Echo, the first release under the new Marvel Studios Spotlight banner, premieres tomorrow, January 9th, with all five episodes dropping at once on Disney+. The Echo reviews have started trickling out from critics and more. The story follows Maya Lopez (played by Alaqua Cox) as she leaves New York with Kingpin aka Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) on her heels. It’s a story about family and legacy and full of mature violence (akin to the Netflix Daredevil show) and so much more. Echo has also been described as a grittier crime story, unlike The Brothers Sun on Netflix. It stars Chaske Spencer, Graham Greene, Tantoo Cardinal, Devery Jacobs, Zahn McClarnon, Cody Lightning, and, yes, Charlie Cox.
Maya Lopez made her first on-screen appearance opposite Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) in the titular Disney+ series about Hawkeye and Kate Bishop, played by Hailee Steinfeld. She’s got quite the comic history (with a first appearance in Daredevil #9, but the character was quite mysterious to people unaware of her comic origins. Hawkeye revealed that Maya Lopez was of Choctaw ancestry and the leader of The Tracksuit Mafia (Trust a Bro!). Her dad, William Lopez (Zahn McClarnon), was killed by a brutal avenging (but not avenger) ninja-like character named Ronin, and she was adopted by Kingpin. The deadly dance between Lopez and Barton ended with some pretty huge emotional moments, and the Echo reviews hint that these identity issues get explored in the new series.
Online chatter ahead of Echo
Because it’s a Marvel project, there’s been a lot of online chatter and anticipation ahead of Echo’s release. That extended to the moment the project was announced (way back in November 2021) all throughout filming in Georgia and right up to the announcement of Marvel’s Spotlight banner. Spotlight is reportedly a place to bring more “grounded” stories to the screen, and from all of the trailers and promo leading up to the series release, Marvel has certainly promised more grounded fare.
The Echo reviews from critics are in
Echo had a special premiere tonight at an exclusive invite-only event in Los Angeles, but critics got three episodes early in advance of the full show release. The embargo is up, and the social verdict is in on Echo. Full series Echo reviews won’t be available until tomorrow, but reactions from X and other platforms definitely give an exciting sense of what to expect from the first installment from Marvel Spotlight.
Ron Seoul-Oh said it fits right into the Daredevil/Kingpin universe:
I got to watch 3 episodes of #ECHO!
It’s awesome to see a show celebrate Indigenous cultures & the disabled community.
It fits right into the Daredevil/Kingpin universe. You can feel the seeds of a unique, more mature section of the #MCU. #Marvel pic.twitter.com/AGvNv7PSZJ
— POC Culture (@POCculture) January 9, 2024
Michael Lee said it had some “choppy pacing” but tells a “ferocious character driven story that’s gritty and violent.”
#ECHO has some choppy pacing, but it pushes aside the multiverse chaos to tell a ferocious character driven story that’s gritty and violent. The series takes its time to build Maya Lopez’s story while also celebrating deafness and honoring the choctaw with pride. pic.twitter.com/Q1TpEqBHV6
— Michael Lee (@IamMichaelJLee) January 9, 2024
Lee added that Echo is an excellent gateway for Daredevil/Echo to be properly introduced into the MCU:
This show is an excellent gateway for Daredevil and Kingpin to be properly introduced into the MCU. Alaqua Cox is terrific as she proves herself to be capable of conveying all of the necessary emotions and physicality of an anti-hero with a complicated past finding her identity.
— Michael Lee (@IamMichaelJLee) January 9, 2024
Ashley Saunders said that Echo had “gritty street level chaos.” and that she can’t wait to see what happens next.
ECHO comes bearing gifts- kick *ss fights (hand 2 hand combat FTW), gritty street level chaos, D'Onofrio’s larger than life Kingpin, and the QUEEN Alaqua Cox as the bad*ss Maya. Loved the cultural aspect 2 w/ the Choctaw people. Can’t wait 2 see what happens next! #echo pic.twitter.com/O3wXqL3v7D
— Ashley Saunders (@ThatAshleyErin) January 9, 2024
Kit Stone said Echo offers “a thrilling exploration of Maya Lopez’s background” and she’s “curious how they’ll conclude it in such a short amount of time.”
Marvel's #Echo picks up from 'Hawkeye,' offering a thrilling exploration of Maya Lopez's background, particularly her Choctaw Nation roots. Three episodes in, I love the story, but I'm curious about how they'll conclude it in such a short amount of time. So far, so good. pic.twitter.com/BeoVkIycHS
— Kit Stone (@bykitstone) January 9, 2024
Matthew Simpson was more mixed on Echo, and said it belonged to the “darker, more violent side of the MCU” but that it also didn’t get away from the structural and pacing issues that have plagued the MCU shows:
I’ve seen the first 3 episodes of #Echo and it’s pretty ok! If you want the darker, more violent side of MCU (like the Netflix series!) then you’ll be happy! If you were hoping they’d get away from the structural/pacing issues that have plagued most MCU shows, not so much… 1/2 pic.twitter.com/ranBaIc4AX
— Matthew Simpson is on Threads (@SmatthewAF) January 9, 2024
Zach Perilstein of The Boardwalk Times said that Echo was “a bit chaotic at times and unexpected as well.”
I had the opportunity to watch the first three episodes of ECHO.
The grittiest entry in the MCU yet. A bit chaotic at times and unexpected as well.
Alaqua Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, & Zahn McClarnon all shine. #Echo pic.twitter.com/qXIJA0Vbym
— Zach (@TripleZ_87) January 9, 2024
Leo Rydel said it was “an action-packed, gritty good time” but echoed the sentiment of others and said “the pacing feels rushed.”
Learn more in Rydel’s YouTube post with reactions.
ECHO-O-O#Echo is an action-packed, gritty good time! Alaqua Cox is a great lead and the incorporation of family, ASL, and Native American tribes is dynamite! KINGPIN IS BACK!
But pacing feels rushed, taking away from some of the charm and characters.
FULL REVIEW TOMORROW! pic.twitter.com/SZxD0MXnFH
— Leo Rydel (@GeeklyGoods) January 9, 2024
Shahbaz Siddiqui from The Movie Podcast said Echo was “a story rooted in its Indigenous heritage” and “carried by the powerful performances of Alaqua Cox & Vincent D’Onofrio.”:
#ECHO is as BRUTAL and VIOLENT as they come. A story rooted in its Indigenous heritage, carried by the powerful performances of Alaqua Cox & Vincent D’Onofrio. It takes a bit of time to get started but once it hits… it HITS! pic.twitter.com/IoiBESROe4
— Shahbaz 🍉 The Movie Podcast (@shayhbaz) January 9, 2024
Are you excited about Echo? What do you think of the critical reaction to the series? Do the Echo reviews make you want to check it out? Join the conversation by leaving a comment below or connecting with us on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @MoviesWeTexted.
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