Remember when Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage delivered Marvel stories with a gritty edge on Netflix?
Those were the days.
Disney+’s efforts have been watered down to appeal to a broader audience, but it seems the streaming service has got the message loud and clear with Echo.
The streaming service on Friday shared the official trailer and premiere date for its next live-action series, and it’s TV-MA-rated for good measure.
The clip is violent, delivering fight scene after fight scene as we delve into the world of Maya Lopez, whose world is changed forever when she crosses paths with Vincent D’onofrio’s Wilson Fisk.
As you’ll recall, if you watched Hawkeye, Maya confronted Fisk in the limited series finale and took his eye out.
In the trailer, he tells Maya they’re connected, whether she likes it or not.
“You and I… are the same,” he tells her as things get going.
Maya remains laser-focused on taking the villain down, but in true Marvel fashion, will they be forced to work alongside one another?
It’s not like Wilson Fisk is going anywhere, given that he’s attached to star in Daredevil: Born Again, assuming that show sees the light of day.
“In Hawkeye, fans were first introduced to Maya Lopez, a character played by Alaqua Cox,” MCU overlord Kevin Feige said of the series at Disney upfronts.
“She will return to get her revenge in Echo, a limited drama from an incredible team of indigenous writers, directors, and cast members.”
Echo stars Alaqua Cox as Maya, a deaf superhero with the talent to imitate any opponent’s fighting style.
Maya must “face her past, reconnect with her Native American roots and embrace the meaning of family and community if she ever hopes to move forward,” according to the logline.
The series also stars Chaske Spencer, Tantoo Cardinal, Devery Jacobs, Cody Lightning, Graham Greene, and Zahn McClarnon.
There will also be plenty of cameos from MCU veterans if we’re to believe the plethora of rumors floating around out there.
Check out the promo below. The series premieres on January 10, 2024.
As an MCU fanatic, I had reservations about the decision to air all the episodes at once, as well as the subsequent delays, but the good news here is that the show looks similar in tone to the Netflix superhero era.
Disney+ initially wanted family-friendly fare, with Loki and Ms. Marvel being much lighter in tone.
Secret Invasion tried to up the stakes with an espionage tone, but it didn’t work well.
The series was a waste of time in the end and left a bad taste with fans.
Daredevil’s return has been an interesting situation because the series is set to forget much of the Netflix series’ DNA, which hasn’t sat well with fans.
It was also reported last month that the series’ creatives were fired after Disney execs screened episodes and felt the show wasn’t working in its current form.
D’Onofrio opened up about the overhaul in response to a fan on social media.
“Unless you really know what’s going there’s a chance you could be wrong about this statement,” he responded.
“We are going to bring forward the best series we can. One we can be proud of. Have some trust my friend, trust.”
“Every cool project I’ve been involved with has evolved constantly during pre-production, production and post,” D’Onofrio added.
“It’s just reported on these days as if it’s big news. It’s not. It’s a bunch of creatives doing their best to get it right.
“It’s a constant in this business. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Frankly I’d be worried if we were settling for less.”
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Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.
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