Echo's Position in the MCU Timeline
Marvel's Echo confirms when Maya Lopez's first adventure as a solo anti-hero takes place within the MCU timeline. After Maya Lopez finds out the truth about her father's death and exacts revenge on Kingpin during 2021's Hawkeye, she reconnects with her roots and bonds with the spirits of her ancestors in 2024's Echo. However, Kingpin isn't one to back down easily. Hence, the five-episode-long Echo sees Maya Lopez confront Wilson Fisk once again, but this time with less rage and more wisdom imparted from her ancestors and her family.
Alaqua Cox as Echo and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye in the MCU
The Marvel Cinematic Universe's chronological timeline runs relatively parallel to real-world history up until 2019's Avengers: Endgame, where Thanos' Snap pushes the MCU's timeline five years into the future. Since then, most MCU movies and shows have taken place in the near future, although several delays in the MCU's slate have meant that real time has slowly been catching up to the MCU's timeline. Taking Maya Lopez's story and its MCU context into account, Echo's place in the timeline can be pinpointed despite some confusing details.
Maya Lopez and Kingpin in Echo with Thanos' Snap in Avengers Infinity War
Echo Is Set In 2025, 5 Months After Hawkeye
Echo episode 1 follows Maya Lopez's present-day story, intertwined with flashbacks to her childhood and scenes from Echo's MCU debut in Hawkeye. Arranged in order, these scenes show how close together the events of Hawkeye and Echo actually are. In fact, Echo episode 1 explicitly confirms that after Maya Lopez shoots Kingpin in the Hawkeye finale, Marvel's Echo takes place '5 months later.' Considering that the Christmas-themed Hawkeye is set in December 2024, it's safe to say that Echo's present-day scenes take place in May 2025.
Echo provides various clues about its setting, but not all of them are clear. For instance, Echo episode 1 states that Maya returns home five months after Hawkeye, and it also reveals that Maya's mom died in a car accident in 2007. However, a few scenes featuring adult Maya in between these points don't have a clear date, and some characters mention that she hasn't been home in twenty years. Some Hawkeye scenes are also interlaced with flashbacks like Echo's fight with Daredevil — which likely took place during the Blip's five-year span between 2018 and 2023 — making it difficult to identify which exact moments are set in the MCU's present day.
Why Echo's MCU Timeline Is So Confusing
The MCU's confusing timeline isn't exclusive to Echo. After Avengers: Endgame jumped five years ahead, various MCU projects have taken an ambiguous approach to their place in the timeline. Some Multiverse Saga entries, like Hawkeye and Spider-Man: No Way Home, have clarified their setting right from the start. Others, like The Marvels and Echo, leave this question more open. After all, the MCU's chronological timeline is susceptible to future tweaks, and the fewer specific dates each title includes, the easier it becomes for subsequent movies and shows to make necessary changes should the MCU need them.
