Marvel Studios hotly anticipated upcoming series Echo is now only one week out of release, following an instantly viral trailer and months upon months of speculation. The show will serve as a sort of spiritual successor to the modern comic book classic Daredevil in that it returns the titular hero (Charlie Cox), as well as his menacing counterpart Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio.) It also follows a few strings laid out more recently in Hawkeye, its Disney + counterpart.
Ahead of the January 9th premiere, the cast and crew came together in a press conference to field a few questions on all things Echo. Fans will have plenty to chew on over the next week before they finally get to see what all the hype is about.
D’Onofrio, transitioning from Daredevil to Hawkeye and now Echo, was asked about the everlasting allure of Kingpin over the years; what makes him so compelling? “I’ve just been lucky to get the opportunity,” he said, “beginning with the Netflix show, with really good writing to bring him forward in a kind of new way, but just my version of what they did in the original comics. And then, now in Echo, it’s just more good writing and, without the writing, I can’t really do much other than show up… it gives me the opportunity to bring the character forward.”
D’Onofrio’s fan favorite iteration of the character seems to be perfectly in-step with his past appearances, from his performance down to the consistently spectacular writing. His presence in the trailer alone is enough to confirm such a hunch.
Leading the series is Alaqua Cox, returning to star as Maya Lopez after a brief appearance in Hawkeye, much like D’Onofrio’s Kingpin. Cox’s connection to the main character runs far deeper than her previous appearances, though. She shares a real connection with Maya: “Well, we’re similar. I was raised with some trauma… for example, I grew up, as you know, I am an amputee. So, I went through many different kinds of surgeries as a child. That made me a warrior in a sense.”
She continued, “And her, Maya, she had the death of her mother, and all these tragic events that happened in her life… it kind of makes us very similar in a way because we’re both warriors, and we’re tough, and we’re badass, and I believe that’s how we’re the same.” Put plainly, Cox and Maya Lopez are one and the same. Thus far, her pitch-perfect portrayal of the character has made that much clear, and she’ll surely continue that in Echo.
Yet even beyond the successful character work and Marvel Cinematic Universe connections are deeper roots in the Choctaw culture that the show is based on, an aspect that was crucial to director Sydney Freeland: “… one of the things that was important for us was being able to engage with the Choctaw Nation very early on.” Before the show really hit the ground running, Freeland and her team presented the concept at the Choctaw Cultural Center in Calera, Oklahoma.
In doing so, she wanted to accomplish two things: one was to simply ask permission of the Choctaw Nation to portray them in the story in the first place, and to “engage” them in it. Second, and as a result, she wanted to create a dialogue. The goal was to be “as authentic in our portrayal of the Choctaw language, the Choctaw culture, and the Choctaw experience as we can.” All this time and a special early screening of Echo at the cultural center later, it’s safe to say she’s accomplished her goal.
Be sure to experience all this and more when Echo premieres next week, Tuesday, January 9, on Disney +.
Movies, long drives, and mint chocolate chip ice cream.
