Hawkeye‘s first two episodes are now available to stream on Disney Plus and the show is off to a great start. Hailee Steinfeld is extremely charismatic as Kate Bishop, we’re seeing new sides to Clint Barton, and the “Rogers: The Musical” sequence has fans crying out for more.
But one moment that’s got tongues wagging online is the late reveal of Alaqua Cox’s Maya Lopez/Echo. She has the Taskmaster-like ability of photographic reflexes and will likely be a key antagonist for our heroes. Her powers make her a dangerous adversary, matching both Clint and Kate in weapons training, martial arts combat, and acrobatics.
Here’s how she’s going down on social media:
In the show, she appears to be the much-feared leader of the Tracksuit Mafia and is introduced feeling the vibrations from a large bass speaker. Echo’s deafness is also a key part of the character and given that Hawkeye has so far devoted time to showing Clint’s own hearing loss, the pair may bond over their shared experience. In addition, the fact that the comic version of Echo has worked under the ‘Ronin’ name also connects the two.
Whatever else happens, Echo has a bright future in the MCU. Marvel Studios has been so impressed by Hawkeye that she’s already confirmed for her own spinoff. This is a good indication that the MCU Echo will mirror her comic book counterpart in being both hero and villain.
But one other way fans are hoping the story will follow the comics is her family: specifically her adoptive father Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin. There is a lot of gossip that Marvel Studios is ready to start incorporating characters from the Netflix shows, with fans desperate to see more of Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock and Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin.
Judging by the end of the most recent episode, Echo will play a major role in next week’s installment. So, see you next Wednesday for more Hawkeye.