All 5 episodes of Echo are set to premiere on Disney+ on January 9, and several sites have now shared interviews with the show's cast, director and executive producer Brad Winderbaum.
While speaking to /Film, Winderbaum touched on the Hawkeye spin-off's more grounded tone, and the fact that the show will be Marvel Studios' first TV-MA rated project. He also referred to Echo as "a new beginning."
"In a way, Echo marks a new beginning for the studio. It's a new tone for us, and it is a truly grounded and emotional journey, not just for the audience, but certainly for all of us who are lucky to be behind the scenes."
The first episode of Echo will feature a seven-minute fight scene between the title character (Alaqua Cox) and Daredevil (Charlie Cox), and during a separate interview with Screen Rant, Winderbaum was asked whether he considers Netflix's Daredevil and the other defunct Marvel shows to be canon on the Sacred Timeline that was established in Loki.
The exec admitted that the studio has previously been "cagey" about the canonicity of the "DefendersVerse" due to the Marvel Television split, but now believes the shows are indeed canon.
Echo will be 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.