ECHO Concept Art Confirms Marvel Studios Had Plans To Give Maya Lopez A Version Of Her Comic Book Powers

Newly released Echo concept art confirms Marvel Studios had plans to give Maya Lopez superpowers more in line with her comic book counterpart, allowing the anti-hero to predict her opponents' moves...

By JoshWilding - Jan 30, 2024 02:01 PM EST

Filed Under: Echo

In the comic books, Maya Lopez is an Olympic-level athlete who possesses "photographic reflexes," a.k.a. the ability to perfectly copy other people's movements, similar to that of Taskmaster.

She need only watch a recording of someone to be able to imitate their movements but Hawkeye made it clear Marvel Studios wasn't heading down that route (the skill was hinted at but not a key part of her arsenal). The Echo TV series did give Maya superpowers, though they were somewhat vaguely defined and passed down to Maya from her Choctaw ancestors.

Now, newly revealed concept art by Andrew Kim confirms Maya was once going to receive the ability to foresee her opponents' actions, bringing the anti-hero more in line with her comic book counterpart.

"I had A LOT of fun on this keyframe for [Echo]," Kim writes. "At the time of doing this concept, the idea was that she has the power of foreseeing the opponents' movements and reacting accordingly to avoid their hits/tackles. Hence she'd have choices to choose from to make her next moves. In the actual show, I didn't see any of that so I guess that part was cut but still, I had a blast painting this one."

Big chunks of Echo were cut, with the Disney+ series even losing an entire episode. There were even plans for Maya to get her face markings from the comics, but those were CGI'd out, something confirmed by a behind-the-scenes photo shared by Alaqua Cox's stunt double.

Overall, Echo received a positive response from fans and critics and, based on what we've heard, was a hit in terms of viewers. There's been no word on plans for a second season but we are expecting Maya to make an appearance in Daredevil: Born Again.

Check out this new concept art in the Instagram post below.

Bekyk hierdie plasing op Instagram

'n Plasing gedeel deur Andrew Kim (@andrewkimart)

Echo spotlights Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) as she is pursued by Wilson Fisk's (Vincent D'Onofrio) criminal empire. When the journey brings her home, she must confront her own family and legacy.

The five-episode streaming event also stars Chaske Spencer (Wild Indian, The English), Graham Greene (1883, Goliath), Tantoo Cardinal (Killers of the Flower Moon, Stumptown), Devery Jacobs (FX's Reservation Dogs, American Gods), Zahn McClarnon (Dark Winds, FX's Reservation Dogs), Cody Lightning (Hey, Viktor!, Four Sheets to the Wind) and Vincent D’Onofrio (Hawkeye, Godfather of Harlem).

The series is directed by Sydney Freeland (Navajo) and Catriona McKenzie (Gunaikurnai).

All five episodes of Echo are now streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.

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19 Comments

TheFinestSmack - 1/30/2024, 2:29 PM

Yay, more content taken from Reddit!
https://www.reddit.com/r/MarvelStudiosSpoilers/comments/1aenvpa/concept_artist_andrew_kim_confirms_lowaks_ability/

bobevanz - 1/30/2024, 2:31 PM

@TheFinestSmack - nothing is original here haha

bobevanz - 1/30/2024, 2:31 PM

I'm sorry, if you didn't want a second Taskmaster, then maybe you shouldn't have wasted the character in a throwaway movie! And then you make up these BS powers to check box, yeah I said it. This showrunner probably recently watched Killers of the Flower Moon, good grief

bobevanz - 1/30/2024, 2:32 PM

Watch that movie instead of this chopped up TV movie special

mountainman - 1/30/2024, 2:45 PM

@bobevanz - Killers of the Flower Moon was an excellent movie that had interesting things to say about how Native Americans have been abused. Echo was lame and boring and had nothing interesting to say at all.

clintthahamster - 1/30/2024, 2:48 PM

@bobevanz - "There I said it"

WOOOOOOOW someone finally had the guts to call "non-white representation" Box Checking!

"This showrunner probably recently watched Killers of the Flower Moon"

I mean, production on Echo wrapped before KotFM was released, but sure, it's likely they've watched it. A lot of people have.

ElvenKingSlayer - 2/1/2024, 2:21 AM

@ClintThaHamster @bobevanz - the showrunner said the characters powers in the comics were kinda lame. I feel if you say something like that you better come up with something good instead. I don't know about you guys but I think they failed miserable.

clintthahamster - 2/1/2024, 6:42 AM

@ElvenKingSlayer - disagree. I thought it was fine. but to each his own.

JFerguson - 1/30/2024, 2:31 PM

So wouldn’t that make this Lowak and not Maya?

Apophis71 - 1/30/2024, 2:38 PM

@JFerguson - Yes, but it was one of the ancestral powers she would gain access too but also isn't exactly the same as Taskmaster powers anyway.

MrDandy - 1/30/2024, 2:36 PM

I like the character of Maya in the show, but I’m going to be completely honest that I have no idea what her powers were supposed to be….

Apophis71 - 1/30/2024, 2:42 PM

@MrDandy - They did leave it very vague in the end the specifics, has some sort of healing thing she can tap into, increased strength, dexterity and tactical abilities I think but extent and how they work all left unexplained.

santoanderson - 1/30/2024, 2:46 PM

I feel like they gave the character one-too-many gimmicks. It isn’t just that she’s a deaf assassin with a prosthetic leg… but she’s also descended from a lineage of female warriors, and she can channel their unique powers while in combat.

I thought she was a really cool and unique character, with a self-made backstory, until the show decided that “No, she needs magical superpowers too.”

clintthahamster - 1/30/2024, 2:57 PM

Since I actually watched the show before passing judgement . . . this is actually a depiction of one of Echo's ancestors, Lowak, who displayed enhanced strategic abilities, including a sequence where she is shown dodging tackles almost as though she could anticipate their actions.

marvel72 - 1/30/2024, 4:31 PM

Concept art looks better than the show.

Batmangina - 1/30/2024, 9:48 PM

What kind of dumbass would adapt a character's powers from the [frick]ing COMICS?

GTFO with that comic accurate bullshit.

GeneralZod - 1/31/2024, 1:09 AM

Never forget the first handicapped superhero, who paved the way for Echo.

PatchesOhulihan - 1/31/2024, 8:32 AM

Crazy how many comic book characters are Olympic level athletes, but they never seem to specify in which event. What if they were Olympic level at, like, bobsleding? Or one of the weight lifting/discus/shotput categories? I'm guessing those athletes aren't known for their top tier agility and speed.

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ECHO Concept Art Confirms Marvel Studios Had Plans To Give Maya Lopez A Version Of Her Comic Book Powers

Newly released Echo concept art confirms Marvel Studios had plans to give Maya Lopez superpowers more in line with her comic book counterpart, allowing the anti-hero to predict her opponents' moves...

ECHO Star Alaqua Cox On Potential Season 2 And Hopes To Face-Off Against Green Goblin

ECHO's Budget Sets A Surprising Marvel Studios Record; Cinematographer Shares Potential Season 2 Update

ECHO Star Alaqua Cox On Potential Season 2 And Hopes To Face-Off Against Green Goblin

ECHO's Budget Sets A Surprising Marvel Studios Record; Cinematographer Shares Potential Season 2 Update