What is Marvel's new series 'Echo' about?

Marvel's first project of 2024 has been unveiled. This series follows Maya Lopez, the villain from the Disney+ series 'Hawkeye,' as she returns to her hometown to rediscover her identity as a Native American and mend her relationships with her family. It's also the first Marvel series produced by Disney+ to receive a TV-MA rating (rated 15 and over in Korea).

The series begins by explaining why Maya left her hometown. Maya, a member of the Choctaw Nation, a Native American tribe located in Thackerville, Oklahoma, has a relatively normal childhood. She is close to her cousin, Bonnie, like a sister, and enjoys a harmonious relationship with her uncle and grandparents. The problem was her father. People who held a grudge against Maya's father, who was involved in a local gang, threatened her family, and Maya and her father fled to New York.

20 years later, Maya finds herself on the run again. This is because she has become an enemy of Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio), the underworld kingpin she considered her 'uncle' after escaping to New York. Maya returns to her hometown but avoids seeking out her family. She didn't want to revisit the wounds she received when she first left. However, Fisk's men start closing in on her, forcing her to seek help from her family.

One of the most unique aspects of this series is its portrayal of Native American culture and sign language. The setting of 'Echo' is a Native American village located in Thackerville, Oklahoma, offering a glimpse into the lives of its residents. In reality, the lives of these people are not particularly extraordinary. Bonnie works as a firefighter, and Maya's grandmother, Chula (Tantoo Cardinal), is a postal worker. Her grandfather runs a pawn shop and sells Native American crafts to tourists.

However, even this portrayal feels incredibly fresh because it's rarely seen in American TV shows or movies. Western TV shows typically portray Native Americans as villains in Westerns or as people who maintain a pre-modern lifestyle. In addition, Echo discovers mysterious abilities inspired by Choctaw mythology in this series. These abilities become a crucial element in the latter half of the series, enabling Maya to overcome her challenges and ultimately become 'Echo,' the title of the series.

In this series, sign language plays a significant role, just as much as English and the Choctaw language. Alaqua Cox, the actress playing Maya, is deaf, and her character, Echo, is also deaf. Sign language is used as a tool to illustrate relationships with those around her. Although seemingly distant, Maya's family continues to use sign language for her. However, despite calling Maya family, Fisk never uses sign language himself. He either employs an interpreter or uses equipment capable of interpreting sign language.

The reappearance of familiar characters from other Marvel series is also a treat. Charlie Cox's Daredevil makes a very brief cameo appearance in the first episode. After the cancellation of season 4 in 2018, there was anxiety among fans about whether they would ever see Daredevil again, portrayed by Charlie Cox. (Perhaps some viewers will watch this series just to see Daredevil.)

'Echo' masterfully tells Lopez's story but also has some shortcomings. The series was promoted as a 'Netflix-style Marvel' series. From 2014 to 2018, Netflix released several Marvel TV series characterized by heightened levels of violence. 'Echo' was highly anticipated as a series that would carry on this tradition. However, surprisingly, this series features a relatively small amount of action. Echo is a series that focuses more on expressing characters' emotions and narratives rather than action. This might disappoint viewers who anticipated action-heavy storytelling like in 'Daredevil.'