In Echo, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s latest series, Alaqua Cox’s Maya Lopez aka Echo is on the run after the events of Hawkeye. She reconnects with her Choctaw Nation roots in her hometown in Oklahoma where she must confront her past. The show also marks the return of Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin and Charlie Cox’s Daredevil. In an exclusive interview with Filmfare, executive producer Richie Palmer opened up about exploring Maya’s Native American background, Daredevil’s appearance (in his red suit) and more.
How did you create a grounded, personal narrative within the multiverse-shattering stories of the MCU?
Richie: When we were telling the story of Maya Lopez, we wanted to make sure that it was an intimate story. It’s about a complex character, somebody who is a human being on the inside like all of us. She has hard choices to make. We meet her as a villain with aspirations of being the biggest crime lead within the universe. We see her go through a change in this show and maybe become a little more selfless. It was really important to leave the world of the Avengers behind and just focus on Maya as a character and meet her world and environment. We wanted it to be wrapped up in her backstory and spend more time with her.
What went into getting deaf, mute and Native representation right?
Richie: We just made sure that from day one, we had a writers’ room with Native and indigenous writers from different backgrounds as well as deaf writers. During production, we had Native and deaf producers. We were surrounded by people who knew and loved their cultures, communities and Marvel. We wanted to make sure we’re telling an awesome story about a human character that entertains people. And she happens to be Chactow and deaf, that’s just a part of her identity.
How did the team decide to introduce Charlie Cox’s Daredevil in the show?
Richie: We wanted to see quintessential Daredevil on the show kicking ass with Maya Lopez, honestly. It was in service of her character though because when he fights her, they go the distance. She holds her own with him. Kingpin sees this and he goes, “Oh, this kid that I’ve been raising, there’s more to her than I thought.” It was a really big moment for her and we wanted to honour that. Even in the comics, they are formidable opponents and she was someone who could go up against him. We’re such Daredevil fans and we love Charlie Cox so we just wanted to see him wear the iconic red suit in our show. It was such a treat to be able to do that. I’m so excited to see how those characters go off in the new Daredevil series.
Richie: (Laughs) Stay tuned and find out. She’s pretty good. I don’t know how their fight would’ve ended. Daredevil had more experience than Echo at that point in time but you’re talking to a guy who loves Maya. So, I don’t know. I can’t confirm who would win.
How much of the Phoenix Force will we see in the show?
Richie: We’ve taken details from the comics and put them in the show. We tried to translate her powers in the show from the comics in a way that feels true to Maya Lopez and the Choctaw Nation. Her powers are actually connected to her ancestors and how it goes from there and turns into actual powers, is something you gotta stay tuned for.
Where will we see Maya after Echo?
Richie: The hope whenever we introduce a character within the Marvel Cinematic Universe is that we’ll get to see them one day. Maya is such a powerful presence that we have to meet her again. It’ll also be great to see all the new characters we introduced with her one day, whether it’s in another Echo series or another character’s series. That’s always the fun of these characters to see how we’ll keep them alive and see how they may show up in the future in new and unexpected ways.