Marvel Studios released the first trailer for Echo earlier today, and has now followed the promo with a very interesting announcement.
It seems the studio's first TV-MA rated show will also 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.”
The first two episodes of Echo screened today during Choctaw Nation’s annual Powwow. Director Sydney Freeland was joined by Seth Fairchild, Executive Director of Cultural Services for Choctaw Nation, for a Q&A conversation after the event.
“It’s so exciting to be able to premiere Echo and it is extremely meaningful to myself to have this screening in Chocktaw Nation,” said Freeland. “One of the things we’re most excited about is being able to portray the Chocktaw culture hopefully in an authentic and exciting way.”
We also learned that Maya Lopez's powers would not be the same as her comic book counterpart's, and thanks to CWGST, we may have some idea of how her new abilities will be depicted.
"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 will stream on Disney+ and Hulu on January 10, 2024.