Among the announcements of new content coming to Disney’s streamer on Disney+ Day was the series order for the Hawkeye spinoff, Echo, according to Deadline. The series will feature newcomer Alaqua Cox as the Native American superhero, Maya Lopez. Cox teased her hero weeks ago on her Instagram page with a photo of her on the set of the Hawkeye series, where she will make her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut.
According to Deadline, Cox’s Lopez is young deaf person who has the power to instantly mimic the fighting styles of her opponent. She will appear alongside Jeremy Renner’s (Wind River, Mayor of Kingstown) Clint Barton and Hailee Stanfield’s (Bumblebee, Dickinson) Kate Bishop in Hawkeye which makes its two-episode premiere Wednesday, November 24. The cast will also include Zahn McClarnon (Reservation Dogs, Doctor Sleep) as Maya’s father, William; Vera Farmiga (The Conjuring, Bates Motel) as Kate’s mother, Eleanor; Florence Pugh (Midsommar, Little Women) as Yelena Belova, whom we met in this past summer’s Black Widow; Tony Dalton (Better Call Saul, Sr. Avila) as Clint’s mentor, Jack Duqesne; and, Fra Fee (Cinderella, Pixie) as the villain, Kazi.
Echo’s comic origins find her being the adoptive daughter of Daredevil’s villain, Kingpin. As a dying wish of her father, she is raised under Kingpin’s tutelage, eventually discovering her copycat powers. As a skilled combatant, she becomes somewhat of a romantic adversary for Matt Murdock’s blind hero. She first appeared in Daredevil #9 by David Mack and Joe Quesada in 1999. She has since been affiliated with The Avengers as well as the criminal syndicate, The Hand, under the aliases Ronin and being a vessel for the celestial being, Phoenix.
Deadline reports the series has been in early development since March, but today’s news confirmed the series order, which has no episode count or definitive release date as of yet. The series will be written and executive produced by Etan Cohen (Get Hard, Tropic Thunder) and Emily Cohen (Fruits of Labor, Virtual War). Echo joins heft of upcoming Disney+ live-action Marvel series including Ms. Marvel, Secret Invasion, She-Hulk, and Moon Knight.