Marvel Studios movies and TV shows have made some fairly significant changes to their source material over the years, but when it comes to an individual character's powers, Disney+'s Echo may represent the biggest deviation from page to screen.
Maya Lopez does have some enhanced abilities in the comics, but they are a lot more grounded (like Taskmaster, she's able to replicate any fighting style). In the show, Maya discovers that she can channel the gifts of her Choctaw ancestors, which manifests in super-strength, healing, pinpoint accuracy, and more.
While chatting to Screen Rant, co-writer Amy Rardid explained why the decision was made to give Echo a completely new power-set.
"I think we talked a lot about deviating from the comics somewhat. I know probably the biggest place is her powers, and we talked a lot about her powers in the room and ultimately settled on a storyline where her powers were tied to her emotional story and her emotional growth. I think that's a big place where we deviated from the comics. And I think it's not until Maya has that moment with her mother and heals her heart a little bit that she can fully come into her power, so it's very much tied into her reconciling her past and moving forward emotionally."
Some feel that Maya's abilities and the show's flashbacks were a little shoehorned in, and it didn't help that we never really got to delve into the full extent of her mystical powers and why she was never able to access them before.
What did you make of this major deviation from the comic books? Drop us a comment down below.
All five episodes of Echo are now streaming on Disney+.
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.