach, and app reach—calculated that ''Echo'' was the top streaming series for the week of January 8. The streaming aggregator Reelgood, which tracks real-time data from 5 million U.S. users for original and acquired content across SVOD and AVOD services, revealed that ''Echo'' was the fifth most-streamed program during the week of January 11. JustWatch, a guide to streaming content with access to data from more than 20 million users around the world, reported that ''Echo'' ranked as the fifth most-streamed television series from January 8—11.
Whip Media Whip Media Group is a private American company selling enterprise software for Digital distribution, content distribution, as well as TV- and film-related user data. It operates physical offices in the US, the UK, and the EU. Background Whip Med ...
, which tracks viewership data for the more than 25 million worldwide users of its
TV Time TV Time (formerly TVShow Time) is a tracking platform and social television network for TV and movies, available in app and desktop forms. Using TheTVDB as a data source, it allows users to store information about their media consumption and l ...
app, calculated that ''Echo'' was the sixth most-streamed original series in the U.S. during the week of January 28. It later moved to tenth place during the week of February 4.
Nielsen Media Research Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
, which records streaming viewership on U.S. television screens, estimated that the series was watched for 731 million minutes from January 8—14. Nielsen also reported that ''Echo'' attracted an audience typical of Marvel series, with two-thirds of viewers aged 35–64 and 60% male. Luminate, which measures streaming performance in the U.S. by analyzing viewership data, audience engagement metrics, and content reach across various platforms, reported that ''Echo'' was the most watched Marvel show on Disney+, accounting for 11.8% of total viewership, according to data compiled between December 29, 2023, and May 10, 2024. Luminate also calculated that ''Echo'' was watched for 1,537 billion minutes in 2024.


Critical response

The
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website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
reports a 70% approval rating with an average rating of 6.4/10, based on 88 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Alaqua Cox makes ''Echo'' first season consistently worth watching, while hard-hitting action and fresh narrative elements suggest strong potential for this slow-building series."
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 62 out of 100 based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".


Accolades

Cox's performance was an honorable mention for ''
TVLine ''TVLine'' is a website devoted to information, news, and spoilers of television programs. It covers various topics including the latest news on television, reviews, latest releases, and more. History In late 2010, ''Entertainment Weekly''s ...
'' Performer of the Week for the week ending January 13, 2024, with Keisha Hatchett stating Cox "delivered her best performance" in the series' finale episode where she "unleashed the Choctaw warrior within", calling it "empowering to see her cry while speaking with her mother's spirit, her tear-filled eyes packing a harder punch than the physical blows in the scenes that followed". Cox is nominated for Best Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie at the 4th Astra TV Awards, while Ambre Wrigley, Kizzie Martin Lillas, and Kristina Elaine Taylor are nominated for Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes at the
76th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards The 76th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards honored the best in artistic and technical achievement in American prime time television programming from June 1, 2023, until May 31, 2024, as chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The ...
for their work on "Lowak".


Documentary special

In February 2021, the documentary series '' Marvel Studios: Assembled'' was announced. The special on this series, " The Making of ''Echo''", was released on Disney+ on January 31, 2024. It explores how the creative team learned American Sign Language and worked to accurately portray Native American culture, as well as the collaboration between Marvel Studios and the Choctaw Nation.


Future

In November 2022, D'Onofrio stated that ''Echo'' would lead into the events of the Disney+ series '' Daredevil: Born Again'', with D'Onofrio and Charlie Cox reprising their respective roles as Wilson Fisk / Kingpin and Matt Murdock / Daredevil. Following the series' successful debut, Marvel Studios reportedly expressed interest in using Echo for future MCU projects and began developing new ideas related to its street-level heroes.


Notes


References


External links

* at Marvel.com
''Echo'' Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma website
* * * {{Portal bar, 2020s, Television, United States, Speculative fiction, Comics 2020s American crime television series 2020s American television miniseries 2020s American superhero television series 2024 American television series debuts 2024 American television series endings American action adventure television series American English-language television shows American television spinoffs Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Disney+ original programming Hawkeye (miniseries) Hulu original programming Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Five television series Multilingual television series Sign language television shows Superheroine television shows Television series by Marvel Studios Television series set in 2007 Television series set in 2008 Television series set in 2021 Television series set in 2025 Television series set in the 13th century Television shows about deaf people Television shows about Native Americans Television shows filmed in Atlanta Television shows filmed in Georgia (U.S. state) Television shows set in New York City Television shows set in Oklahoma