Marvel Studios’ latest Disney+ television series Hawkeye may have focused on the story of Clint Barton and his new protégé, Kate Bishop, but it also introduced another key character to the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Maya Lopez.
Portrayed by newcomer Alaqua Cox, Maya Lopez is a fierce, young, deaf Native American woman tasked with overseeing the heinous activities of the Tracksuit Mafia in the wake of her father’s death at the hands of Ronin. Maya’s arc in Hawkeye followed her quest for vengeance against Ronin after the masked crusader popped back up on the streets of New York City — although it wasn’t Clint but rather Kate wearing the outfit after she had pilfered it from a black market auction. However, Maya’s anger simmered into something else when Clint came clean about his identity and told her that Kingpin was really the one who wanted her father dead, which was a painfully shocking revelation for her.
In the finale, Maya was shown packing her bags, ready to put the Tracksuit Mafia behind her. She wanted Kazi to join her, but he was in too deep, and she was forced to stab him to get away. In her final scene, she found Kingpin after his battle with Kate and shot him.
If Maya’s story felt intriguingly unfinished, there was a reason for it, because Cox will be getting her own Disney+ series focused on her character, entitled Echo. While minimal information is known about it at this time, Hawkeye has allowed us to start working on some predictions for the series!
Hero arc
Maya was born and raised within Kingpin’s crime syndicate, and she took on a huge responsibility at a young age when she continued running the Tracksuit Mafia in her father’s stead. When she realized that a man that she had considered family for most of her life was the reason her father was dead, her deeply rooted trust for Kingpin was shattered. This newfound clarity allowed Maya to finally decide to strike out on her own path, which is why we saw her leaving in the Hawkeye finale.
In the comics, Maya becomes a hero, working with teams like the Avengers to fight for the greater good. Therefore, it’s very likely that Echo will end up being Maya’s hero origin story as she shifts her life down a different path, at which point we can assume that she will take on “Echo” as her superhero title.
The return of Kingpin
Marvel wouldn’t have brought Vincent D’Onofrio back just for a quick appearance in Hawkeye, only for him to die off-screen, right … ? The return of D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk was an exciting surprise after his run in Netflix’s Daredevil series, and it’s very unlikely that this is the last that we’ve seen of him. Considering his extensive past ties with Maya, his would be a dramatic adversary for her to face once again in Echo.
What occurred between Kingpin and Maya is similar to a storyline from the comics, in which she shoots him with the gun that was used to kill her dad after she finds out that he was the one that was responsible for his death. Kingpin doesn’t die, but he is rendered blind afterward.
Daredevil
Now where does Daredevil fit into all of this? Well, in the comics, Fisk sends Maya to throw Matt Murdock off of his scent when the attorney begins to dig into his illegal activities. The two end up falling in love. Fisk then convinces Maya that Daredevil was responsible for her father’s death. Unaware that Matt Murdock and Daredevil are one and the same, Maya goes after the vigilante. She eventually learns the truth though, which leads to the confrontation where Maya shoots Fisk and blinds him.
Despite the fact that this story already played out in Hawkeye sans Daredevil, it certainly doesn’t rule out an appearance from him in Echo. Charlie Cox — who portrayed Matt Murdock in Netflix’s Daredevil series — is now officially in the MCU. It’s unclear where we’ll see him next after his brief cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home, be it his own film, a Disney+ Daredevil series reboot, or a role in one of the many upcoming Marvel series on Disney+. But if he’s going to show up in any series, Echo is one that feels very likely.
Kazi lives
While this last one seems the least likely, it’s still worth mentioning. In Hawkeye, Fra Fee’s Kazi Kazimierczak was depicted as Maya’s second-in-command, her sign language interpreter, and a childhood friend. When Maya made the decision to leave the Tracksuit Mafia, she sought out Kazi and asked him to come with her, but Kazi said that it was too late for him. Maya continued to encourage him, saying that if he’s brave enough, they could walk this new path together. Fisk wouldn’t let that happen, though. The two were forced to fight one another, and Maya ended up stabbing him.
Things could go either way for Fee’s character, because we don’t actually know if the stab wound was fatal. Given that Maya has seemingly lost everything now, the return of Kazi — either as a redeemed character or potentially a darker version that embraces his comic title, the Clown — presents an intriguing storytelling opportunity for Echo.
Stay tuned for more news on Echo and all of Disney+’s upcoming Marvel series!
