'Echo' on Disney+: Alaqua Cox on Maya Lopez's 'unique' Marvel superpower, combining Indigenous culture
Marking the return of Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio, Marvel has given us a spinoff for the Indigenous, deaf and single amputee superhero
If, like us, your favourite iteration of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was the Daredevil series, Echo (on Disney+), starring Alaqua Cox and Devery Jacobs, and marking the return of Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio, gives the MCU the energy and excitement we've been missing with more recent projects.
Where to watch Echo: Disney+
Directors: Sydney Freeland and Catriona McKenzie
Cast: Alaqua Cox, Devery Jacobs, Charlie Cox, Vincent D'Onofrio, Chaske Spencer, Tantoo Cardinal, Zahn McClarnon, Cody Lightning
Number of episodes: 5
When we left Maya Lopez (Cox) in Hawkeye, she was a villain, part of Kingpin's (D'Onofrio) criminal enterprise. In Echo, we start with a look back at her past with Wilson Fisk, when Maya was just a child. Now she's being chased by Fisk's empire as she goes home to the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, honing in on the power of her ancestors.
"It really feels nice to have that authenticity that we are representing," Cox told Yahoo Canada (with ASL interpreters) about getting a spinoff show for the Indigenous, deaf and single amputee superhero.
"Back in the day, there were deaf roles and hearing people were [cast] for it, and we also had Native roles that were cast as non-Indigenous people. So now we are getting more serious about casting true, authentic people for these authentic roles. It's changing nowadays, and not completely perfect, we are in the stepping stones of that becoming better, but it is a big step in the right direction for Hollywood."
Watch Echo on Disney+, plans start at $7.99/month
Part of why Echo really succeeded in adding depth to the MCU is because, as Maya is working through this superhero and villain story, the character is grounded in her Indigenous culture, making the character feel particularly well formed.
"I like how they involve the Indigenous culture, and a superpower, combined together - We always see the same superpowers, that they could fly or they shoot lasers or webs. ... But Echo has a superpower that is very unique, and relates to her culture as well. So I think that's really nice," Cox said.
That detail goes right down to the superhero suit Echo wears in the series.
"I loved that suit," the actor said. "I had a lot of costume fittings, of course, probably 10 or 15 just for that costume, I lost count."
"It slowly became more and more beautiful every time I would show up for a fitting, and there are so many symbols, and symbolism that is applied to Indigenous people. There's a sun pattern that's on the costume and it's just so representative of Indigenous tribes and cultures, and the Choctaw people. It's a very empowering feeling and I loved putting that suit on, the superhero suit. ... It was a lot of layers to put on, but it was worth it in the end to have it on."
Alaqua Cox and Devery Jacobs developed a bond
Kanyen’kéha Mohawk actor Jacobs plays Maya's estranged cousin Bonnie, who were so close they were like sisters when they were young. In the series, we see an adult Bonnie working as an EMT in Tamaha, Oklahoma, when Maya returns home.
Reservation Dogs star Jacobs has been an advocate for authentic Indigenous roles in entertainment. In terms of Echo having a strong connection to Maya's ancestors, Jacobs highlighted that aspect of the story is effective because it's told from the perspective of Indigenous talents.
"I think the reason why we're able to feel so many aspects of ancestry for Maya, and community, is because it's a story told from Indigenous creators," Jacobs said. "I think that's such a part of our cultures now, and we're portraying a family from the Choctaw Nation, and having people who are like cousin-uncles, and uncle-dads, and sister-cousins, but also everybody knowing each other's business, I think those are just inherently textures of being part of a rez and growing up in that space."
"Also, Maya having that connection with her ancestors is huge. I know that's something that I was raised with, the idea that your ancestors are always with you and to become a worthy ancestor. So for us to be able to explore those conversations in Echo, I think just is a testament to the writers and the creatives behind the project, and also to our connection to community and how we're telling this in an authentic way."
Watch Echo on Disney+, plans start at $7.99/month
Throughout Echo, the series strikes a balance between the villainous side of Maya, her childhood, and her community in Oklahoma, specifically Maya's relationship with Bonnie.
"We knew it was so important to be able to feel that relationship between them, to feel the history," Jacobs explained. "Part of creating that relationship was all of the work we did beforehand."
"We had a bit of a language barrier between us, I'm a hearing person, and she's deaf, and so we just wanted to make sure that we spent the time connecting. So we had gifted each other little things. ... We had also done these little games just to keep us connected, so we can feel like they've known each other from way back, and there's so much love and so much longing, and so much heartbreak at the loss and disconnection of each other. A lot of work was put into that. I'm just so glad that we're able to see that piece of heart that Maya has for Bonnie, and get a glimpse into who she might have been, had she not become part of Fisk's army."
Cox also applauded Jacobs for really putting in the time to educate herself on Deaf culture.
"She's pretty well educated in Deaf culture and she was so willing to work on sign language outside of work, because she wants to learn more about Deaf culture, she was practicing on her own," Cox said. "She learned in less than a few months, and it was really amazing."
'Echo has become more complicated, more intense, more rageful'
While there's a lot to be excited about in Echo, it really helps that the series starts with an interesting setup, to go deeper into a character who is very much coming from a villainous space.
"I think it's really fun to be able to develop a character like this, because from Hawkeye, I noticed that Echo has become more complicated, more intense, more rageful," Cox said. "She always has revenge on her mind and that's the way she was raised by Kingpin in New York, to know that lifestyle, and that's pretty much it."
"So being raised by Kingpin she, of course, is renowned as a villain. But she's able to learn and accept all of these things when she goes to Oklahoma and reconnects with her family, that it maybe doesn't have to be that way. And she's able to open up and really try and trust the people around her. It's really interesting to learn more about her character as it develops, and I'm just very happy about it."
In terms of adding details and layers to the characters in this series, Maya's prosthetic leg is very much utilized in the action-packed moments of the show.
"I like how they use, I think it was three or four different prosthetic legs throughout the show," Cox said. "My favourite one is the superhero leg."
"I do like how we show it on the camera and that we were not afraid to represent. One of them we called the 'garbage leg' because that's the one that kind of gets destroyed when Maya is fighting. Skully [Graham Greene] remakes that leg so we called that the 'garbage leg.' ... And then later, the superhero leg comes along. So it's really cool to see that process and development of the different kinds of legs that we did use, and each one has their own story."
As Jacobs highlighted, it's all assisted by the show's directors, particularly Sydney Freeland (who also worked on Reservations Dogs), who came to the project with a "standout voice."
"She's such a clear director and she has such a standout voice, even though she's like such a kind of quiet person," Jacobs said. "I knew this project would be would be something special."
'She's set such a great example of leaving the industry better than when you first come into it'
The real sense of community that we see from the Choctaw Nation, depicted in Echo, also gives the series a unique space in MCU storytelling. But what stands out is how the episodes are paced in a way where we're slowly peeling back each layer of some of these characters from Maya's past.
That includes Chaske Spencer as Henry "Black Crow" Lopez, or Uncle Henry.
"I never really got to play a character like this, usually Uncle Henry has a big flannel shirt, and he's a big dude, but they said I could kind of feel this character and see where I can go with it," Spencer said. "And I thought that was a great privilege to have me try to find a character in this."
"When I'd get the scripts, I was really looking forward to the scenes, because they're so complicated. There's a lot of emotion going on there, there's a lot of past from the characters. And to be able to work ASL and try to find the balance of that, ... because I'm a fish out of water in this production, was just a challenge, and it was fun. ... I always say, you should make yourself uncomfortable at least one hour a day, and for Echo, it was all day."
Another character to highlight is Cree and Métis actor Tantoo Cardinal, who plays Chula, Maya's estranged grandmother.
For Jacobs, she was particularly excited about working with Cardinal for Echo, given Cardinal's legacy as an actor.
"Getting to work with Tantoo, who's somebody I've always admired, from the time I was young, and who's a legend and elder to us all, ... she shared with me stories of her coming up in the industry, when the industry wasn't so welcoming of our voices and our stories," Jacobs said. "She has quite literally blazed a trail for each of us and I wouldn't have the career that I do today if it hadn't been for artists like Tantoo carving that path out."
"I think she's set such a great example of leaving the industry better than when you first come into it and that's a legacy that I'm hoping to carry on through my life, and legacy I leave behind for young and up and coming Indigenous artists."
