Marvel‘s Echo miniseries is just the latest in a very, very, VERY long line of Marvel media. In fact, it’s a sequel miniseries to yet another Marvel miniseries: Hawkeye (2021). However, a confluence of factors seems to be making this miniseries a very popular one on both Disney+ and Hulu. So much so that it’s not just in the top 10. Nor is it even just in the top 3. No, it’s actually in the number-one spot on both streaming platforms.
Marvel’s Echo: Details
Apparently, it seems that from the moment it premiered on both streaming services on January 9, 2024; it’s now the most-watched show there for both.
So why is this the case, you might ask? Well, for starters: Marvel’s Echo is the first Marvel media to feature a Native American (specifically Choctaw) main character who is played by an actual Native American actress. By all accounts, Alaqua Cox did a fantastic job playing Maya Lopez (AKA: the titular Echo). It’s not just that, though. Alaqua Cox plays a deaf character onscreen and is herself deaf. This combination of features creates a very unique main character that hasn’t really been seen since Matt Murdock / Daredevil. Even then, Daredevil’s deafness is sometimes pushed to the sidelines and is treated as a flavoring. Here, Maya Lopez’s deafness is an integral part of the story.
There are other things about Echo besides the representation, though. It’s the first TV-MA series from Marvel Studios, which allows the studio to explore darker and more adult themes than the usual Marvel fare. It’s also the first in the Marvel Spotlight banner, which they describe as “a platform to bring more grounded, character-driven stories to the screen, focusing on street-level stakes over larger MCU continuity.” With smaller stakes, it allows for more drama, even in tiny conflicts. At the very least, it shows that Marvel is willing to experiment. Which, hopefully, might revive the studio.
Tune back into THS later to find out more about Echo and other Marvel media when we do.
