Echo - Season 1

Echo should be the turning point for the disappointing series that Marvel has delivered so far. Unfortunately, Echo also looks too shaky to be called a success.

Marvel series have not been a great success to date, to say the least. With an exception here and there, the series are generally received mixed. Unfortunately, I also belong to this group. Even though I am a fan of Marvel characters. Despite the variability, I always start the next series in the series with good courage. This time it is the turn of Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox, Marvel's Hawkeye) in Echo.

Maya Lopez was introduced in Marvel's Hawkeye as one of the villains. In this series, it turned out that Maya has a connection with the infamous criminal Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio, Marvel's Daredevil). After the events of Marvel's Hawkeye, Maya returns to her hometown of Oklahoma. She must confront her past, reconnect with her Native American roots, and embrace the meaning of family and community if she is ever to move forward in her life.



Echo kicks off with a comprehensive recap of the events in Marvel's Hawkeye that led to where Maya is in her life today. Given the small number of episodes, I think this is a waste of time, but it can be useful for viewers who are not familiar with her experiences. Fortunately, the first episode contains the best moment of the entire series. Maya goes into battle with a much-loved character among Marvel fans. The enthusiasts among us probably know very well who I am talking about here.

As the episodes progress, I get the feeling what the raison d'être of this series actually was. The episodes seem aimless to me. Every episode has flashbacks to Maya's ancestors and in my opinion they add nothing to the story. The promotion of Echo makes a big deal with the return of Wilson Fisk, but in reality he has a negligible role in the series. It's a shame if you have access to such an iconic character who has been fabulously brought to life by Vincent D'Onofrio.

As the episodes progress, I get the feeling what the raison d'être of this series actually was.

Echo is the first Marvel series that has been given a viewing guide for sixteen years and older. This is usually assigned to series that contain, among other things, brutal violence. This allowed the makers to go completely wild with a Marvel character for the first time. Maya's qualities are extremely suitable for displaying this. However, there is hardly any brutal violence. The action presented to you as a viewer looks choreographically good. However, the intensity of the violence occasionally justifies the Kijkwijzer classification. Once again a missed opportunity to make Echo a unique series within the Marvel universe.

There are certainly positive elements. As mentioned, the action that is present is beautifully depicted and it is certainly not the fault of the acting. Alaqua Cox is a golden find to portray Maya. It's great to see how she can express herself without talking. She is deaf in real life and part of her right leg has been amputated. This just shows what you can achieve with perseverance. Despite his limited role, Vincent D'Onofrio continues to portray his role as Wilson Fisk in a way that only he can.

All in all, Echo has too many flaws for me to consider it a really good series. It was entertaining to watch at times, but it is a series that you will quickly forget. Hopefully, Marvel will do better justice to its iconic characters in the future, because as far as I'm concerned they absolutely shouldn't ruin Daredevil: Born Again.