Hawkeye’s Echo is a Deaf, indigenous superhero who’s key to Marvel Phase 4

In its first two episodes, Disney Plus’ Hawkeye series introduced us to the world of Kate Bishop — and reintroduced us to Clint Barton, hotshot archer and Avenger.

Now, with its second episode, the series has introduced it’s third Marvel Comics superhero, played by Deaf actress Alaqua Cox.

Are they friends? But is she friend? While she spends most of the action-packed episode chasing our heroes, Marvel Comics readers know it’s likely a bit complicated.

[Ed. note: This post contains spoilers for Hawkeye through episode 3.]

Kate Bishop fires an arrow while in a moving car in Hawkeye

The final scene in Hawkeye’s second episode, this week’s “Echoes” gives the superheroine Echo her full debut. Darnell Besaw, a young actress plays her in the episode’s opening. As a young girl, her father was part of the Tracksuit Mafia. Without the money to enroll in a school for the Deaf, Maya was forced to develop her ability to lipread in order to interact with the hearing world that wouldn’t accommodate her.

And in the show, just like in Marvel Comics, it seems that Maya Lopez’s attention to visual detail has developed into something of a supernatural power — reading and copying body language.

Maya Lopez/Echo from Marvel Comics: Who are you?

Maya Lopez/Echo catches an escrima stick with a FAP sound, as she casually juggles half a dozen shuriken with her other hand. “Hello, villain,” she says. “I have a performance for you,” in Daredevil (1999).

Echo appeared for the first time in the pages DaredevilThe antagonist of the comic, ‘The Assassin, was written by Joe Quesada, Quesada being the artist, while Mack was writing it. In the comics, she was born deaf, and possessed a supernatural ability to perfectly copy the movements of anyone she saw — pretty much like Taskmaster, the Avengers villain who debuted in the MCU in Black Widow.

Maya was orphaned when her father died while working as an enforcer for Wilson “The Kingpin” Fisk, who you might remember from Netflix’s DaredevilSeries or Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Fisk took her under his wing in order to develop her abilities, convince her he was really a nice guy, and eventually unleashed her against the “villainous” Daredevil. Her most common “superhero” symbol is a handprint on her face, a tribute to her father’s last moments, just as it was in Hawkeye’s “Echoes.”

Maya is a minor Marvel Comics comics character. She has experienced many highs and lows. She’s dated Daredevil, become buds with Wolverine, was the first person to use the Ronin suit/identity in Marvel Comics, tangled with Elektra and the Hand, and hung around with Moon Knight. She’s been a member of the Avengers on multiple occasions, where she was often written with a “supernatural” ability to read lips even when characters (like, say, Spider-Man) were wearing full masks.

Maya has always been a Native American superhero, but recently in comics she was established as a member of the Cheyenne Nation specifically, rejoined the Avengers and — let me check here — became the host of the Phoenix Force. At least that part of the story is likely. NotGoing to be in Hawkeye. But Clint Barton’s show won’t be the last time we see Echo.

Fans are hoping that Maya Lopez will get her Disney Plus spinoff series. Echo series will reintegrate the world of Netflix’s DaredevilMarvel Cinematic Universe. But they’ll be waiting a while, as Echo There is currently no release window.