“It’s kind of lame”: Echo Producer Confirmed that Alaqua Cox’s Iconic Character Would Not be Gaining the Status of a Hero Anytime Soon
Marvel’s Native American superhero Echo-led series was supposed to premiere on November 2023, but due to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, it was postponed for a television premiere on January 9, 2024. The character of the deaf superhero Maya Lopez portrayed by actor Alaqua Cox was first introduced in the Daredevil #9 in 1999.
Despite being a superhero with a hearing disability and an amputated leg, Alaqua Cox’s Echo has already struck a chord with Marvel fans, but she would have to wait in order to attain the status of a hero in the series.
Sydney Freeland Confims Alaqua Cox’s Echo Would Not Be Gaining The Hero Status Anytime Soon
During the trailer event of Echo, ComicBook.com spoke to the director and executive producer Sydney Freeland. She mentioned that Maya Lopez is a villain. She said
“We wanted something that, again, if you’re coming off of Hawkeye, and you have to keep in mind she’s a villain. She’s a villain. And so tonally, we wanted to lean into that. I think in talking with the executives and our approach, and when building visual style, it was sort of like, ‘Oh yeah, lean into that, lean into that.'”
She further added-
“Yeah, so her power in the comic books is that she can copy anything, any movement, any whatever. It’s kind of lame, I will say that is not her power [in the show] and I’ll just kind of leave it at that.”
“Yeah, I wish I could say I did all the stunt work. But seriously, I did do a lot of stunt training for in pre-production and that helped as well. Having a stunt double as well. She was great. But, they didn’t want me… The stunt coordinator didn’t want me to do all of the stunts. And I totally understand because we don’t want any injuries happening and holding up production. That would be tragic.”
Marvel fans cannot wait to witness the standalone series based on the superhero from Cheyenne.
Everything You Need To Know About Alaqua Cox-led Echo
As a deaf and leg amputated superhero Echo, Alaqua Cox would be seen in the titular role. The actor was praised for her performance in Hawkeye in 2021. Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio would be seen as Daredevil and Kingpin respectively. The official synopsis of Echo mentions:
Streaming exclusively on Disney, the origin story of Echo revisits Maya Lopez, whose ruthless behavior in New York City catches up with her in her hometown. She must face her past, reconnect with her Native American roots and embrace the meaning of family and community if she ever hopes to move forward.
During an interview with Collider in November 2023, Sydney Freeland spoke about the approach behind the upcoming series. She said
“The story dictated our approach. Coming off Hawkeye, Maya is a villain, so tonally, we wanted to lean into that. I don’t know if I can say this, but I love the Netflix Daredevil. It’s great. We also very adamantly wanted to show that these people in our show bleed, they die, they get killed, and there are real consequences. It’s not the fate of the universe at stake because once you go that broad, you can lose sight a little bit. And so, that dictated the tone.”
Echo is the first project under the Marvel Spotlight banner. According to Collider, this banner has been created for the series and shows that exist within the MCU realm and focus more on the character-driven approach towards the storyline.
Echo will be premiered on January 9, 2024, on Disney+ and Hulu. Check out the official trailer of Echo linked below.
Source: ComicBook.com/ Youtube/Collider
