In the First Bloody, Brutal Trailer for Echo, Disney+ Finally Goes TV-MA

It’s been a long time coming, but Disney+ is finally venturing into the world of TV-MA original series, and, based on that brutal and badass trailer, Echo is the perfect first candidate. Spinning off from 2021’s Hawkeye, Echo follows Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) in the aftermath of her off-screen shot at Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio) in Hawkeye‘s finale. Showcasing Maya in her early life with Kingpin to the brutality she finds herself in the middle of in the present day, Echo looks to be the most striking, visceral, and grounded MCU offering in a long, long time.

According to a press release, “The five-episode streaming event spotlights Maya as she is pursued by Wilson Fisk’s (Kingpin) criminal empire. When the journey brings her home, she must confront her own family and legacy.” The trailer deals not only in head-bashing action, but also in spotlighting Maya’s Native American heritage as well as her status as both deaf and an amputee. It seems that Echo will aim to examine how all aspects of Maya’s life and identities collide, setting her on a path of self-discovery and destruction.

We are admittedly in a very odd place at the moment within the MCU. The output of television at Disney+ within the universe has significantly slowed, with this series even having been pushed from a November release date to now premiering in January, and the theatrical offerings have been financial and critical disappointments in comparison to those early outings. However, Echo truly looks like a breath of fresh air, a series that removes the larger picture of the broader MCU from its peripheral and instead focuses on its central hero, her sworn enemy, and the struggles she faces to do what she believes is right. Marvel has always thrived on the street-level, both in comics and in series like Runaways and Hawkeye, and Echo tapping into that self-contained, street-level nature is extremely promising.

Check out the trailer below, all episodes of Echo debut January 10th on Disney+.

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