Since it was also announced Echo would be getting her own TV show, MCU fans were left wondering about this character's role in the Marvel Universe. And after Hawkeye introduced her as the Tracksuit Mafia leader, the audience's curiosity spiked.
Created roughly 20 years ago by David Mack And Jon Quesada, Maya Lopez is a young deaf woman with the ability to copy any movement. In the comics, she starts as an antagonist for Daredevil but soon she becomes an ally of the Man Without Fear and many other Marvel superheroes. So far, there is not much information about her character in any of the TV series she stars in, but Echo in the comics is a well-rounded character with many things to offer for the future of the MCU.
10 Her First Comic Appearance Is With Daredevil
Although she has been recently introduced in the MCU as an adversary for Hawkeye in the Disney Plsu series, Maya Lopez first appeared in Daredevil #9 in 1999, created by David Mack and Jon Quesada.
In this run, she is a young woman that Kingpin controls and uses to get closer to Matt Murdock in an attempt to learn Daredevil's weaknesses. She is told Matt believes Fisk to be a bad person and that she is the only one that can change this. Since she believes Fisk, Matt is unable to read her words and actions as lies.
9 Wilson Fisk Is Her Adoptive Father
When Maya was only a girl, Kingpin killed her father, Willie "Crazy Horse" Lincoln. Fisk man left a bloody handprint on Maya's father that would later serve as her signature mask. After this, Crazy Horse asks the crimelord to raise Maya as if she was her own.
Kingpin grants this dying wish and takes Maya as his daughter, giving her the best education possible. Believing she is mentally disabled, Fisk first sends her to a school for people with learning disabilities. After learning she is in fact smarter than average, he enrolls her in a school for gifted people.
8 She Is The First Ronin In The Marvel Continuity
Ronin was first introduced in the MCU during Avengers: Endgame. After the blip, Clint Barton takes on this identity to fight crime while grieving for his family. Although Barton is the Ronin in several comics, he is not the first one, Maya Lopez is.
Avengers: 5 Reasons Why Hawkeye Made The Best Ronin (& 5 Why It Was Echo)
Once Echo learns that Kingpin lied to her during her whole life, she seeks comfort in the Chief, her father's old friend, who sends her on a trip to reflect on her life and soothe her soul. During this time, Maya goes to Japan and embraces the culture, becoming Ronin, the Masterless Samurai.
7 Daredevil And Hawkeye Can Be Counted Among Her Lovers
After spending a lot of time together thanks to Kingpin's plans, Maya and Matt Murdock fell in love. This leads to a dramatic end to their story once they both learn about each other's secret identities. Once this happens, Maya flees the country, tormented by the lies of her childhood. Later, she returns only to find Matt is already dating someone else.
Long after that, during Secret Invasion, she and Clint Barton team up during the Skrull attack and start a romantic relationship. Their romance is short-lived but it works as a symbol of Ronin's mantle being passed from one character to the other.
6 The Hand Brainwashed Her To Work As An Assassin For Them
During a dangerous fight against Elektra Natchios, Maya Lopez is murdered. However, she is soon resurrected by The Hand and then brainwashed in the same way they did with Elektra. Maya is then used to fight the New Avengers as a double agent. The Hand's plan is successful and Maya stabs Doctor Strange after pretending to be his ally.
However, the Sorcerer Supreme is able to astral project with Wong's help and then frees her from The Hand's control. After the fight against Elektra, who is revealed as a Skrull setting the precedent for Secret Invasion, Echo officially joins the Avengers.
5 Her Native American Origins Go Way Back
For example, her character uses feathers in her hair, as is the custom of the Cheyenne. In addition to this, several panels of comics featuring her show a very specific Native American style. Alaqua Cox, who plays Maya in the Hawkeye TV series, is also of Native American descent.
4 She Is One Of The Few Deaf Superheroes In Marvel
On top of being one of Marvel's few Native American characters, Echo also represents the deaf community alongside the Eternals' Makkari and Hawkeye himself. This important character trait is not left behind in the Hawkeye TV series, and Echo's first scene shows her enjoying music through vibrations next to a speaker.
Maya's disability does not affect her battle performance, and just like Daredevil does with his blindness, she has learned to use it to her advantage. Regardless, when her visibility is affected, she can have a harder time against any type of enemy.
3 Her Ability To Mirror Other People's Movement Make Her A Very Strong Adversary
Since she was very young, Maya was able to perfectly mirror anyone else's movements, just like Taskmaster does. Her ability to replicate anything means she can become a skilled martial artist, a professional ballerina, or even an Olympic-level athlete in a matter of seconds. This is a very useful talent during hand-to-hand combat.
Her lip-reading skills are also above average. She can read lips from a further distance than other humans or even using the corner of her eye. In addition to this, she can read the lips of people even if they are wearing masks made out of thin fabric.
2 As The Host Of The Phoenix, She Calls Herself Thunderbird
During the Enter the Phoenix crossover, Echo is one of the characters chosen by the Phoenix Force to participate in the tournament that will decide its next host. Since she is pitted against Namor during an underwater battle, she quickly loses the fight. However, the Phoenix finds her resilience refreshing and chooses her.
She then becomes the Phoenix's next host and promptly declares her new identity as Thunderbird. The course of her actions as the new Phoenix's host is yet to be determined, but Jean Grey gave her some advice on how to control its powers.
1 She Is Not Inherently A Villain, She Is An Avenger
Even though Echo spends a great deal of time battling against renowned Marvel superheroes, she cannot be considered a villain in this universe because she has never acted by herself. Whether it is Kingpin feeding her lies to control her or The Hand using her after she had been brainwashed, Maya's action cannot be considered her own.
Once she is freed of Kingpin's control, Maya considers joining The Avengers but she decides not to because she does not feel worthy of the group. Regardless, she soon joins them in the battle against the Silver Samurai. She also joins them during the Skrull Invasion in Secret Invasion, and constantly aids them when needed.
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