It’s pretty cool that one of the most well-received new characters from Marvel Studios is a deaf amputee. But, as proven in Hawkeye‘s most recent episode, Alaqua Cox’s Maya Lopez/Echo kicks a whole lot of ass. Even in her short screen time Echo has already displayed a scary focus on vengeance and has the skills to match it.
The third episode opened by showing us Echo’s childhood. She was born deaf and we see her struggling in a hearing school. But she soon realizes that this allows her to concentrate on her visual acuity, with her attention to subtle physical movements making her develop into a lethal martial artist.
Now directors Bert and Bertie (who have been turning a lot of heads with their work here) have talked us through her ‘powers’. Speaking with TVLine, they said her life experience is what’s made her so effective:
“That’s her superpower. Everything that she’s learned in life comes from what we see as a disability … but that’s the reason she kicks ass.”
The pair also discussed how Cox’s prosthetic leg only adds to Echo’s character:
“It was like, ‘Oh, that can actually add to the superhuman nature of [Maya].’ She’s a hero. Alaqua is a real-life hero, and what she’s overcome in her life is really mirrored in Maya’s story.”
There’s a lot about Echo we still don’t know, with longtime MCU fans especially curious about her apparent relationship with Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin. Their history together was teased in the last episode and, if we really are going to see the return of Wilson Fisk, we’ll discover their connection to one another. Beyond that, we also have her friendship with Fra Fee’s Kazi, who goes on to become a key Hawkeye character in his own right in the comics.
Marvel Studios must have been dazzled by the rushes for Hawkeye and anticipated this instant fandom for Echo, as they’ve already greenlit her own Disney Plus spinoff. Let’s hope we hear more on that as Hawkeye wraps up, as it seems this character is going places.
The fourth episode of Hawkeye airs tomorrow on Disney Plus.