Maya Lopez's Journey in the MCU
Echo has been released as the MCU's first Spotlight series on Disney Plus, delving into one of Marvel's most understated characters, Maya Lopez - and in doing so, made the MCU Echo more powerful than her comic book counterpart.
Maya Lopez discovering her power in Echo
The series follows Maya as she attempts a power grab, wrestles with the consequences of her actions after it transpires her attempt on Kingpin's life failed, and eventually reconnects with her ancestral roots - which gave way to some pretty exceptional powers.
Maya Lopez with her ancestors in Echo series
Maya's vengeful trajectory in the MCU timeline initially put her on a path that wasn't only distant from her family but placed them in particularly vulnerable positions. Despite initially attempting to ghost her cousin and grandmother, the life of crime that Maya had embraced swiftly embroiled them in the fray, forcing Maya to intervene and reconnect with her relatives. Inevitably, this caused Maya to address her Choctaw heritage, including her ancestors through whom she acquired a mystical set of abilities.
Echo and Fisk Inside Kingpin's Mind
Echo's Powers In The MCU Explained
While Echo is the moniker that Maya Lopez assumes in the comics, it becomes a central motif in the show as her powers 'echo' across generations, designated by Maya's mother as strategy, cunning, ferocity, and love.
Maya Lopez's Echo (Alaqua Cox) looks determined In Finale
In Echo, Maya's powers manifest as a glow in her hands as Maya almost effortlessly dispatches a room full of Kingpin's goons before making short work of the crime boss himself by incapacitating him with just a touch, demonstrating that these abilities are slightly more substantive.
Echo using her power on Kingpin in Echo series
Additionally, in the same sequence, Maya extends the 'echo' to her cousin and grandmother, enlisting their help in overpowering a room full of criminals despite them having no obvious experience in a fight. Maya also probes the mind of Kingpin, appearing in a memory that he clings to that depicts the moments before he murders his father in retaliation against his abuse.
Echo Heals Kingpin In the Echo Finale
How Echo Changes Maya Lopez's Powers From The Comics
Echo's comic book power is similar to Taskmaster's, as she can perfectly replicate the fighting abilities of anyone she watches. However, in the MCU, her powers have been portrayed differently, showcasing a unique set of abilities that feel more central to her character and the origin story conveyed in Echo.
Echo as Ronin in Marvel Comics
The MCU has placed more focus on Maya's predisposition towards violence than in the comics, where her powers of mimicry extend to exceptional talent in the fields of music and dance. Maya is also one of the characters that adopts the guise of Ronin, something that seems unlikely to happen in the MCU now that the Ronin suit has been burned. Meanwhile, Maya's ability to commune with spirits is something that the MCU seems to focus on more heavily as she draws on the powers of her long-dead ancestors.
As Taskmaster was already introduced into MCU canon in Black Widow, and is confirmed to be appearing as a part of the eponymous team in Thunderbolts, Echo's powers of mimicry would feel somewhat redundant if portrayed identically to the comics. Instead, Marvel has opted to take some creative liberties and grant her a unique set of abilities that feel a lot more central to her character and the origin story conveyed in Echo.
