Marvel Reportedly Looking To Cast The Character Echo For an Upcoming Disney+ Series

According to a new report, Marvel Studios might be looking to cast an extremely cool character named Maya Lopez, aka Echo.

The character is a Native American and one of the very few deaf comic book characters, her "Echo" guise includes a white handprint that covers most of her face. She is a supporting character and one-time lover of Daredevil. She’s also has served as an Avenger and was a one time killer for the Kingpin.

According to Murphy’s Multiverse, Marvel casting director Sarah Finn “put out the call for a deaf female, Native American, First Nations, Indigenous or Latinx, 18 or older, to play the role of ‘Malia’ in an upcoming Disney Plus series set to shoot this Fall. Finn is looking for someone ‘independent, athletic and bright”’to play a 20 something character.”

The casting call does not specify what the role is, but with that description, it certainly sounds like it would be for Echo! I don’t know who else it could be! As for what series the character could pop up in, Hawkeye seems like the best bet. We’ll just have to wait and see.

The character was created by Joe Quesada and Dave Mack. Echo made her first appearance in 1999’s Daredevil #9. She was raised by Kingpin after he murdered her father, she fell in love with Matt Murdock while simultaneously trying to kill Daredevil. She actually beat Daredevil and when she discovered he was actually Murdock, Echo turned on Fisk, shooting him in the eye, and then fled the country. 

In Brian Michael Bendis’ 2004 New Avengers, Echo fought with the Avengers in Japan as the mysterious Ronin before revealing herself to them. Clint Barton would later take on the Ronin mantel.

Here are some additional details on the character:

Maya Lopez is an Olympic-level athlete possessing "photographic reflexes". Just by watching other people, she has become a concert-level pianist, a strong martial artist, a highly skilled acrobat, and a gifted ballerina (and on one occasion even piloted a Quinjet for a few minutes). In addition, she has also gained Bullseye's uncanny aim and Daredevil's acrobatic abilities after watching tapes of their fights.

Although she has great potential, deafness gives Maya Lopez great drawbacks. Her absolute reliance on visual cues renders her helpless in the dark, and her ability to communicate by reading lips prevents her from taking oral commands and communicating with people who are wearing masks or are not in direct visual contact. However, she has been incorrectly depicted as being able to hear and respond to voices despite not seeing the person's mouth due to standing away from them or the person talking right behind her.

I’m a fan of this character and it would be amazing if Marvel actually ended up bringing her to life in one of their Disney+ shows. If that happens, I can’t wait to see how she is introduced and utilized.