When we look back atEcho, the newMCUserieswhose five episodes are now streaming earlyonDisney+andHulu, it is not going to be the point that marks the salvation for the seemingly declining superhero behemoth that isMarvel. Despite the promisethat this is a “Spotlight” series, meaning supposedly casual viewers can go in without needing toremember everything else happening in this vast universe of movies and television, the first episode of the five-episode season plays like it is gunning for the record of the longest “previously on” segment you’ve ever seen. Heavily reliant on filling in the gaps of everything you actuallyapparentlydo need to know, with some repurposed footage that then gives way to new sequences, it feels more like cramming in homework right before a test starts and represents a mighty rocky start for a series that starts to hit its stride the longer it goes on. One almost wishes it had nothing to do with the baggage of this massive universe. Alas, it very much does.It is one of the franchise’s best, with more bold and bloody elements than much of its past entries, but that still isn’t saying as much as one would hope.
Maya Lopez 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.
Much has been made of the supposed death of Marvel and its stranglehold over popular culture. In theshadow of declining box office results, what has become known as “superhero fatigue,” and an increase in their television presence that has been defined by more misses than hits,it is easy to see why even the most diehard of fans have been less won over by the recent glut of output. This push for more and more “content,” even if it comes at the expense of quality, has been most seen in the rush to carve out a presence on the small screen. Forevery more genuinely wonderful seriesthere is likeMs. Marvel,thereisa hugely disappointing and genuinely ugly affairlikeSecret Invasion.
What’s fascinating is thatEcho, while slow to start, is one of the more intriguing entries in the MCU in quite some time and could represent a potential new direction for Marvel. Of the three episodes shared with critics, everything past the introduction of the first one only gets better as we start to see this world and characters develop.When built around the more natural little details that remain free from the trappings of the shambling MCU,Echoleaps into action. Given that the rest of the franchise feels like dead weight, what this series achieves is made that much more promising.
What Is ‘Echo’ About?
The series first picks up in earnest with an extended flashback where we get to see howMaya “Echo” Lopez, the deaf Indigenous protagonist perfectly brought to life byAlaqua Cox, became intertwined withWilson Fisk AKA Kingpin, embodied by the always greatVincent D’Onofrioonce again. Maya’s is a crammed origin story of sorts, the recap of which is clunky, even as there is a solid action sequence thrown into the mix witha familiar masked face. It is given gravitas by great actors likeZahn McClarnon, for the little we get to see him which is again where some of the repurposed footage comes in, but some other forced cameos are more perplexing as to why this was supposedly meant to be the start of the audience not needing to know anything about this vast world.Echo’s first episode is clearly trying to bring general viewers up to speed, but it doesn’t do so cleanly.The more intriguing elements, where it seems that Maya can see through time and space, balance this out. On a greater level, the series actually gets underway properly when its lead leaves the big city to head home to Tamaha, Oklahoma, where she starts to reconnect with her community of the Choctaw Nation and plan how she wants to take down Fisk’s empire, even if it comes at great personal cost.
This is the overarching narrative thatEchomostly hangs itself on. However, in many regards, it is also the least interesting part of the series. Instead,the moments where we see Maya begin to connect with the people she left behind are where the show comes alive.Chaske SpencerofThe Englishplays Maya’s uncle Henry, whileDevery JacobsofReservation Dogstakes on the role of her cousin Bonnie, both of whom are great in their small moments despite being occasionally sidelined. Veteran actorsTantoo CardinalasChula andGraham Greeneas Skully are each fantastic in their small yet integral parts. Much has been said aboutEcho’s more visceral fight sceneswhere bones break and people die, with one scene where a character meets their end upside down while blood drips over their lifeless face leaving a particular impression. The show’s beating heart, however, is the Indigenous community that Maya returns to, making for a rich and textured world we get to inhabit.
Echois still not as fully realized as the aforementionedReservation Dogsorthe gone-too-soonRutherford Falls, which almost gets a small reunion here, but still offers something more. There’s a refreshing sense of patience to the series' later episodes when it just lets us sit with grounded characters, including a silly one who gets a great gag driving along the road with a beaten-up truck, rather than throwing in superhero references galore as the first episode did. Yet there is still that sense of tension asEchotries to reach for something new for its future while untangling itself from all that’s come before.
‘Echo’ Dances Between the Old Marvel and a Potential New One
While it is somewhat unfair to burden a supposedly self-contained series with what it means for a larger franchise, such is always the case with Marvel. In this series, you may see that directorSydney Freelandis trying to smuggle some more ideas into the confines of this superhero world, and this often works rather well when you forget that it has anything to do with the MCU. A perhaps understandable though still reductive comparison floating aroundEchohas been to the spectacular seriesAndor. Not only did thatset a new standard for Star Wars that nothing else has been able to live up to, but it felt like something wholly newfor a franchise that was desperately running on fumes.Echois not quite that, both because it has its own interests and is often still far too tied to the elements of the old MCU,though it still has plenty of distinct strengths of its own, especially in its lead.
ThoughEcho’s supporting cast members are all great, with Spencer bringing just the right level of snark when the series needs it like in one conversation where he goes to visit Maya after she sabotages one of Fisk’s operations,it is Alaqua Cox who emerges as a star. She has the charisma to give all the solid if somewhat slight fight sequences a greater punch with a quick grin or taunt. She remains entertaining to watch, and, the more room that she is given to work, like in an inventive roller rink brawl, the better the show is. When Echo’s inevitable confrontation comes with the return of a major nemesis, as shown via Episode 3’s predictable cliffhanger, you’re on board because of her performance and the way the buildup to it plays out. Just seeing Maya ride her bike through town in one of the later scenes brings a surprising amount of emotion, as we bear witness to the little details of where she grew up that may soon be under threat.
Likethe best superhero stories,Echois about findingthe people that make it all worth fighting for. Even though the pieces don’t always come together perfectly, this is one of the few MCU shows that remembers this important facet.Echowon’t save Marvel from itself, but that’s not its job. The old franchise had a good run and maybe, just maybe, there can be new life once it finally fades away. AsEchoproves, it would be better to see more shows like this — ones that don’t need to drag around the same superhero baggage when it would be better just to cut it loose.
Echois now available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu in the U.S.
