A recent Kingpin-centric teaser for Echo included footage and dialogue from Netflix's long-defunct Daredevil, pretty much confirming that the Man Without Fear's solo series, along with the other "DefenderVerse" shows, are canon.
Now, Marvel Studios appears to have made it official by adding Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders, and The Punisher to the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline tab on Disney+.
Does this mean that we'll be seeing Finn Jones return as Iron Fist in the MCU down the line? Not necessarily.
Some spoilers for Echo follow.
While this does certainly indicate that the Netflix era's major plot lines and certain character arcs (we saw that Wilson Fisk's traumatic origin from Daredevil carried over in Echo, for example) will stick, it doesn't mean that every single aspect of these shows will inform what we see on Disney+.
As disappointing as this may be for some fans, adding the Netflix shows to the timeline simply allows Marvel Studios to cherry-pick what they want to utilize and ignore the rest.
We know that Jon Bernthal (Frank Castle) will rejoin Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio in Daredevil: Born Again, so it'll be interesting to see how much the events of Daredevil's three seasons influence the story.
Echo is the first project under a new banner known as Marvel Spotlight, which takes its name from an anthology comic book series that debuted back in 1971 and was the origin of beloved Marvel characters like Ghost Rider and Spider-Woman.
“Marvel Spotlight gives us a platform to bring more grounded, character-driven stories to the screen, and in the case of Echo, focusing on street-level stakes over larger MCU continuity," said Head of Streaming Brad Winderbaum. "Just like comics fans didn’t need to read Avengers or Fantastic Four to enjoy a Ghost Rider Spotlight comic, our audience doesn’t need to have seen other Marvel series to understand what’s happening in Maya’s story.”
"Marvel Studios presents Echo in which Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) struggles to reconnect with her Native American roots while balancing aspirations tied to a life of crime as successor to the brutal legacy of Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) aka Kingpin," reads the most recent synopsis. "In the first episode, we are introduced to Maya Lopez and her struggles."
In addition to Cox, D'Onofrio and Cox (Charlie), the show will also star Chaske Spencer as Henry, Tantoo Cardinal as Chula, Graham Greene as Skully, Cody Lightning as Cousin Biscuits, Devery Jacobs as Bonnie, and Zahn McClarnon as William Lopez.
The origin story of Echo revisits Maya Lopez (Cox), whose ruthless behaviour 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.
All five episodes of Echo are now streaming on Disney+.