Sydney Freeland confirms ECHO Marvel hero, Maya Lopez, will have different powers in the series than the comics

‘ECHO’ Director Sydney Freeland teased the Marvel hero will have different powers in the series than the comics.

“Her power in the comic books is that she can copy anything, any movement, any whatever. It’s kind of lame. I will say, that is not her power.”

In response to everyone’s comments, please remember that Maya will be empowered by the Choctaw women that came before her. 

She will have several different abilities that manifest when she’s threatened. Each power belonging to a different ancestor. In the comics, Echo has photographic reflexes, meaning she has been granted the capability to imitate any actions that she has observed previously. This power was displayed in Black Widow villain Taskmaster, leading some fans to wonder if Echo was a former Widow herself. However, Freeland explained why the Echo series will change the character’s powers. “Her power in the comic books is that she can copy anything, any movement, any whatever. It’s kind of lame,” Freeland said at an Echo press event. “I will say, that is not her power. I’ll just kind of leave it at that.” Reputable scooper CanWeGetSomeToast added further information on Echo’s new powers in the MCU.

“The five-episode streaming event spotlights Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) as she is pursued by Wilson Fisk’s (Vincent D’Onofrio) criminal empire,” reads the new synopsis. “When the journey brings her home, she must confront her own family and legacy. All five episodes will stream on Jan. 10 on both platforms. They’ll be available on Hulu until April 9. This marks the first Marvel Studios series to drop all entirely bingeable episodes at once.”

One thing Marvel Comics fans know about Echo is that she is traditionally from the Blackfeet tribe. However, Freeland and the creative team decided to make Alaqua Cox’s Echo a member of the Choctaw tribe from Oklahoma. Per Variety, the reason for this change was that the comic source material resulted in a “hodgepodge” of imagery and an “inauthentic backstory for the character.” While Freeland is Navajo and grew up on the tribe’s reservation in New Mexico, and Alaqua Cox is a Menominee Nation citizen of Mohican descent, Freeland wanted to meet with the Choctaw Nation to receive their input. When they weren’t receptive, Freeland addressed their concerns. 

The series stars Alaqua Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio (Hawkeye, Godfather of Harlem), Chaske Spencer (Wild Indian, The English), Graham Greene (1883, Goliath), Tantoo Cardinal (Killers of the Flower Moon, Stumptown), Devery Jacobs (FX’s Reservation Dogs, American Gods), Zahn McClarnon (Dark Winds, FX’s Reservation Dogs), and Cody Lightning (Hey, Viktor! Four Sheets to the Wind).