By [ad_1]
Maya Lopez is one of Marvel’s most prominent deaf and Native American superheroes, and she could connect into the MCU in many ways.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the first two episodes of Hawkeye, now streaming on Disney+.
Maya Lopez, otherwise known as Echo, is making her first onscreen appearance on Disney+’s Hawkeye series. She is notable for being one of Marvel Comics’ few deaf superheroes, and one of its most prominent Native American superheroes. Her first comics appearance was Daredevil #9 (December 1999), written by David Mack and drawn by Joe Quesada, and she’s interacted with other characters, but she’s most frequently associate with Daredevil; however, now she’s tied to Hawkeye thanks to her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut.
In the comics, Maya Lopez is the daughter of William “Crazy Horse” Lincoln, who worked as an enforcer for Wilson Fisk, aka the Kingpin. Zahn McClarnon has been cast as William Lopez, which suggests that Disney+ has made the smart decision to ignore the character’s racist nickname. She never knew her mother, who left early in her life due to her father’s criminal connections.
Maya was also born deaf and placed in special education. Able to perfectly replicate anyone’s movements after seeing them once, Maya proved a talented pianist and dancer. Furthermore, she drew as a form of communication and was taught sign language.
When Maya was nine, Kingpin ordered her father killed. As he was dying, he reached for her and placed a bloody handprint on her face, which would inspire part of her Echo costume. After this, she was taken in by Wilson Fisk, who sent her to a school for prodigies when he saw her photographic reflexes in action. Maya performed as a dancer, even writing her own three-act dance play, and competed in the Special Olympics. She also trained with a Hand-affiliated sensei for a time, becoming adept at martial arts.
Since Maya was raised by Fisk, she believed he was a good person, so he sent her to convince Daredevil/Matt Murdock of the same thing. They then fell in love, and around the same time, Fisk lied to Maya and said that Daredevil was the one who killed her father.
Heartbroken and enraged, she planned to fight him. She went on a date with Matt as herself, then turned into Echo to pursue Daredevil. She ultimately realized Matt was Daredevil, and Fisk lied about her father’s murder, as Matt would have been too young at the time to have committed the act. This prompted her to shoot Fisk in the face and go on a journey of self-actualization that featured, among other things, crossing paths with Wolverine.
Though she refused to work with the New Avengers, not wanting to harm their reputations, Echo was recruited by Captain America to fight the Silver Samurai and the Hand in Japan. She did so disguised as Ronin — a disguise that had been previously used by Clint Barton. Eventually, Elektra killed Echo, though she was soon resurrected and brainwashed by the Hand. This then brought her into conflict with the Avengers, but Doctor Strange freed her mind, and she fought alongside the team.
There are a lot of different ways that Marvel could choose to integrate Maya/Echo into the story. She’s been connected to a slew of characters who have already appeared in the MCU, such as Daredevil and Kingpin, and could easily be connected to many more.
Casting Alaqua Cox, who is deaf and Native American herself, is a definite step in the right direction for the studio. She joins Makkari, who’s deaf in the Eternals film, and Hawkeye, who’s lost his hearing in his series. After the events of Hawkeye Episode 2, she’s gearing up to be a welcomed, vital and intriguing addition to the Disney+ series.
Meet Echo in Hawkeye, which airs new episodes on Wednesday.
About The Author
[ad_2]
